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COMMISSION FOR OBSERVATION, INFRASTRUCTURE AND INFORMATION SYSTEMSFirst Session (Third Part)12 to 16 April 2021, Virtual Session

INFCOM-1(III)/INF. 6.3

Submitted by:Secretary-General

6.IV.2021

COORDINATION OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE COMMISSIONWITH OTHER WMO BODIES

Note: This information document is following up from Decision 11 (INFCOM-1) – Coordination of the Infrastructure Commission with other bodies, and Decision 6.3/1 (SERCOM-1(II)) on the same topic, and results from concerted approach between the two Commissions.

Enhanced coordination as an enabler of the constituent bodies reform

The Strategic Plan 2020–2023

The WMO Strategic Plan 2020–2023 (WMO-No. 1225) recalls the essential worldwide leadership and coordination provided by WMO in support of nations’ responsibilities to provide weather, climate, water and related environmental services that protect lives, property and livelihoods. Given the cross-border nature of the weather, water and climate phenomena close coordination is required among all WMO Members States and Territories in building highly standardized systems for their monitoring, analysis and prediction.

The attainment of this objective requires further enhancement of coordinated and interoperable networks and systems for data collection and processing, improvement of predictive skill through advanced science and computational technologies, and finally highly innovative approaches of service delivery that will ensure that accurate, fit-for-purpose information will reach its users on time for making their weather-, water- and climate-informed decisions.

Therefore, based on the priorities identified by its regional bodies, WMO is called to ensure the coordination and implementation of its programmes, strategies and activities and facilitate the transfer of knowledge within and across regions to better serve the needs of its Members.

Coordination among WMO bodies

Through the consolidation of the technical work previously undertaken by more sectoral technical commissions1 into two broader technical commissions — the Infrastructure Commission (INFCOM) and the Services Commission (SERCOM)2 — and a Research Board3 complemented by non-intergovernmental bodies under Congress and the Executive Council,4 the reform of constituent bodies aims to better support the ambitious and more holistic objectives of the Strategic Plan.

The Council also (i) decided on ways to strengthen the coordination between technical

1 Commission for Basic Systems (CBS), Commission for Instruments and Methods of Observation (CIMO), Commission for Hydrology (CHy), Commission for Atmospheric Sciences (CAS), Commission for Aeronautical Meteorology (CAeM), Commission for Agricultural Meteorology (CAgM), Joint WMO-IOC Technical Commission for Oceanography and Marine Meteorology (JCOMM) and Commission for Climatology (CCl).

2 Resolution 7 (Cg-18) — Establishment of the WMO technical commission for the eighteenth financial period.

3 Resolution 8 (Cg-18) — Research Board.4 Resolution 9 (Cg-18) — Joint WMO-IOC Collaborative Board, Resolution 10 (Cg-18) — Scientific Advisory

Panel, Resolution 4 (EC-71) — Climate Coordination Panel, Resolution 5 (EC-71) — Hydrological Coordination Panel, Resolution 6 (EC-71) — Panel of Experts on Polar and High-mountain Observations, Research and Services, Resolution 7 (EC-71) — Capacity Development Panel.

INFCOM-1(III)/INF. 6.3, p. 2

commissions, the Research Board and the regional associations through consultation on and sharing of work plans and information on areas for collaboration, reciprocal invitations to meetings, consultative mechanisms involving management groups, standing agenda items on coordination and participation of regional representatives in the working structures of the technical commissions; and (ii) requested the presidents of technical commissions to evaluate the effectiveness of the interaction and relationship between these bodies at their sessions and inform the Executive Council as needed.5

Such coordination effort requires a high degree of interactions among all WMO bodies. This overall need was addressed by the Executive Council through the establishment of the Technical Coordination Committee (TCC),6 as a two-way interface between the Executive Council and the technical bodies of the Organizations: technical commissions, the Research Board, and other relevant bodies. The Council further highlighted the different roles of WMO bodies – intergovernmental and non-intergovernmental – and the importance of their coordination through information sharing and cooperation to better support the Council in its decision-making on strategic issues.7

One tool to facilitate coordination among WMO bodies is cross-representation, with the president/chair or other representative of a body being a member of another body. Figure 1 provides an overall picture of such cross-representation.

Figure 1. Cross-representation among WMO bodies

5 Resolution 1 (EC-72) — Effective coordination between regional associations, technical commissions and the Research Board.

6 Resolution 35 (EC-70) — WMO Executive Council structures. 7 Decision 2 (EC-72) — Consideration of the reports.

INFCOM-1(III)/INF. 6.3, p. 3

Coordination at the level of the technical commissions

At the level of the technical commissions, the rules of procedure for technical commissions adopted by the Executive Council8 provide guidance on numerous coordination aspects, which are summarized in the following sections.

General aspects and leadership

Overall: coordination among WMO bodies, in particular through the Technical Coordination Committee9;

President: guide and coordinate the activities of the commission and its subsidiary bodies between sessions of the commission10;

Co-vice-presidents: coordinate subject matters in a defined domain of expertise pertinent to the scope and terms of reference of the commission11;

Management Groups: coordinate all activities of the respective commission through a work programme adopted at the session of the commission with updates, as necessary, approved by the president12.

Planning

Programme of sessions of constituent bodies and meetings of other bodies to be coordinated by EC and distributed to Members13;

Joint sessions of technical commissions may be held, subject to authorization by the President of the Organization, if the agenda covers items that can be better addressed in a coordinated manner14;

In the case of joint standing committees or study groups, their meetings should be coordinated by the respective Management Groups15;

Work programmes of WMO bodies to be prepared in coordination with WMO Strategic and Operating Plan16.

Working structures

Technical commissions should endeavour to establish their structures in a coherent and coordinated manner with similar types of subsidiary bodies in each commission17;

8 Rules of Procedure for Technical Commissions (WMO-No. 1240).9 Cf. Resolution 35 (EC-70) — WMO Executive Council structures, Resolution 7 (Cg-18) — Establishment

of the WMO technical commission for the eighteenth financial period, Decision 2 (EC-72) — Consideration of the reports.

10 General Regulation 145(b).11 Cf. Rules of Procedure for Technical Commissions (TC RoP), Rule 3.6(b).12 Cf. TC RoP 5.4.5(d).13 TC RoP 6.2.14 TC RoP 6.6.15 TC RoP 7.1.16 TC RoP 6.9.5.17 TC RoP 5.1.

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Establishment of a new standing committee or study group should be duly coordinated with the Secretariat regarding the required financial and human resources, and authorization by the Executive Council18.

Product development

Development of globally coordinated observing systems and standards and infrastructure-related regulatory material19;

Development of new service-oriented regulatory material20;

Coordinate linking science, infrastructure and services interactively21;

Production and use of standardized analysis and model forecast fields22;

User requirements for integrated observing systems23.

Partnerships

Coordination with other UN specialized agencies (ICAO, IMO, FAO etc.)24;

Coordination at the level of co-sponsored systems and programmes, and other major international observing programmes and initiatives25.

Coordination aspects related to the two Technical Commissions

Representation

Both Commissions are represented, through their president, one of the co-vice-presidents or an expert, in several other WMO bodies. Such representation is shown in Figure 2(a) (INFCOM) and Figure 2(b) (SERCOM).

18 TC RoP 5.5.19 Resolution 7 (Cg-18) — Establishment of the WMO technical commission for the eighteenth financial

period.20 Idem.21 Idem.22 Idem.23 Idem.24 Idem.25 Idem.

INFCOM-1(III)/INF. 6.3, p. 5

Figure 2(a) Representation of INFCOM in other WMO bodies

Figure 2(b). Representation of SERCOM in other WMO bodies

INFCOM-1(III)/INF. 6.3, p. 6

Other connections between the two Technical Commissions and other bodies

Both technical commissions entertain connections to other WMO bodies in many ways: reporting and making recommendations to the governing bodies, contributing views to other bodies on aspects of common interest, translating regional needs and requirements into its work programme, facilitating experts, jointly plan and co-develop technical products. Such high-level connections are summarized graphically in Figure 3(a) and Figure 3(b).

Figure 3(a) Connections of INFCOM with other WMO bodies

Figure 3(b) Connections of SERCOM with other WMO bodies

INFCOM-1(III)/INF. 6.3, p. 7

The figures only show the connections of INFCOM and SERCOM, without elaborating on the connections of other bodies to the same bodies.

Partnerships

Overall, the constituent bodies reform aims to enhance cooperation with partner organizations to advance matters of common or shared interest. This can be achieved through formal arrangements, such as the establishment of joint bodies or the incorporation of experts in WMO subsidiary bodies, or the enhancement of cooperation practices, such as periodic consultations or the organization of joint meetings and symposia. Examples of relations with partners, especially for what concerns INFCOM subsidiary bodies, are shown in Figure 4.

Figure 4. Cooperation with partners

Follow up

Through Decision 11 (INFCOM-1) – Coordination of the Infrastructure Commission with other bodies, INFCOM tasked its Management Group to submit analytical information on the coordination of INFCOM with other WMO bodies. It also requested the president of INFCOM, in consultation with the president of SERCOM, to provide to the TCC a joint technical commission evaluation on the effectiveness of existing coordination approaches and mechanisms. Furthermore, it invited the Policy Advisory Committee (PAC) to consider the subject of coordination in its evaluation plan for the constituent bodies reform.26

SERCOM recently adopted Decision 6.3/1 (SERCOM-1(II)), which matches the decision already adopted by INFCOM to ensure full consistency between the two commissions in the approach to coordination with other WMO bodies. In this regard, attention may be given to the relations SERCOM and INFCOM, two intergovernmental bodies, entertain with other bodies and in particular the bodies of the Executive Council.

26 Decision 4 (EC-72) — Follow up to the Constituent Bodies Reform Task Force.

INFCOM-1(III)/INF. 6.3, p. 8

On this basis, the presidents of the technical commissions continue to be in contact and are working with their respective management groups towards bringing recommendations on elements to be included in the evaluation plan. Such elements will include information on what is working, what is not working, what are the issues, and explore possible solutions to improve coordination of the two technical commissions with other bodies.

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