Webinar on the World Bank/GFDRR report titled “Charting a Course for Sustainable Hydrological and Meteorological Observation Networks in Developing Countries”

The Infrastructure Department of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the World Bank’s Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) co-organized a webinar on the World Bank/GFDRR report titled “Charting a Course for Sustainable Hydrological and Meteorological Observation Networks in Developing Countries” on 12 June 2023.

The purpose of the workshop is to inform WMO Members about the analyzed root causes of why meteorological and hydrological systems in developing countries might fail, and to share a visionary approach and recommendations on how to achieve more sustainable outcomes of observation networks operations in the developing countries.

The moderator was Albert Fischer, Director of the WMO Integrated Global Observing System branch, who also introduced how this information is being used by the Systematic Observations Financing Facility (SOFF).

During the seminar, reports were made by:

• Brian Day, chair emeritus of HMEI and VP of Campbell Scientific
• David Grimes, former WMO President and former Head of the Meteorological
• Service of Canada
• David Rogers, former Chief Executive of the UK Met Office, and
• Vladimir Tsirkunov, Head of the GFDRR Hydromet Program, World Bank Group.

The following representatives of  Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Centre participated in the webinar:

• Mykola Kulbida – director of  UHMC;
• Yuriy Burlaka – deputy director of  UHMC;
• Iryna Hrokhovetska - Deputy Head of Hydrometeorological Department of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine;
• Veronika Filonenko – head of system of observations and hydrometeorological support Department, UHMC;
• Vladyslav Bilyk – head of meteorological Forecasts department, UHMC;
• Ruslan Reviakin – head of International Cooperation Department, UHMC;
• Anatoliy Gavro – deputy head of of International Cooperation Department, UHMC;
• Olena Kosovets-Skavronska – deputy director of monitoring, Boris Sresnevsky Central geophysical observatory;
• Olga Dubrovina – head of meteorological department, Boris Sresnevsky Central geophysical observatory;