The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. It originated as the non-governmental International Meteorological Organization (IMO), founded in 1873, and was reconstituted as an intergovernmental body when the WMO Convention entered into force on 23 March 1950. It became a UN specialized agency the following year through an agreement with the UN. The anniversary of its founding convention is observed annually as World Meteorological Day.
WMO's mandate covers weather, climate, operational hydrology, and related geophysical sciences. Its core functions include facilitating worldwide cooperation in establishing networks of stations for meteorological, hydrological, and other observations; promoting the rapid exchange of weather information; standardizing observations and ensuring uniform publication of data and statistics; and advancing the application of meteorology to aviation, shipping, agriculture, water management, and disaster risk reduction.
Governance runs through the World Meteorological Congress, which meets every four years and is the supreme body; an Executive Council; six regional associations (Africa, Asia, South America, North/Central America and the Caribbean, South-West Pacific, Europe); and eight technical commissions. Day-to-day work is led by a Secretary-General supported by the Secretariat. Membership is composed of states and certain territories that operate their own meteorological services.
WMO co-established the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) with UNEP in 1988 and co-sponsors the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) and the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP). It operates the World Weather Watch, the Global Telecommunication System, and the Global Atmosphere Watch, and publishes the annual State of the Global Climate report and Greenhouse Gas Bulletin.
For MUN and IR researchers, WMO is the principal technical authority cited in negotiations on climate adaptation, early warning systems (notably the UN Secretary-General's "Early Warnings for All" initiative launched in 2022), transboundary water management, and aviation meteorology under joint arrangements with ICAO.
Example
In 2023, the WMO confirmed that the year was the warmest on record in its annual State of the Global Climate report, providing the empirical basis cited by parties at COP28 in Dubai.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. WMO is a specialized agency of the UN, linked to it through a 1951 agreement, with its own convention, membership, and budget.
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