WORLD METEOROLOGICAL ORGANIZATION______________

EXECUTIVE COUNCIL ADVISORY GROUP ON DISASTER PREVENTION & MITIGATION

SECOND SESSION

GENEVA, 29 - 31 JANUARY 2007

EC AG DPM 2 / Doc.2(24.I.07)

_________

Original: ENGLISH ONLY

WORKING PAPER: TOWARDS WMO DPM PROGRAMME ACTION PLAN 2008-2011

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TABLE OF CONTENT

I. Executive Summary..........................................................................................................................3

II. Background..................................................................................................................................... 4Summary of Key Decisions of Executives Councils LVI, LVII, LVIII...........................................................4

Progress to Date and Preparations for Congress XV.................................................................................5

Goals of the Second EC Advisory Group on DPM.....................................................................................6

III. Synthesis of Present Situation: Analysis of the Four Fact-Finding DPM-Related Surveys.....6

IV. Towards a New Crosscutting Coordination Framework for DPM Programme..........................8Components of the Framework and Principal Benefits..............................................................................8

Management Processes.............................................................................................................................8

Governance Implications............................................................................................................................9

Crosscutting Project Management Framework........................................................................................10

Organizational Networking and Information Sharing to Facilitate Crosscutting Coordination..................11

Road Map for Implementation (2008 – 2011)...........................................................................................11

V. Development of Strategic Goals of DPM Programme................................................................11

VI. Proposed DPM Projects for Demonstrating DPM Crosscutting Framework...........................13Synergistic Crosscutting Projects Supported through other Programmes’ Budget For Demonstration of the Crosscutting DPM Framework...........................................................................................................13

New Proposed DPM-Related Crosscutting Projects Supported through WMO DPM Programme Office budget...................................................................................................................................................... 14

VII. Other Considerations................................................................................................................... 14Opportunities for WMO and NMHSs in Linking Climate Variability and Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction...........................................................................................................................14

Establishment of DPM Trust Fund...........................................................................................................15

Changing the name of WMO DPM Programme to WMO Disaster Risk Reduction Programme..............15

VIII. Recommendations for Congress XV...................................................................................16

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I. Executive SummaryCongress XIV (May 2003) through its Resolution 29 decided to establish WMO Natural Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DPM) Programme. DPM Programme vision is to enhance the contributions of NMHSs towards the protection of lives, livelihoods and property in the communities, in a more cost-effective, systematic and sustainable manner, through enhanced international cooperation and collaboration in the field of disaster risk reduction. The 56th Executive Council (EC- LVI, June 2004), through Resolution 5 decided to establish an Executive Council Advisory Group on Natural Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (EC AG DPM).

EC- LVIII (June 2006) tasked its Advisory Group to, (i) review and analyze the results of four DPM fact-finding surveys, to benchmark current strengths, gaps and needs of Members and regions, and activities of programmes and technical commission to fulfil Member’s requirements in disaster risk reduction, (ii) review the outcomes of the work plan proposed by the Secretariat involving close consultation with the focal points of Programmes, technical commissions, working groups of regional associations and strategic partner and, (ii) provide recommendations on crosscutting framework of DPM Programme, DPM Programmes strategic priorities that would be implemented through crosscutting projects that were measurable with respect to their benefits for consideration of Congress XV.

As the basis for the EC AG DPM discussions, this document provides the following information derived based on the execution of the work plan set forth by EC-LVII, including:

(a) Synthesis of present situation: Analysis of the Four Fact-Finding DPM-Related Surveys

(b) A proposed crosscutting coordination framework for DPM Programme including management processes an d governance aspects

(c) Proposed strategic goals of DPM Programme

(d) Listing of DPM Projects for consideration of EC AG DPM to recommend a set of crosscutting projects that could be used to demonstrate the benefits of DPM Crosscutting Framework

(e) Other issues for discussion

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II. Background1. Every year around the world, natural hazards lead to significant loss of life and set back in

social and economic development. From 1980 to 2005, weather-, water- and climate-related hazards and conditions accounted for 90% of total number of disasters, 72% of the two million casualties and 75% of total economic loss.1 On the global scale, the number of disasters and related economic losses from weather-, climate- and water-related disasters has increased over the 1956-2005 period (nearly 10-fold and 50-fold, respectively), the reported loss of life has decreased from 2.66 million during the period 1956-1965 to 0.22 million from 1996-2005. The reduction in loss of life can largely be attributed to preventive disaster risk reduction strategies, including early warnings and their integration in emergency preparedness planning and response activities.

2. WMO and the National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) contribute to different stages of disaster risk reduction, including prevention, preparedness, response and recovery and reconstruction, through monitoring, detecting, analysing, forecasting, and the development and issuance of warnings for weather-, water- and climate-related hazards.

3. In recognition of the critical role of NMHSs and WMO in disaster risk reduction, Congress XIV (May 2003) through its Resolution 29 decided to establish WMO Natural Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DPM) Programme (Ref.1 Annex.1).

Summary of Key Decisions of Executives Councils LVI, LVII, LVIII4. EC- LVI (June 2004), through Resolution 5 decided to establish an Executive Council

Advisory Group on Natural Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (EC AG DPM) with the terms of reference outlined in Annex.1.

5. First Meeting of the EC AG DPM was held in March 2005 and provided recommendations for the Revised Implementation Plan of the DPM Programme, which was adopted through Resolution 9 of EC-LVII (Ref. 1 . Annex. 2).

6. In regards to the work plan for the execution of the Revised Implementation Plan of the DPM Programme, EC-LVIII (June 2006) (Ref Ref.1, Annex. 3) further requested that:

(a) WMO DPM Programme strategic priorities be clearly identified and implemented through crosscutting projects that were measurable with respect to their benefits and outcomes.

(b) Such crosscutting projects should be prioritised and built upon activities of WMO Programmes, technical commissions, regional associations and strategic partners, with clear definition of roles, responsibilities and deliverables.

(c) Within the new results-based budgeting format, the resources, devoted to achieving priority objectives related to the DPM Programme, should be unambiguously identified to enable the Members to monitor, from year to year, measurable progress achieved through the DPM cross-cutting approach. Such monitoring should also track additional extra budgetary resources raised in support of DPM activities to further indicate the value added of the Programme. The Council stressed that those should be developed in close alignment with the WMO Strategic Plan.

(d) Partnerships should be sought and reflected through concrete projects implemented by technical commissions and regional structures at the regional, national and local levels, as well as through activities at the Secretariat level.

7. EC-LVIII acknowledged that to synthesise the present situation with respect to the strengths, weaknesses, gaps and needs, the Secretariat had initiated four fact-finding surveys to document systematically the existing DPM capabilities, activities and needs of WMO

1 Source: EM-DAT: The OFDA/CRED International Disaster Database - www.em-dat.net - Université Catholique de Louvain - Brussels - Belgium

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Members (Country-level DPM Survey), WMO Regions (Regional-level DPM Survey), and DPM-related activities of WMO Programmes (Programme-level DPM Survey) and technical commissions (Technical Commission-level DPM Survey). EC-LVIII agreed to the work plan proposed by the Secretariat involving close consultation with the focal points of Programmes, technical commissions, working groups of regional associations and strategic partners for preparations for Congress XV.

Progress to Date and Preparations for Congress XV8. The following has been achieved to date:

(a) As a benchmark, four fact-finding surveys were submitted to the DPM focal points and Working Groups to map present situation systematically. These included:

(i) Country-level DPM survey – To map relevant hazards, role of National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) in national disaster risk reduction governance and organizational structures, NMHSs’ capacities as well as their major gaps and needs to support disaster risk reduction decision processes. The survey was launched to the 187 WMO Members in March 2006 and as of November 2006, 139 Members have responded to the survey.

(ii) Regional-level DPM Survey - To map existing disaster risk reduction capabilities, opportunities and needs at regional level in WMO Regions. This survey was further extended based on discussions with the WMO Regional Associations Working Groups on DPM (RA WG DPM) to include a more detailed regional diagnosis. Launched in October 2006 and is being coordinated by the chairperson of the WMO Regional Associations Working Groups on DPM (RA WG DPM) in RA II, III, IV, V and VI, and by a consultant for RA I (as RA I Working Group on DPM is expected to be established in February 2007) and final reports are due on 30 March 2007.

(iii) Programme-level and Technical-Commission DPM Surveys – To map all DPM-related projects and activities of WMO Programmes and Technical Commissions – Both surveys were launched in parallel in August 2006 and were coordinated jointly by DPM Focal Points of Programme Departments and Technical Commissions. As of November 2006, all eight Technical Commissions (CBS, CIMO, CAS, CCL, CHy, JCOMM, CAgM, CAeM), as well as several Programmes including, WWW, TCP, WCP, HWR, IPCC, AREP and AeM, AgM, and MMOP, had responded to the survey.

(b) The preliminary results of the four surveys were analysed and summarized in Ref. 2.

(c) The First WMO DPM Coordination Meeting was held on 4-6 December 2006 at WMO Headquarters, involving DPM focal points of all Programmes and Technical Commissions, Chairpersons of all Regional Associations Working Groups on DPM (RA II, III, IV, V, VI), a designated representative by president of RA I (Permanent Representative of Malawi) and selected partners. The Meeting provided, (i) further input in the results of survey analysis and assessments, and (ii) recommendations for strategic goals and priorities of the WMO DPM Programme, and mechanisms to enhance crosscutting coordination across Technical Commissions, Regional Associations, Programmes and partners for consideration at the EC AG DPM and PTC Meetings in early 2007.2

(d) Second Meeting of the EC AG DPM is planned for 29-31 January 2007, WMO Headquarters, inviting the presidents of technical commissions (PTC) to consider specific matters requested by EC-LVIII for preparations for Congress VX.

(e) Meeting of PTC on 2-3 February 2007, to provide concrete recommendations for mechanisms for strengthening inter-Commission collaboration and collaboration between Commissions and Regional Associations in support of DPM crosscutting priorities and

2 Documents and presentations from the First DPM Coordination Meeting can be downloaded at: http://www.wmo.int/disasters/dpmcoord1.

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related cross-cutting project areas recommended by EC AG DPM for considerations of Congress XV.

(f)Preparation of documents for Congress XV (May 2007) based on recommendations from EC AG DPM and PTC meetings.

Goals of the Second EC Advisory Group on DPM9. During EC-LVIII, the council requested its EC AG DPM to address several specific matters

as outlined below:

(a) Give consideration to the analysis and assessments of the four fact-finding surveys, draw conclusions from them regarding the present situation

(b) Develop policy recommendations for a crosscutting Framework for DPM Programme including governance, organizational and operational aspects that would strengthen crosscutting coordination for DPM Programme

(c) Develop recommendations for clear strategic goals of DPM Programme

(d) In consultation with the presidents of technical commissions, recommend crosscutting project areas that are built upon activities of WMO Programmes, technical commissions, regional associations and partners to ensure clarity in the roles and responsibilities; and to develop recommendations for results-based performance measures to enable progress monitoring from year to year in close alignment with WMO strategic plan.

III. Synthesis of Present Situation: Analysis of the Four Fact-Finding DPM-Related Surveys

10. Preliminary analyses were carried out of the fact-finding DPM surveys and were further reviewed during the First DPM Coordination meeting, which provided additional input and made several conclusions. These results are summarized in Ref.2.

11. Analysis of the Country-level Survey at global and regional levels :

(a) Analysis of key hazards has revealed that there are a number of hazards posing risk to all Members that responded to the survey. These include, severe storms, droughts, floods (river flooding and flash floods), earthquakes and forest and wild land fires. In addition to these hazards, other hazards also pose major risks on the regional basis. Specifically, in RA I, aviation hazards, smoke, dust or haze, and locust swarms; in RA II, heat wave, sandstorm, landslide or mudslide, tropical cyclones, coastal flooding and storm surge, hailstorm, in RA III, landslide or mudslide, in RA IV, tropical cyclones, landslides or mudslides, coastal flooding, and storm surge, in RA V, tropical cyclone, coastal flooding, storm surge, tsunami, landslide or mudslide, and in RA VI, heavy snow, heat and cold waves, hailstorm and freezing rain. This information is critical in prioritisation of hazard specific capacity development of the NMHSs on global and regional levels. Further analysis will be done on a sub-regional level for initiation of hazard specific capacity development projects.

(b) Analysis of the role of NMHS in disaster risk reduction governance and structures as well as their strengths, weaknesses, gaps and needs, has revealed seven primary gap areas, and need to be addressed to strengthen NMHSs’ capacities in support of disaster risk reduction. These gap areas have been summarized in Annex. 2. A more detailed regional / sub-regional analysis of the country-level surveys will be carried out to provide more concrete and accurate analysis of gaps, needs and requirements on regional and sub-regional levels through collaborations between RA WG DPM and the DPM Programme office. This analysis is also critical for prioritisation of strategic goals and related WMO DPM Programme crosscutting projects, to be implemented at national and regional level.

12. At the regional level, preliminary analysis of the regional-level DPM Survey has indicated significant initiatives are underway in all WMO regions through regional economic groupings,

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and organizations involved in disaster risk reduction. Concrete regional strategies are being developed on the basis of Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015 (HFA), which was adopted by 168 countries during the World Conference on Disaster Reduction (January 2005), for implementation of disaster risk reduction capacitates with a strong focus on prevention and preparedness (particularly in RA I, II, V).3 Many aspects of these strategies are directly linked to the roles and mandates of WMO and NMHSs and provide significant opportunities for involvement at the early stage and demonstration of the benefits of meteorological, hydrological and climate-related services in the implementation of the regional strategies. Furthermore, new pools of funding are becoming available through various international and regional development agencies, bi-lateral donors and trust funds in support of regional and national projects, presenting new funding opportunities for regional and national disaster risk reduction projects. Examples include the newly established World Bank Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery, the Inter-American Development Bank trust fund for early warning systems, UN-ESCAP Regional Trust Fund for Tsunami and other Early Warning System, designated funding through European Commissions, and several bi-lateral donors such as DFID, CIDA, SIDA. Per agreement during the First DPM Coordination meeting a more detailed synthesis of these developments would be needed and the chairpersons of the RA WG DPM agreed to extend the survey to a more comprehensive “regional diagnosis”, with terms of reference outlined in Annex. 3.

13. The WMO Programme-level and Technical Commission-level DPM Surveys identified 42 projects and activities (Projects 1 through 42 in Annex. 4). These including nine from CBS, one from CIMO, three from CAS, three from CCl, nine from CHy, six from JCOMM, three from CAgM, two from CAeM, four from TCP and two from AREP (Annex.4, Table 1). The analysis and discussions at the First DPM Coordination meeting lead to several conclusions:

(a) A number of synergistic opportunities were identified across several projects (Annex.4, Table 5) and have been listed for each project in Annex.4, under project details section. Crosscutting project planning and implementation could result in better outcomes and more optimal utilization of WMO resources in achieving those outcomes. Thus, relevant commissions and Programmes should identify their priorities and initiate discussions to determine which groupings of projects could be pursued jointly to enhance the benefits to the Members.

(b) Currently project development at Programme and Technical Commission level is based on the mandates of each Programme and Commission (bottom up). WMO could benefit from a set of organization-wide strategic priorities in DPM that can guide identification and prioritisation of a set of crosscutting projects built upon capacities of programmes, commissions, regional associations and partners.

(c) Mapping of the 42 projects on the Gap Areas revealed that, while they contribute to strengthening of disaster risk reduction capacities of the NMHSs, some of the Gap Areas are not directly addressed through these projects and new complementary initiatives would be needed to ensure that Members’ requirements are addressed (Annex.4 Table 6).

(d) As for the budget allocations, majority of projects identified appear to be either partially funded or not funded at all through the WMO regular budget. Although the surveys did not address budgetary issues in a great level of detail a comparison of the projects identified through the surveys with those identified in WMO Budget Proposal for the Fifteenth Financial Period 2008-2011 (WMO Budget Document), could reveal more information as to the budgetary issues. Funding for projects not currently funded by WMO that have potential for extra-budgetary fund raising could be explored through activities of DCR and VCP.

(e) Among projects listed in the Compendium, a set of international agencies have been identified as potential strategic partners with which concrete partnerships should be established, including UNDP, the World Bank, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC), UNESCO, UNICEF and Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). DPM Programme office has initiated profiling of roles, responsibilities and

3 Based on the preliminary results of the regional-level DPM Surveys, reported by the Chairpersons of the RA WG DPM, during the First WMO DPM Coordination meeting.

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activities of potential international partners to assist programmes and commissions with initiation of concrete partnerships. Ref.3, Ref.4 and Ref.5 provide details of discussions of WMO with UNDP, the World Bank and IFRC regarding areas of partnership. Similarly, as part of the Regional analysis, underway through the RA WG DPM, potential strategic partners at the regional level are being identified and profiled.

(f) During the First Coordination Meeting, focal points of Programmes and technical commissions indicated that the surveys helped the commissions and Programmes to think though their activities within a project management framework involving identification of expected outcomes, deliverables, timelines, budgetary, and other issues. A systematic project management framework could benefit Programmes and technical commissions to be able to prioritise, plan and implement projects.

(g) Regional knowledge of programme and technical commissions activities in support of DPM would be critical in developing and coordinating regional projects built upon WMO network capacities and expertise. Strengthening of the linkage between RA WG DPM, Programmes and Technical Commissions would be needed in enabling crosscutting project development.

IV. Towards a New Crosscutting Coordination Framework for DPM Programme

14. Based on consultation process outlined in background section and further discussions with Members, a crosscutting coordination framework for DPM Programme (the Framework) has been developed, including governance and organizational processes, and is schematically presented in Annex. 5, Figures 1-3. The primary benefit of a coordinated crosscutting framework would be to optimally utilize WMO resources and expertise in addressing the gaps and needs of the Members for strengthening of their capacities in disaster risk reduction.

Components of the Framework and Principal Benefits15. As shown in Figure 1, the critical components of the Framework involve, (i) establishment

of clear organization-wide strategic goals, which could serve as the driver for identification and prioritization of crosscutting projects that would be implemented through programmes, technical commissions, regional associations, Members and partners, with clear identification of their roles and responsibilities, based on their mandates and expertise. Implementation of these projects would result in two expected outcomes, namely, i) strengthened NMHS technical capacities and, ii) Integration of NMHS services in the disaster risk reduction structures and processes at the national level (mainstreaming NMHSs in the national disaster risk reduction structures). These outcomes would enhance the contributions of NMHSs for the protection of lives, livelihoods and property. Through the Framework, WMO aims to optimize its resources and expertise to support the NMHSs requirements in a more focused, systematic and sustainable manner, .

Management Processes 16. Figure 2, schematically demonstrates management processes that are associated with

different components of this framework.

(a) Development and updating of DPM strategic goals is based on the 4-year financial period of WMO. Strategic goals are developed based Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA), the principal driver of disaster risk reduction implementation at national, regional and international level, focusing on those HFA key activities that are most relevant to the roles and mandates of WMO and NMHSs, combined with understanding of the gaps, needs and requirements of NMHS, to fulfil their mandates. WMO could benefit from a systematic mechanism to assess and update national and regional needs and requirements and link them to the project development cycle of WMO. This can be achieved through identification of NMHSs strengths and weakness every four year through systemic surveys.

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(b) At the strategic level, WMO could benefit from a steering mechanism to review the outcomes of national and regional requirements and combined with priority areas of WMO and NMHSs in HFA, to recommend to the Congress WMO system-wide DPM goals for aligning planning process of programmes, technical commissions and regional associations based on these organization-wide priorities. This process would enable WMO to not only optimize its resources to address the Members gaps and needs more effectively, but be more responsive to the changing needs of the Members over time.

(c) A crosscutting project management framework, which is built upon (i) a clear process for identification, prioritisation, (ii) project-development parameters for integrated planning (including integrated resource allocation), implementation, monitoring and reporting, and (iii) a feedback mechanism based on assessment of benefits to the Members and project management experiences, This framework would improve project management and optimise WMO’s contributions over time.

Governance Implications17. Figure 3, schematically demonstrates the proposed governance associated with these

management processes. These are outlined below:

(a) DPM Programme office to prepare and launch a survey for analyzing Members and Regions capacities gaps and needs every four years.

(b) RA WG on DPM and the National Focal Point on DPM to coordinate and provide systematic input to the surveys with facilitation and support from the DPM Programme office and DCR. In this regard, the RA WG DPM and National Focal Points on DPM to coordinate with other respective, RA WG’s and National focal points (e.g. hydrology, climate, education and training) to identify common areas of interest. Furthermore, inputs will be sought through partners, based on need for NMHSs input in support of their priorities for disaster risk reduction.

(c) Establish the WMO DPM Programme Coordination Team involving, DPM Focal Point of programmes and commissions, Chairpersons of RA WG DPM, and Focal points of select partners to provide feedback into the process.

(d) DPM Programme office to collect survey information, analyze, and consult with WMO DPM Coordination Team for any further input and provide the synthesis to EC AG DPM. EC AG DPM would provide strategic guidance and recommendations to the Congress for WMO DPM Strategic Goals on the basis of WMO and NMHSs priorities for implementation of HFA, survey analysis and other relevant information.

(e) ECAG DPM in consultation with PTC and (Presidents of Regional Associations) to recommend prioritized project areas to be built upon activities of technical commissions, programmes, regional association, Members and partners for crosscutting implementation.

(f) PTC to drive and coordinate the contributions of technical commissions, particularly related to inter-commission activities, in support of crosscutting WMO DPM Programme.

(g) WMO DPM Programme Coordination Team to meet twice during the four-year financial period, to coordinate crosscutting project planning across relevant programmes, commissions, regional associations and partners, to evaluate, assess achievements obtained through crosscutting project implementation, identify crosscutting project hurdles, and prepare recommendations for consideration of the EC AG DPM.

(h) Secretariat Steering Committee on Disaster Risk Reduction, to meet as many times as needed to ensure effective coordination across Programme Departments in alignment with the project management parameters for implementation of cross cutting activities and monitoring of the benefits.

(i) DPM Programme office to (i) facilitate crosscutting coordination among programmes, commissions, regional associations and partners by providing informational and other support services, (ii) coordinate those crosscutting projects which have been mandated through Congress, (iii) monitor progress based on input from various sources, develop and

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distribute surveys, collect and analyze outcomes, develop reports and facilitate feedbacks to relevant mechanisms (e.g. DPM Programme Coordination Team, EC AG DPM, Congress).

Crosscutting Project Management Framework18. EC-LVIII noted that there was a need to identify WMO DPM Programme strategic priorities

that would be implemented through crosscutting projects that were measurable with respect to their benefits and outcomes in close alignment with the WMO Strategic Plan. Furthermore, EC-LVIII urged that within the new results-based budgeting format, the resources, devoted to achieving priority objectives related to the DPM Programme, be unambiguously identified to enable the Members to monitor, from year to year, measurable progress achieved through the DPM cross-cutting approach. EC-LVIII stressed that such monitoring should also track additional extra budgetary resources raised in support of DPM activities to further indicate the value added of the Programme.

19. WMO could benefit from a crosscutting project management framework that would enable implementation of project management requirements set forth by EC-LVIII. Components of an effective crosscutting project management framework would require, (i) clear criteria for project identification and prioritization, (ii) integrated planning and resource allocation, (iii) identification of roles and responsibilities for the deliverables and implementation of entities involved in the projects, (iv) progress monitoring and reporting, and (v) evaluation and feedback for improving mechanisms and outcomes over time.

20. It is proposed that a selected set of crosscutting DPM-related projects be identified based on their alignment with the strategic priorities of WMO DPM Programme, and that a project management framework be adopted that would involve identification of:

(a) Project performance measures and requirements;

(b) Integrated project concept design, planning, resource allocation;

(c) Project deliverables, timelines and milestones;

(d) Roles and responsibilities of involved entities for project management, implementation arrangements, and delivery;

(e) Ways to link projects with Key Performance Indicators (KPI) of WMO Results-Based Budgeting (WMO RBB) that can be used for monitoring progress, benefits and resource utilisation;

(f) Risks related to project implementation (e.g. budgetary, scheduling, staffing) that would enable assessing viability of the project plan;

(g) A mechanism for monitoring and reporting on project implementation progress.

21. As stated in paragraph 18, crosscutting project monitoring should be developed in close alignment with the WMO Strategic Plan (i.e., linkage to the new WMO RBB.) Through its new RBB, WMO has identified 11 Expected Results (outcomes) tied to five WMO Strategic Thrusts and a set of KPIs for each outcome, designed to guide the development and implementation of the WMO Operating Plan. These provide the specific foundation for action and budgeting as appropriate. The KPIs focus on providing measures of success for each of the Expected Results. Expected Result VI, “Enhanced capabilities of Members in multi-hazard early warning and disaster prevention and preparedness” and related Performance Indicators have been developed to guide and monitor benefits of WMO activities in support of disaster risk reduction and will be considered by Congress XV for final approval.

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Organizational Networking and Information Sharing to Facilitate Crosscutting Coordination22. The First DPM Coordination Meeting confirmed that crosscutting coordination across WMO

could be strengthened through information sharing mechanisms and electronic databases that would enable:

(a) Programmes, commissions, regional associations to have access to Members’ requirements for any desired country grouping for prioritisation and design of their crosscutting projects; As an example, this capacity is currently being provided to WWW in support of project CBS-002.

(b) Access to comprehensive information on WMO DPM-related projects

(c) Facilitation of project management among involved parties.

(d) Monitoring progress and benefits achieved through DPM Programme over time, against clearly established benchmarks of strengths, weaknesses and requirements of Members and Regions.

(e) More effective networking among Members, Programmes, technical commissions, regional associations and partners.

(f) Identification and initiation of partnerships, potential sources of funding

(g) Systematic availability and sharing of good practices, technical guidelines, brochures, educational materials and training curricula.

23. DPM Programme office with support from ITD and in collaboration with DCR has initiated identification and development of databases to deliver these benefits to the programmes, commissions, regional associations and Members.

Road Map for Implementation (2008 – 2011)24. While the commissions and programmes will continue to implement their projects and

activities as identified in the WMO DPM Project Compendium, it is proposed that a sub-set of these DPM crosscutting projects be selected to demonstrate the WMO DPM Crosscutting Framework. Criteria for selection of such crosscutting projects could involve: (i) project is being supported through WMO regular budget, (ii) project is in direct alignment with the DPM strategic goals and addresses the gap areas of Members, (iii) the project is crosscutting, which means that it involves coordination across commissions, programmes and/or with regional associations. To this end, recommended projects should be implemented based on the crosscutting management framework described earlier. These proposed projects would be monitored by the Executive Council during the Fiscal Period 2008-2011.

V. Development of Strategic Goals of DPM Programme25. EC-LVIII requested that WMO DPM Programme strategic priorities should be identified as

the basis for prioritisation of WMO DPM-related crosscutting projects to strengthen the contributions of NMHSs towards the improvement of safety and security of communities in a more cost-effective, systematic and sustainable manner.

26. Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015: Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disaster (HFA), which was adopted by 168 nations during the second World Conference for Disaster Reduction (WCDR, Kobe, Japan, January 2005), constitutes the underlying principles for the implementation of disaster risk reduction at national, regional and international levels (Annex 6a). HFA aims to shift the disaster risk reduction paradigm from the traditional post disaster response to a more comprehensive approach involving prevention, preparedness and contingency planning as well as emergency response and recovery. A number of action areas of HFA are directly related to the mandate of the WMO and NMHS.

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27. WMO is actively engaged in the implementation of HFA through restructuring of the ISDR System at international level and planning of inter-agency activities to provide coordinated services for supporting the Members.4

28. On this basis, the First DPM Coordination Meeting proposed that those key activities of Hyogo Framework for Action most relevant to the roles and mandates of WMO and NMHSs, should be used for establishment of DPM strategic goals of WMO, and drafted the WMO DPM Programme strategic goals, which are provided in Annex 7a. These strategic goals provide the overall guiding principles for identification and prioritisation of WMO DPM-related crosscutting projects to be implemented by technical commissions, regional associations and Programmes.

29. During the drafting of these strategic goals, the First DPM Coordination Meeting:

(a) Reviewed and reprioritised HFA’s five Priorities for Action according to WMO and NMHSs role and mandates in support of disaster risk reduction, identifying the second HFA priority for action, namely “Identify, assess and monitor disaster risks and enhance early warnings” as the first priority of WMO and NMHSs;

(b) Mapped key activities under each priority for action according to: (a) leading role, (b) partially lead and primarily contributing role, (c) contributing role, and (d) no role of WMO and NMHSs (Annex 6a).

(c) Developed a synthesis table with key activities that are under categories (a), (b) and (c) (Annex 6b).

(d) Based on this analysis, articulated the five strategic goals of the WMO DPM Programme (Annex 7a).

30. Mapping of the common gap areas revealed from country level surveys, on the strategic goals of DPM indicated that all these gaps would be addressed through these strategic priorities Annex 7b. The meeting further confirmed that alignment of WMO crosscutting DPM projects with these Strategic Goals would result in two expected outcomes critical to achieving the DPM Programme vision. These expected outcomes include:

(a) Strengthened technical capacities of the NMHSs in support of decision processes and operational aspects of disaster risk reduction; (Strategic Goals 1, 2, 3)

(b) Mainstreaming NMHSs in disaster risk reduction processes and structures at national level (Strategic Goals 3, 4, 5).

4 At the international level, WMO has been playing a critical role in the restructuring of the ISDR system together with UNDG, the World Bank, IFRC, OCHA and UNEP. WMO Secretary-General participates in the ISDR Management Oversight Board, chaired by UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, and membered by senior-level management of the above-mentioned agencies, to provide strategic recommendations on the governance structure of the ISDR System and integrated work planning framework to be adopted through ISDR system partners for delivery of more coordinated assistance to Members. Furthermore, WMO, through the DPM Programme office, is participating together with eight other international agencies and governments representatives in the ISDR Reference Group to develop the governance structure of the ISDR System and integrated work planning framework to be adopted through ISDR system partners, and planning of the First ISDR Global Platform for Disaster Reduction, scheduled to be held in Geneva on 5-7June 2007.

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VI. Proposed DPM Projects for Demonstrating DPM Crosscutting Framework

31. EC-LVIII requested its EC AG DPM, in consultation with the presidents of technical commissions, to recommend crosscutting project areas that are built upon activities of WMO Programmes, technical commissions, regional associations and partners and to ensure clarity in the roles and responsibilities. Furthermore, EC-LVIII agreed to strengthen the role of the presidents of technical commissions (PTC) as a group to drive and coordinate the contributions of technical commissions, particularly related to inter-commission activities, in support of cross-cutting WMO DPM Programme.

32. As indicated in paragraph 24, while the commissions and programmes will continue to implement their projects and activities as identified in the WMO DPM Project Compendium, it is proposed that a sub-set of these DPM crosscutting projects be selected to demonstrate the WMO DPM Crosscutting Framework. Criteria for selection of such crosscutting projects could involve: (i) project is being supported through WMO regular budget, (ii) project is in direct alignment with the DPM strategic goals and addresses the gap areas of Members, (iii) the project is crosscutting, which means that it involves coordination across commissions, programmes and/or with regional associations. To this end, recommended projects should be implemented based on the crosscutting management framework described earlier, with parameter that would enable monitoring progress and measuring the benefits. These proposed projects could be reviewed and monitored by the Executive Council during the Fiscal Period 2008-2011.

33. Furthermore, discussions during the First DPM Coordination Meeting and mapping of the projects of Programmes and technical commissions on the gap areas (Annex 4, Table 5), and on the proposed strategic goals (Annex.4, Table 6), confirms that several of the strategic goals are not directly addressed through these projects and WMO would benefit from new initiatives. Specifically, initiatives would be needed for SG 2, 3, 4, and 5:

Synergistic Crosscutting Projects Supported through other Programmes’ Budget For Demonstration of the Crosscutting DPM Framework34. A preliminary analysis of the projects in the WMO DPM Project Compendium (Projects 1-

42) suggests that a number of these projects meet the criteria described in paragraph 32. These include, CBS-002, CAS-003, CCL-002, JCOMM-001, TCP-002, CAgM-001.

35. Furthermore, recognizing the need to improve the capacity of National Meteorological Services (NMSs) in detecting flood-critical situations and to improve the capacity of National Hydrological Services (NHSs) in using meteorological forecasting information, CHy has started a Flood Forecasting Initiative (not included in the DPM project compendium) for Improved Flood Forecasting, particularly, for flash floods and riverine floods, built upon increased cooperation between NMSs and NHSs. It should be stressed that flash floods and riverrine floods are among the top five hazards impacting a majority of WMO Members (Ref.2 Annex.1) and development of such projects could be beneficial to majority of Members. A Strategy and Action Plan has been prepared to address these issues and will be presented to Congress for endorsement. This plan will be presented by the President of CHy at the EC AG DPM meeting to explore potential linkages with other commission and programmes of WMO for identification and initiation of crosscutting projects to be launched during the financial period 2008-2011. A brief document prepared by HWR will be circulated during the meeting in support of these discussions (Annex.9).

36. Presidents of Technical Commission will be participating in the EC AG DPM meeting to discuss their commissions’ projects and propose those synergistic crosscutting projects that meet the criteria described in paragraph 32.

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New Proposed DPM-Related Crosscutting Projects Supported through WMO DPM Programme Office budget37. DPM Programme office proposes to initiate and support five new crosscutting projects,

which directly address the above-mentioned areas, are synergistic with and complementary to several DPM-related projects of Programmes and commissions, and maximize opportunities for partnerships through ISDR System for implementation, funding and strengthening the role of NMHS in implementation of HFA. These projects include DPM-001, DPM-002, DPM-003, and DPM-005. These projects are outlined in the Project compendium and more details in these projects are available in Annex 8.

38. EC-LVII stressed that the education, training and public outreach programmes in disaster risk reduction, of and for NMHSs and their stakeholders, were critical for capacity development of the NMHSs, particularly in developing and Least Developed Countries. The Council requested that under the cross-cutting framework of DPM, relevant WMO Programmes and technical commissions should evaluate the current WMO education and training curricula and modules and improve and expand those as needed to ensure that they addressed NMHSs’ training needs in disaster risk reduction. The need for strengthened educational and training activities for capacity development of NMHSs, has been confirmed through the analysis of the country-level DPM surveys as one of the high priorities, particularly in the developing and least developed countries and one of the strategic priorities of WMO DPM Programme. Furthermore, Tenth WMO Symposium on Education and Training (SYMET-X), held from 18 to 22 September 2006 in Nanjing, China, on the topic of “Meteorological and hydrological education and training for Disaster Prevention and Mitigation,” which developed a number of recommendation for strengthening of WMO educational activities in this area. The DPM Programme office, with its 2007 budget, will facilitate possibly through a secondment to work with all WMO programmes, to develop a coordinated plan on the basis of the recommendation of this Symposium, to strengthen linkages of the WMO scientific and technical programmes, particularly with ETR and PWS and key partners such as UNESCO, UNICEF and IFRC forto strengthening of educational and training activities of WMO in disaster risk reduction. Further to mapping of the projects of Programmes and technical commissions on the gap areas (Annex 5, Table 5), mapping projects on the proposed strategic goals confirms that several of strategic goals are not directly addressed through these projects (Annex 5, Table 6), and based on Members’ priorities with respect to their requirements, new initiatives are required to align activities towards these goals. This analysis indicates that majority of projects address systems improvement and technical aspects for detection, forecasting and warning. Specifically, WMO could additionally benefit from concrete initiatives that would strengthen Members’ capacities ;

39.

VII. Other Considerations

Opportunities for WMO and NMHSs in Linking Climate Variability and Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction40. Through several DPM-related forums involving Members, Regional Associations and

Partners, opportunities for NMHSs in linking climate variability and climate change to disaster risk management decision processes has been strongly stressed. There is need for regional and national projects for strengthening the role of NMHSs in these areas. Specifically,

41. Climate related products and services such as climatological databases, seasonal to interannual climate forecasts could contribute significantly to disaster prevention and preparedness as input, i) for risk assessment, ii) medium to long-term sectoral planning for reduction of risks, iii) development of new Risk Transfer Markets and design of risk transfer financial tools, iv) development of warning systems with longer lead-times, which can be critical for medium and long-term prevention and preparedness strategies.

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42. There is need for better understanding of linkages of climate change with natural variability in ENSO, NAO, PDO cycles and characteristics and how these are linked to changing trends and characteristics of hydro-meteorological hazards around the world. Furthermore, there is need for improving the probabilistic climate models to better resolve hazards that occur at short time and spatial scales to enable development of probabilistic warnings with longer lead times.

43. WMO needs to identify its priorities based on requirements for linking climate and disaster risk management decision processes. DPM Programme office has initiated activities with WCP5 and WCRP6 to define the requirements for climate and disaster activities, and to establish priorities for more coordinated activities among the WMO Climate Programmes and DPM Programme. Initiatives of DPM Programme with WCP and WCRP are aimed to address the requirements for linking climate variability and climate change adaptation with disaster risk management.

44. It has been acknowledged that many climate adaptation funding sources exist such as the Global Environment Facility of World Bank, UNDP and UNEP fund national- and regional-level projects. To this end, NMHSs and Regional Associations could benefit from better understanding of the funding agencies requirements for project development in areas such as climate change adaptation and linkage to disaster risk reduction and training on writing proposals targeted at funding agencies.

45. Activities related to climate and disaster risk reduction of WMO Programmes (research and applications) should be concretely defined based on their priorities and alignment with DPM programme strategic goals, and considered jointly through the EC AG Climate and EC AG DPM as well as WMO Climate Research Programmes Management Committee. This issue was also raised during the session of EC AG Climate to be held at WMO on 17-18 January 2007.

Establishment of DPM Trust Fund46. Since WCDR and adoption of HFA, a number of mechanisms for funding international,

regional and national disaster risk reduction projects have been established, that are in alignment with the priority actions of HFA, such as World Bank Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery, the Inter-American Development Bank trust fund for early warning systems, UN-ESCAP Regional Trust Fund for Tsunami and other Early Warning System, designated funding through European Commissions, and several bi-lateral donors such as DFID, CIDA, SIDA.

47. It is proposed that a New “WMO Disaster Risk Reduction” Trust Fund be established to raise funds for targeted project to benefit WMO from these extra-budgetary funding opportunities.

5 As part of the Living with Climate Variability and Change: Understanding the Uncertainties and Managing the Risks conference in Espoo, Finland, 17-21 July 2006, DPM Programme facilitated a session inviting representatives from the insurance sector, development and humanitarian agencies to define their requirements and to identify role of WMO and NMHSs in addressing climate and disaster risk reduction issues. The final report of this session is being completed.

6 DPM Programme office and WCRP will organize a user-driven workshop in Fall 2007 including scientists from WCRP and users from Disaster risk reduction community to identify and prioritize research issues on climate variability and climate change relevant to disaster-risk reduction decision-making. These requirements are to be considered and prioritized by the WCRP Executive Committee and concrete research activities be proposed.

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Changing the name of WMO DPM Programme to WMO Disaster Risk Reduction Programme48. EC-LVIII acknowledged that WMO and NMHSs contributed to all stages of disaster risk

reduction, including prevention and mitigation, emergency preparedness, response, crisis management, recovery and reconstruction. Furthermore, it noted that all those aspects were addressed through the crosscutting WMO DPM Programme.

49. In the international forums, the title of WMO Natural Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Programme has raised questions, specifically: (i) the term "natural disaster" implies that disasters happen naturally rather than being caused by natural hazards; (ii) the term "prevention and mitigation" does not reflect the complete scope of activities of WMO and NMHSs in disaster risk reduction.

50. Hyogo Framework for Action uses the term "disaster risk reduction" and many international Agencies and Programmes have used the same terminology for establishment of their strategies and related Programmes and activities.

51. It is proposed that the DPM Programme is renamed to WMO "Disaster Risk Reduction Programme".

VIII. Recommendations for Congress XV52. Approval of the DPM Programme Action Plan 2008 - 2011 including budgetary implications

and request the EC to monitor progress with this action plan from year to year.

53. Request to Secretary-General to monitor the crosscutting projects and processes with the intention to prepare recommendations to Congress XVI for enhancing crosscutting management processes for strengthening of crosscutting programmes such as DPM.

54. Approval for renaming the WMO DPM Programme to WMO Disaster Risk Reduction Programme

55. In light of emerging opportunities for extra-budgetary fundraising, to approve establishment of the WMO Disaster Risk Reduction Trust Fund

56. With consideration that the strategic goals of WMO DPM Programme were developed after development of expected results and KPIs for the RBB, particularly Expected Result VI, which directly is linked to WMO activities in disaster risk reduction, to request EC LVIX to review and if needed provide recommendations for new set of KPIs to ensure alignment with the strategic goals of the DPM Programme to enable effective monitoring.

57. In regards to the linkages between climate and disaster risk reduction to request the SG and the Executive Council to explore effective crosscutting mechanisms across crosscutting areas such as climate and DPM that would enable identification and prioritization of common strategic goals that would be implemented through concrete projects..

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