Climate Investment Funds (CIF) has joined the Alliance for Hydromet Development, with an official ceremony taking place at the just-concluded Executive Council Meeting of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
The Alliance brings together major international development, humanitarian and climate finance institutions to scale up and unite efforts to improve weather, climate, hydrological and related environmental information services, also known as hydromet services.
One priority for the Alliance is to establish the Systematic Observations Financing Facility (SOFF) to sustain compliance of developing countries with the Global Basic Observing Network and increase their access to improved weather and climate products and services.
According to the Alliance, the CIF brings significant expertise and experience to the partnership through its Pilot Program for Climate Resilience (PPCR). This program has supported some of the most vulnerable countries in the world to improve their capacity in providing reliable hydromet services, including Dominica, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, Mozambique, Nepal, Niger, Papua New Guinea, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Tajikistan.
By joining the Alliance, CIF says it is furthering its commitment to helping developing countries make informed decisions and advance their adaptation and resilience actions in a more systematic way. It joins 12 existing organizations who united to form the Alliance which was launched at COP 25 in Madrid, Spain, in December 2019. Through collective action, the Alliance members have committed to achieving the common goal of closing the capacity gap on hydromet services by 2030.
Mafalda Duarte, chief executive officer of the CIF, commented, “Well-functioning weather and climate information services are necessary to effectively manage the risks associated with an uncertain and warming climate and build resilient economies and communities.
“However, the developing countries who bear the greatest burden of the impacts of climate change are also the ones facing capacity constraints to produce timely and accurate forecasts, early warnings and climate projections. Through the Alliance, we will continue to support developing countries bridge this hydromet capacity gap and lay the foundation for resilient and sustainable development.”