China’s International Fair for Trade in Services

Meteorology was one of the focus areas of the Cooperate for better development, innovate for a greener future China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) 2022 held in Beijing from 31 August to 5 September. CIFTIS is the only all-inclusive international level fair dedicated to trade in services in China. It covers the 12 service areas defined by the World Trade Organization (WTO), and is the largest trade in services exhibition in the world. The joint WMO, China Meteorological Administration (CMA) and China Meteorological Service Association (CMSA) pavilion on the overarching theme of “Meteorology and Global Trade in Services” headlined the event. 

The WMO-hosted Climate Economy Summit Forum made the debut of CIFTIS. The pavilion showcased WMO activities and programmes that are the backbone of the weather, climate and water-related services and products provided by National Meteorological and Hydrological Services worldwide to meet individual and socioeconomic needs as well as to support decision-making related to climate change adaptation and mitigation. 

Addressing the Forum, WMO Secretary-General Prof. Petteri Taalas highlighted some of the Organization’s most recent initiatives related to climate change adaptation and mitigation. He underlined the leading role of WMO in developing an action plan to achieve the United Nation Secretary-General’s ambitious goal to provide global coverage of Early Warning Systems to all in five years. He concluded with a review of developments in the WMO-coordinated Global Greenhouse Gas Monitoring Infrastructure. 

The keynote speech of c. He emphasized that forecasts and warnings are essential capabilities for climate adaptation and that adaptation funds should support such efforts in developing and least-developed countries, which are often the most vulnerable to extreme weather and climate events. Mr Zhuang Guotai, Administrator of CMA and Permanent Representative of China to the WMO, reiterated China’s commitment and support to WMO programmes and activities in the area of disaster risk reduction and towards addressing the challenges of climate change.