The sixteenth session of WMO Commission for Basic Systems opened in Guangzhou, China

CBS-16 opened in China.

On 23 November, the sixteenth session of the Commission for Basic Systems (CBS), WMO, opened in Guangzhou,Guangdong province in China. Zheng Guoguang, Permanent Representative of WMO and Administrator of China Meteorological Administration (CMA) , Li Chun Sheng, vice-governor of Guangdong Province, Jiao Meiyan, Deputy Administrator of CMA, David Grimes, President of WMO, Petteri Taalas, Secretary-General of WMO, Zhang Wenjian, Assistant Secretary-General of WMO, Fredrick Branski, President of CBS and Vice-President of CBS Susan L. Barrell attended the opening ceremony.

More than 200 representatives from WMO, NMHSs of WMO member states and international organizations attended the session.

　　Zheng Guoguang makes a speech.

In the opening ceremony, Zheng Guoguang expressed with the globalization in economy, application of new information technologies in social activities, and more knowledge on weather, climate and climate change, WMO and NMHSs are facing unprecedented challenges and opportunities, especially in enhancing the capacity of observation, forecast and service, and in strengthening the dominant role of NMHSs in public meteorological service, disaster risk prevention and mitigation as well as addressing climate change. "It's our responsibilities to find answers on how to enhance the roles and capabilities of NMHSs and address how to safeguard the socio-economic development and people's safety and well-being."he said.

He says the old Chinese saying that goes: "advance or retreat". Now we should realize that a slow advance also means a retreat. NMHSs should grasp the opportunities make quick response to the challenges, fulfill our mandates, and speed up the development in order to make our greater contribution. We shall work together to build a more dynamic, well-maintainded and more advanced global meteorological governance system for future.

He said we should build an open and efficient global meteorological innovation system that focuses on the core technologies. Innovation is the most powerful driving force behind the meteorological development and requires joint global efforts. We should push forward the implementation of key scientific research programmes and experiments under the framework of WMO, and also promote the transfer of advanced technologies from developed countries to developing countries, enhancing their capacity. We should actively seek the government support for innovation, and also engage the private sectors to be involved. We should promote the innovation in the field of meteorology, and also utilize the innovation results from other sectors, especially from IT industry, so as to achieve integrated and comprehensive scientific and technological development.

We should build a seamless, accurate and smart global meteorological service system. We should continue to work under WMO framework to promote smart meteorology and further develop a global meteorological observation system, which should be automated, integrated from surface to space and with multi-means of data sources. We should further develop global weather forecasting systems to build seamless high-resolution global numerical prediction model system. We should further develop the Global Framework for Climate Services and establish specialized and socialized smart global meteorological service network. We should support and help the developing countries to establish modern meteorological service systems. We need to build a global meteorological data system that is highly integrated, efficient, standardized and open to share. We should also support and help the engagement of social organizations and resources into the meteorological operation and service.

We should build a better global meteorological governance system. Now, new issues such as the allocation of new technologies, new operation and new services, meteorological disaster prevention and mitigation, response to climate change, and partnership with private sectors, have posed new challenges and new requirements for better global meteorological governance, also for improving the structure and operational mechanism of WMO. We should work with other international organizations, enhancing the breadth and depth of WMO's involvement in global affairs, including global climate, disaster mitigation, environment, security, development, etc. We should participate more actively in the formulation of international rules and regulations, making WMO more visible and influential in global climate governance. NMHSs should further improve their role in meteorological disaster risk management and climate governance, and make them important organization in fulfilling the responsibility in government public service and social management.

"As a member of WMO, CMA will, as always, emphasize and strengthen the cooperation and exchange with WMO and other NMHSs by supporting and participating in CBS activities." he expressed.

Li Chunsheng makes a speech.

Li Chunsheng says meteorological operation is important part of government. In recent years, Guangdong has achieved great progress in meteorological modernization, monitoring, forecast, and disasters prevention and mitigation. Taking this opportunity, Guangdong will learn from more successful experiences in meteorological modernization, highlight leading role of technologies in innovation, optimize talents development and strive to promote smart meteorological development to ensure complete the higher level meteorological modernization by 2020.

Petteri Taalasmakes a speech.

Petteri Taalas expresses his special thanks to CMA and Guangdong Provincial People's Government for the assistance and arrangements for the meeting. He introduces that CBS is the most significant technical conferences of WMO and takes responsibility for the planning and implementation of international cooperation projects and activities in terms of core fields such as observation, information, forecasting and services. At the sixteenth session it will make decisions on strategies for future development of the programmes and on its working structure and it will make recommendations for amendments to WMO technical regulations. This session will be ended in 29 November. He hopes the representatives could make in-depth discussions to find better future plans and implement WMO strategic planning.

China is a major donor to WMO programmes like Voluntary Cooperation Programme. China makes its contribution by hosting 18 WMO's specialized or regional centers, supporting the development of meteorological infrastructure in African countries, offering 22 scholarships to the trainees from developing NMHSs, every year, jointly organizing 46 China study tours, and conducting cooperation in support of the capacity development in countries along the Belt and Road.

(Source: China Meteorological News Press)