WORLD METEOROLOGICAL ORGANIZATION
ONLY
AND
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMISSION
FOR ASIA AND THE PACIFIC
______________
WMO/ESCAP Panel on Tropical Cyclones
Fortieth session
Colombo, Sri Lanka
25 February to 1 March 2013
FOR PARTICIPANTS
WRD/PTC.40/Doc. 8
(18.II.2013)
ENGLISH ONLY
SUPPORT FOR THE PANEL’S PROGRAMME
(Submitted by the WMO Secretariat)
Introduction
8.1
The WMO development cooperation activities are being implemented with funding
from the WMO Voluntary Cooperation Programme (VCP), Trust Fund (TF) arrangements
and a modest Regular Budget contribution, mainly for fellowship and training purposes to
ensure successful implementation of WMO programmes, as well as the WMO Programme
for the Least Developed Countries (LDCs). Development cooperation activities are also
being implemented through bilateral and multilateral arrangements and through funding
provided by financial institutions such as the World Bank and regional development banks
and other partners.
Voluntary Cooperation Programme
8.2
In 2012, Maldives made a cash contribution to the Voluntary Cooperation Fund
(VCP(F)). An expert mission for training on MTSAT data utilization and feasibility
investigations for the future projects of the Bangladesh Meteorological Department took
place in January 2012. Two VCP projects were implemented in Pakistan for the restoration
of Automatic Weather Stations (AWSs) and meteorological observation stations damaged by
the severe flooding in July-August 2010.
Trust Fund arrangements
8.3
Within the Trust Fund project “Installation of a Doppler radar system in Sri Lanka”,
two factory training courses, Factory Acceptance Tests, a Coordination Meeting were
conducted at the premises of the supplier of the radar. The installation of the radar and
relevant training are scheduled for the first half of 2013.
8.4
Under the WMO-RIMES joint project for “Reducing risks of tsunami, storm surge,
large waves and other natural hazards in low elevation coastal zones” for Bangladesh, India,
Maldives, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand, funded by the ESCAP Multi-donor Trust Fund
for Tsunami, Disaster and Climate Preparedness in the Indian Ocean and Southeast Asian
Countries in April 2011 and the Severe Weather Forecasting Demonstration Project for the
Bay of Bengal (South Asia) is being implemented in 2011-2013.
WRD/PTC.40/Doc. 8, p. 2
8.5
The first national Sub-Project of the Coastal Inundation Forecasting Demonstration
Project (CIFDP) (http://www.jcomm.info/CIFDP) in Bangladesh (CIFDP-B) was supported by
USAID-OFDA as part of a 7 million USD multi-regional and multi-annual DRR programme.
The CIFDP progress is building collaborative arrangements for CIFDP-B implementation
with the WMO/ESCAP Panel on Tropical Cyclones, the regional Severe Weather
Forecasting Demonstration Project (SWFDP) and Regional Integrated Multi-Hazard Early
Warning System for Africa and Asia (RIMES). The Project will directly improve the work of
NMHS at the national and local level in providing forecasting and warning services in coastal
zones as well as in enhancing NMHS’s role in national disaster management.
South-South Cooperation
8.6
It is recalled that the basic objective of the South-South Cooperation (or Technical
Cooperation among Developing Countries (TCDC)) was to promote and strengthen
collective self-reliance among developing countries through the exchange of expertise,
pooling of resources, sharing of technical capabilities and development of complimentary
capacities. Expert missions, familiarization visits, study tours and training were also
implemented under the TCDC. The Member countries are invited to utilize such a scheme
to promote the technical cooperation activities.
8.8
China organized the 41st China Study Tour and a Workshop on Human Resources
Development for NMHSs in Developing Countries in Africa in May 2012. No Members of the
Panel participated in the 2012 event.
Emergency response and assistance activities
8.9
The WMO "Emergency Assistance Fund" (officially entitled "WMO Disaster
Assistance Fund for Meteorological and Hydrological Services"), established in 1991, is an
existing WMO emergency assistance mechanism to assist Members affected by disasters in
the rehabilitation and restoration of observing network, data collection and processing
facilities and in international data exchange, in cases where disasters have destroyed or
severely disabled the meteorological and/or hydrological infrastructure. In recent years
(2005-2012), Bangladesh, Myanmar, Pakistan and Sri Lanka were assisted by this scheme.
Affected Members who need emergency assistance are advised to utilize this scheme, and
all Members are requested to consider possible support to the affected NMHSs.
8.10 Following Cyclone Nargis, hydrometeorological instruments including an AWS, an
electric generator, PCs for storm surge modelling as well as short-term training and a longterm fellowship, were provided to Myanmar in 2008-2011, and more reliable Internet
connectivity is to be provided with the Emergency Assistance Fund and the VCP(F).
8.11 Following the exceptional severe floods in Pakistan in July-August 2010 and a WMO
fact-finding and needs-assessment mission carried out in November 2010 in collaboration
with ESCAP and in coordination with UNESCO, several donor Members of WMO, including
China; Hong Kong, China; Finland; Japan; and USA, indicated their possible support to
restore essential hydrometeorological infrastructure (AWSs, conventional synoptic
meteorological stations, a Flash Flood Guidance System, etc.) in Pakistan, in addition to the
WMO support under the Emergency Assistance Fund.
WRD/PTC.40/Doc. 8, p. 3
Panel on Tropical Cyclones Trust Fund (PTCTF)
8.12
The statement of income and expenditure for the period 1 January to 31 December
2010 and the interim statement of income and expenditure for the period 1 January to 31
December 2011 prepared by the WMO Secretariat are given in Appendices B and C,
respectively.
_________________
Appendix A: Statement of income and expenditure for the period 1 January to 31 December
2011 – PTCTF
Appendix B: Interim statement of income and expenditure for the period 1 January to 31
December 2012 - PTCTF
APPENDIX A
APPENDIX B