Regional Coordination Office
Mr Ishaam Abader, the Director of the Regional Coordination Office, supports the WMO regional and sub-regional offices that serve as a bridge between WMO and its Members. These offices support WMO Regional Associations by integrating regional perspectives into WMO's strategic plans, aiding in developing regional operating plans, and providing expert support particularly to developing nations.
Coordinating regional activities entails communicating regional priorities to the WMO Secretariat, assisting Regional Associations and their working bodies, monitoring the implementation of regional plans, and disseminating information on meteorology, hydrology, and related disciplines to Members. In this work, WMO's four Regional Offices are the Organization’s “front-line” and constitute a two-way communication between Members and the Secretariat. The Regional Offices principal responsibilities include:
- Supporting the Regional Associations
- Representing and enhancing the visibility of the Secretariat in the Regions
- Facilitating regional information sharing, support NMHS development, and promote cooperation; and
- Providing administration and logistical support.
The Regional Offices also facilitate expert assistance across the weather, climate and water service delivery value chain, particularly for Developing and Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Island Territories. They also build partnerships with relevant regional and sub-regional organizations, inter-governmental and economic groupings, based on regional needs.
The regional and sub-regional offices:
- Regional Office for Africa in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, (Agnes Kijazi, Director)
- Representative Office for North, West and Central Africa in Abuja, Nigeria
- Representative Office for Eastern and Southern Africa in Nairobi, Kenya
- Regional Office for Asia and the South-West Pacific in Singapore, (Ben Churchill, Director)
- Representative Office of the South-West Pacific in Apia, Samoa
- Inter-Regional Representative Office for the Arab Region
- Regional Office for the Americas in Asuncion, Paraguay, (Julián Báez, Director)
- Representative Office for North and Central America and the Caribbean in Costa Rica
- Regional Office for Europe in Geneva, Switzerland, (Kornélia Radics, Director)