World Meteorological Organization
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World Meteorological Organization
(WMO), specialized agency of the United Nations; established in 1950 with headquarters at Geneva, it became affiliated with the United Nations a year later. It replaced the International Meteorological Organization, which was established in 1873. WMO aims at promoting international cooperation between the world's meteorological stations, standardizing meteorological observations, encouraging research and training, extending the use of meteorological findings to different fields, and helping to protect life and property from weather-, climate-, and water-related disasters. Satellites, used to collect meteorological data and in communications, have made possible the rapid exchange of observations for forecasting in the WMO-sponsored World Weather Watch. WMO operates through the World Meteorological Congress (which meets every four years with delegates from its entire membership), an executive committee, eight technical commissions, a secretariat, and six regional meteorological associations in Africa, Asia, South America, North and Central America, the SW Pacific, and Europe. It has 188 members.World Meteorological Organization
(WMO), an association with the goal of assisting international cooperation in the development of meteorological observations and research and in the coordination of the activities of national meteorological and hydrometeorological services. It was founded by the United Nations in 1947.
Before the World Meteorological Organization was created, its functions were fulfilled by the International Meteorological Organization, founded in 1871. On June 1, 1970, 122 governments were members of WMO. The highest organ of WMO is the World Meteorological Congress, which convenes once every four years. The Executive Committee consists of 24 directors of national services and meets not less than once a year. Six regional associations coordinate the activities of services in large geographical regions (Africa, Asia, South America, North and Central America, Southwest Pacific Ocean, and Europe). Eight technical commissions were created to investigate special technical questions connected with problems of carrying out and standardizing meteorological observations, exchanging meteorological information forecasting weather, and meteorological research and applied meteorology. The permanent organ of WMO is the Secretariat, which is located in Geneva, Switzerland.
I. V. KRAVCHENKO