The WMO Commons: A financing mechanism for global resilience
Forecasting backbone
Every day, more than 100 million observations flow from satellites, ocean buoys, weather stations, and radiosondes into a global processing system.
WMO coordinates this supply chain: setting the technical standards that make data interoperable across borders, fostering the international collaboration that keeps information flowing, and ensuring that a weather observation made in one country can meaningfully inform a forecast in another.
This global system depends on a chain of shared investment, cooperation and stewardship. Despite its critical value, it remains underfunded and under pressure.
Many National Meteorological and Hydrological Services in developing countries lack capacity to deliver reliable operational forecasts and warnings. And this has a knock-on impact beyond national borders because when one part weakens, it weakens all countries.
Studies estimate that absent or imperfect forecasts lead to annual inefficiencies of up to 230 billion US dollars in cereal agriculture, US$ 20 billion in energy, and US $9 billion in disaster risk management.
Collective insurance policy
The WMO Commons addresses this coordination failure. By pooling resources, standardising data, and strengthening the global observing network, it reduces volatility while improving forecast accuracy, providing robust data to markets, and lowering risk across sectors.
It seeks to provide a collective insurance policy for the system. Built on principles of solidarity and shared benefit, it helps safeguard the supply chain against disruption, distributes risk across the global community, and ensures that the system remains robust, inclusive, and fit for purpose in a changing world.
Climate risk starts with data. And the strength of that data depends on a global system we all rely on, but too few invest in. The WMO Commons is about changing that.
Closing Critical Gaps
The WMO Commons leverages Member State contributions by mobilizing additional financial resources to address critical gaps and high-priority global system needs that deliver benefits across borders.
WMO very much appreciates the founding contribution provided by the United Arab Emirates, as well as their pledge to scale up their support.
Resources are allocated by WMO through the WMO Commons Annual Workplan, ensuring system-wide coherence, reducing fragmentation and maximizing collective impact
This includes:
• Overseeing the sustained operation and modernisation of its globally coordinated observing systems.
• Coordinating global meteorological data exchange and prediction infrastructure.
• Leading development, governance, and oversight of international standards and data policies.
• Stewarding coordination mechanisms that safeguard system integrity and interoperability.