October 29, 2017 (Bridgetown, Barbados) – This week, about 85 weather, climate and water experts from around the world will meet here for the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) 13th Education and Training Symposium (SYMET-XIII) to focus on improving the capacity of hydro-meteorological services internationally to address global challenges such extreme weather and long-term climate change.
The Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH) will co-host the event, which will run from Monday, October 30 – Wednesday, November 1, 2017 at the Hilton Barbados Resort. This event takes place once every four years.
The WMO Assistant Secretary General (ASG) Dr. Weinjang Zhang, representing the Secretary General Professor Petteri Taalas will deliver welcoming remarks to delegates during the opening ceremony of SYMET-XIII on Monday, October 30 at 9am. Representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food, Fisheries and Water Resource Management and the Barbados Meteorological Service are also expected to attend.
SYMET-XIII will focus on three core themes (i) education and training essential for service delivery by National Meteorological and Hydrological Services, (ii) increasing education and training capacity to meet current and expected increases in future demand especially in Developing and Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States and (iii) expanding partnerships to address global challenges including those associated with the COP 22 Paris Agreement and UN 2030 agenda and resource mobilization to support education and training needs.
A key outcome of the training will be the continued strengthening of National Meteorological and Hydrological Services globally to deliver the requisite weather, climate and hydrological services required to build weather and climate resilient societies.
CIMH, which is celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, is home to the WMO Caribbean Regional Training Centre (RTC) in the Caribbean. As SYMET-XIII co-host, CIMH will also hold a meeting for Directors from all 26 WMO RTCs worldwide following the training symposium to discuss capacities and operations of these Centres.
“The need to have competent meteorological, climatological and hydrological/water resources personnel is essential given the increasing challenges posed by extreme weather, increasing climate variability, long-term climate change and associated hydrological and water resources phenomena on socio-economic development worldwide,” said Dr. David Farrell, Principal of CIMH. “Developing the levels of competence required in these fields to build more weather and climate resilient societies requires a coordinated effort globally. SYMET is an important component of this global coordination effort.”
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