Technical Assistance to the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) - Building Regional Resilience through Strengthened Meteorological, Hydrological and Climate Services in the Indian Ocean Commission Member Countries

Project
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Ongoing
Total Funding:
US$ 71,400,000
WMO Funding:
US$ 850,800
WMO Long-Term Goal(s):
  • Capacity Development
  • Disaster Risk Reduction
  • Governance
Focus Area(s):
  • Observations
  • Data Management
  • Forecasting
  • Service Delivery
  • Early Warnings

Project background

The IOC Hydromet project is a regional initiative for Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) Member States aimed at strengthening meteorological, hydrological, and climate services to enhance resilience to climate variability and change.  

The region faces high exposure to hydrological, meteorological, and climatic hazards, including tropical cyclones, floods, storm surges, and extreme weather events, which are intensifying due to climate change, with tropical cyclones being the most frequent catastrophic hazards in the region and having been responsible for significant human and economic losses. Climate change is exacerbating these risks through:

  • Rising sea levels
  • Increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events
  • Changing rainfall patterns

At the same time, countries face capacity constraints in observation systems, forecasting, data management, and institutional coordination, limiting their ability to anticipate and respond to these hazards effectively.  

The project therefore focuses on strengthening hydrological, meteorological and climatological services, early warning systems, and climate information services, enabling governments and communities to make informed decisions and adapt to climate risks.

The project is financed by the French Development Agency (AFD), the European Union (EU), and the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and implemented by the IOC. The project has been under implementation since 2023, with WMO providing ongoing technical expertise to support its execution. In order to support the implementation of activities under Component 1, WMO signed an agreement with IOC on 22 August 2025, based on a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) signed in September 2014 with the aim of collaborating on the implementation of the Global Framework for Climate Services (GFCS). While this agreement focuses on Component 1 of the project, WMO continues to provide advice on Components 2 and 3, including technical specifications and recommendations.  

The project is also closely aligned and implemented in synergy with other initiatives in the region such as CREWS SWIO, ClimSA, EW4All, Early Warning System for Flood (EWS-F) and World Bank programmes, ensuring coherence and maximizing impact. 

Objective(s)

The overall project objective is to build Regional Resilience through Strengthened Meteorological, Hydrological and Climate Services in the Indian Ocean Commission Member Countries.  

The project has 3 components, namely:

  • Component 1: Capacity building, institutional development, regional cooperation, and public–private partnership.  
  • Component 2: Provision of high-quality climate data, improvement of early warning systems, risk assessments, and climate projections.  
  • Component 3: Use and dissemination of enhanced climate services for adaptation and disaster risk reduction.  

Outputs

WMO is supporting the outputs below under Component 1 of the project through various activities.

Output 1.1: A Regional Climate Centre Network, a Regional Training Centre, a Regional Calibration and Maintenance Centre, and a Regional Forecasting Strategy and Frameworks for Climate Services (CS) for the region and the countries established.

Output 1.2: An enhanced institutional framework with updated legal and regulatory frameworks for meteorology, hydrology and climate services at the national level. 

Achievements

Strengthening Synergies and Achievements in the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC)

  • A key achievement under the programme has been the strong synergy built with other regional initiatives and projects implementing similar activities across the South-West Indian Ocean (SWIO) area. This collaboration ensures complementarity of efforts and prevents duplication of activities. Key initiatives include the CREWS SWIO Project, EU ClimSA Project, and the World Bank’s Regional Climate Resilience Programme (RCRP), and the partners include AGRHYMET, RSMC Pretoria, RSMC La Reunion, and the NMHSs of the IOC member countries.    
  • An example of synergy among initiatives in the region is the support provided by the CREWS SWIO project in the assessment of site locations and provision of technical specifications for weather radars in IOC Member States. The output of this work has been used to inform procurement decisions under the TA IOC project.  
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Partners

Commission de l'Ocean Indien
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