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The Geodata for Agriculture and Water (G4AW) Facility is a programme of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs which is executed by the Netherlands Space Office (NSO). G4AW focuses on improved and increased sustainable food production and more efficient use of water in agriculture. In Summer 2014 four out of twelve project proposals have been granted a subsidy. 

The Research Programme on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) has published a new  report titled "Scaling up Climate Service for Farmers: Mission Possible."

This report summarizes lessons learnt from 18 recent good practice cases on Climate Services surveyed by CCAFS and its partners, from India to Mali (cases at scale) and less mature pilot projects across the two continents. It was released on the margins of the U.N. Cimate Summit in September.

The World Meteorological Organization hosted a three day meeting attended by a wide range of stakeholders from all over the world to accelerate progress, coordinate plans and identify gaps and stumbling blocks in the rollout of climate services such as seasonal forecasts and drought monitoring tools.

The Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Training Kit (CTK) is now online at: www.climatecentre.org/training.

The Climate Training Kit is a collaboration between the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies’ (IFRC) Community Preparedness and Risk Reduction team with contributions from around the world. 

The interactive and flexible modules contain exercises, games, film clips, presentations, reading materials, and examples from many Red Cross Red Crescent National Societies.  The resources in this kit can be used to help understand and address climate-related risks in programming and activities in disaster risk reduction (DRR) and management, health, and in humanitarian diplomacy. 

The audience of the kit is practitioners in DRR, health, and in humanitarian. A short (1/2 hour) introductory online module about the humanitarian implications of climate change is also available on the IFRC Learning Platform: https://ifrc.csod.com/client/ifrc/default.aspx 

The 44th China Study Tour and a workshop on the implementation of the Global Framework for Climate Services (GFCS) has taken place to review progress in China’s expansion of climate services and to share its experience and expertise with developing countries.

Zheng Guoguang, Administrator of China Meteorological Administration (CMA), Shen Xiaonong, Deputy Administrator of CMA, Ofa Fa'anunu, Vice President of WMO’s Regional Association for the South West Pacific, Filipe Lucio, Director of GFCS Office and Dr. Yinka Abedyao, Chief of WMO Education and Fellowships Division attended the opening ceremony on 22 September.

The Royal Kingdom of Bhutan hosted a WMO Regional Workshop on the provision of weather- and climate-related services in Least Developed Countries (LDCs) in Asia, in Thimphu from 9 to 11 September 2014. The workshop brought together participants from National Meteorological and Hydrological Services of eight Asian LDCs, namely, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Nepal, Myanmar and Yemen. These countries belong to the WMO Regional Association II (Asia) and have varying climate conditions, from the high mountain regions in the North to the coastal in the South, including also some landlocked countries.

“A common characteristic of Asian LDCs is their dependency on natural resources and a high vulnerability to hydro-meteorological hazards” said Dasho Sonam Tshering, Secretary of the Ministry of Economic Affairs of Bhutan in his opening speech. >

The WHO/WMO Climate and Health Office will publish a collection of case studies to call attention to the value of Climate Services for Health

As part of its contribution to the International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS), WMO, on behalf of all its partners, has launched a new partnership for strengthening weather and climate services in SIDS in the Caribbean, South Pacific, Indian Ocean and other regions.  

“There is a lot of talent and skill residing in the weather services of small island States,” said WMO Secretary-General Jerry Lengoasa, who is attending the conference. “But given their small size, these countries need to join forces with partners to develop a critical mass of operational capacity. WMO is fully committed to supporting small islands as they attract investments and build partnerships for developing and using weather and climate services.”