Event TabsSummaryDates: Monday, September 18, 2017 to Friday, September 22, 2017Location: Seychelles SC Type: WorkshopThe Sixth Session of the South-West Indian Ocean Climate Outlook Forum (SWIOCOF-5) was held in Seychelles from 18-22 September 2017. SWIOCOF-6 started with a three-day pre-forum training and scientific workshop focused on the use of statistical downscaling methods, which are especially critical for seasonal rainfall predictions on small islands. During the workshop, a consensus statement on the seasonal climate outlook for the region was produced, including: an assessment of current regional climate conditions and related water resources; a precipitation outlook for the next 3 months across the sub-region (Oct-Nov-Dec 2016); and a cyclone activity outlook for the upcoming rainy season for the South-West Indian Ocean basin. At the succeeding two-day Forum proper, this seasonal climate outlook was communicated to policy- and decision-makers and the media. The Forum was an opportunity to strengthen the understanding of user expectations, how to interpret and apply these outlooks, and to raise sectoral needs and capacity gaps. Related Project: Programme for Implementing the Global Framework for Climate Services (GFCS) at Regional and National Scales ObjectivesThe objectives of SWIOCOF-6 were to: review available knowledge and understanding of regional climate variability; enhance exchanges, networks and partnerships on Regional Climate Outlook for the region; enhance core scientific and technical capabilities for RCOF in the region ; facilitate access to the essential inputs on large-scale and regional-scale drivers and jointly interpret their potential influences on the climate over the South-West Indian Ocean sub-region; improve seasonal forecast over the sub-region and promote the usefulness of consensus-based seasonal forecasts in decision making processes within climate-sensitive socio-economic sectors. Event Documents Concept Note Consensus Outlook Presentations
