Thai Meteorological Department (TMD)
Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) celebrates World Meteorological Day 2024
The Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) joined the meteorological communities around the world to commemorate World Meteorological Day 2024.
Each year, the TMD organizes various creative events to mark World Meteorological Day. This year, these included launching the WMO videos and materials in English and Thai, conducting technical seminars, hosting panel discussions, and creating games for students. They also organized exhibitions on weather and climate services, showed meteorological instruments, and held speaking and singing contests related to meteorology and the environment. These activities aimed to raise public awareness about World Meteorological Day, its annual theme, and the importance of the WMO and National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs). It emphasized their role in protecting lives and property from natural hazards, reducing disaster risk, and supporting economic and societal sectors.
This year, Mr. Prasert Jantararuangtong, Minister of Digital Economy and Society, delivered a speech on World Meteorological Day 2024, themed "At the Frontline of Climate Action." The speech, broadcast on a Thai TV channel on 23 March 2024, was in Thai with English subtitles.
In addition, TMD organized a full-day Technical Seminar in honor of World Meteorological Day 2024. The event, held on 21 March 2024 at the Conference Hall in Bangkok, focused on "Driving the mission to cope with climate change towards sustainability". The seminar was opened by Mr. Prasert Jantararuangtong, the Minister of Digital Economy and Society.
The Technical Seminar and its Opening Ceremony were attended by high-level representatives. Attendees included Mr. Wisit Wisitsora-At, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (MDES), Ms. Kornrawee Sitthichivapak, Director-General of the Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) and the Director-General of the Hydrographic Department, Mr. Renaud Meyer, the UNDP Resident Representative to Thailand, executives of MDES and TMD, key speakers, and several invited representatives from government and private sectors were also present, along with members of the media and the general public.
During the opening ceremony, a video speech by Prof. Celeste Saulo, Secretary-General of WMO, was presented.
Next, Weather Kids videos were released. These were created through a collaborative effort between WMO, UNDP, and the Weather Company. They were presented by Thai children, in Thai with English subtitles. The videos were reproduced by TMD from the original WMO/UNDP versions, with the aim of calling for urgent climate action for future generations.
TMD reproduced the Weather Kids videos in three versions, featuring two girls and one boy. To ensure widespread visibility and dissemination of climate-related messages to the Thai populace and the general public, these videos were released on the TMD official website and on various social media platforms (Facebook and Youtube).
Additionally, TMD was honored with a presentation by Mr. Cyrille Honoré, WMO's Director of Disaster Risk Reduction, MHEWS office, and Public Services, who delivered an online presentation titled "WMO At the Frontline of Climate Action." His talk was highly informative, particularly regarding the target goals of WMO.
The following morning on 22 March 2024, two panel discussions on climate actions took place. Key speakers from government and private agencies were invited to present and exchange information about their proactive implementation of climate actions in Thailand.
Ms. Kornrawee Sitthichivapak, Director-General of TMD, said, “TMD is another agency responsible for addressing challenges arising from climate change. We are ready to listen to the public and are eager to collaborate with all sectors to lead the way in creating a safe world for everyone.”
In the afternoon, there was a Talk Show competition on "How Thais can adapt themselves to climate change". This was followed by an exciting Environmental Singing Contest, where awards were given to the winners.
Exhibitions showcasing activities and innovations aimed at reducing the impact of climate change were organized as a side event.
The seminar was successfully held with approximately 250 on-site participants. These included representatives from MDES, TMD, invited keynote speakers, stakeholders from government and private sectors, media, and the general public. News from the event was published on the TMD website and widely disseminated to the general public through TMD's social media channels, including Line, Facebook, and YouTube.