Since 2020, through Weather4UN, MeteoSwiss has been actively involved in improving access to and understanding of weather and climate information for the international and Swiss humanitarian communities.
Over the past few decades, the impacts of extreme meteorological, hydrological and climatic events have increased, causing significant loss of life and damage to infrastructure around the world. To significantly reduce the consequences of these events, it is key that anticipatory measures – that is, measures taken before disasters strike – are put in place. In response to this growing need to adopt more anticipatory and cross-cutting approaches, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO - a specialised agency of the United Nations) has called for the establishment of a mechanism to coordinate tailored support for UN and humanitarian agencies before, during and after extreme events.
Point de départ
This mechanism, known as the WMO Coordination Mechanism for humanitarians (WCM), was established in 2019 at the WMO Congress. Its aim is to facilitate access to reliable and relevant meteorological, hydrological and climate information for UN and humanitarian agencies, to support their decision-making, field operations and their anticipation of potential disasters.
On April 2020, the Federal Council tasked MeteoSwiss, in collaboration with the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), with contributing to the establishment of the WCM through a pilot project called Weather4UN (W4UN). Over the following five years, MeteoSwiss and the SDC actively and successfully contributed to the establishment of the WCM.
The Weather4UN pilot project team therefore actively supported the WMO Secretariat during the implementation of the WCM, its transition from the concept phase to exploitation, and its integration into the Early Warnings for All (EW4All). This initiative, announced by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres in 2022, aims to ensure universal protection against hydrometeorological, climatological and environmental phenomena through early warning systems, risks preparedness measures and enhanced resilience by the end of 2027 on a global scale.
Thanks to Switzerland’s expertise and substantial contribution, the WCM has become one of the WMO’s flagship programmes. Now, recognized humanitarian agencies such as the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), the international Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), Save the Children and Start Network, benefit from tailored support based on reliable meteorological, hydrological and climate information and the expertise provided by official national services.
In light of the pilot project’s success and the extensive positive feedback from the humanitarian community, Switzerland decided in 2024 to make its contribution to the WCM a permanent feature by incorporating Weather4UN into MeteoSwiss’s portfolio of activities.
More information on the pilot project
Activités
Through the Weather4UN initiative, Switzerland is consolidating its support for UN and humanitarian agencies by strengthening partnerships and exchanges within the International Geneva community. Building on the experience gained during the pilot project, MeteoSwiss has also been supporting the activities of the Swiss Humanitarian Aid Unit since 2024 during its field deployments.
In practical terms, here is how MeteoSwiss’s support for humanitarian operations takes shape:
- MeteoSwiss forecasters contribute to the production of the WCM’s weekly products (in particular the WCM Global HydroMet Weekly Scan);
- Active support for the institutionalization and development of the WCM through participation in the WCM Advisory Group and the coordination of day-to-day activities;
- Lead technical partner for the development of WCM products and technical tools facilitating international collaboration within the WCM (project in progress: W4UN-Toolbox with financial support from the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs);
- Support for the Swiss Humanitarian Aid Unit during its deployments through tailored briefings and meteorological products provided by MeteoSwiss forecasters;
WMO Coordination Mechanism for humanitarians
The WCM provides a range of services developed in collaboration with the humanitarian community, tailored to their needs and activities. The following is a non-exhaustive list of the main outputs offered by the WMO through the WCM:
- HydroMet Scans: weekly infographics at global or regional scales, providing an overview of current and upcoming meteorological, hydrological and climatic hazards relevant to humanitarian agencies. An example is the Global HydroMet Scan for UNHCR, to which Switzerland has been contributing since 2023.
- Tropical Cyclone Scans: specific infographics in response to imminent or ongoing tropical cyclones;
- Hazard Calendars: infographics summarizing key information about a particular hazard. A tool for public outreach and visualization. For example: the Tropical Cyclone Calendar .
- WCM Global Seasonal Climate Outlook: monthly online bulletins on global seasonal climate forecasts for the wider humanitarian community. An example.
- In addition, ad hoc services are provided on an event-by-event basis in response to the requests and needs of the humanitarian community.
All of these services are designed to provide concise, reliable information that can be put to immediate use by the humanitarian community. The content of these services is based on information and expertise provided by WMO Members (national meteorological services) and WMO specialised centres.
The WCM also helps to strengthen the sharing of expertise between the various specialised centres of the WMO and the national meteorological services. As such, MeteoSwiss collaborates in particular with the German (DWD), Austrian (GeosphereAustria) and Chinese (CMA) meteorological services, as well as with the African Centre for Meteorological Applications in Development (ACMAD).
- For further information about W4UN : weather4un@meteoswiss.ch
- For further information about WCM : wcm@wmo.int