The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is the successor to the International Meteorological Organization, which was established in 1873. It formally came into existence in 1950 and became a UN specialised agency in 1951.
Article 2 of the WMO Convention, which was signed in Washington in 1947 and came into force on 23 March 1950, defined the Organization's purposes as being to:
Facilitate worldwide cooperation in the establishment of networks of stations for making meteorological observations, as well as hydrological and other geophysical observations related to meteorology, and to promote the establishment and maintenance of centres charged with the provision of meteorological and related services
Promote the establishment and maintenance of systems for rapid exchange of meteorological and related information
Promote standardisation of meteorological and related observations, and ensure the uniform publication of observations and statistics
Further the application of meteorology to aviation, shipping, water problems, agriculture and other human activities
Promote activities in operational hydrology and further close cooperation between meteorological and hydrological services
Encourage research and training in meteorology and, as appropriate, in related fields, and assist in coordinating the international aspects of such research and training.
World Meteorological Congress
Executive Council
Six regional associations (Africa; Asia; South America; North America, Central America and the Caribbean; South-West Pacific; and Europe)
Eight technical commissions (atmospheric sciences, aeronautical meteorology, agricultural meteorology, basic systems, hydrology, instruments and methods of observation, oceanography and marine meteorology, and climatology)
Secretariat
The 37 Executive Council members are the Organization's President and three Vice-Presidents, the six Presidents of the regional associations who are ex officio members, and 27 Directors of members' national meteorological or hydro-meteorological services. Elections to the Council are held at the World Meteorological Congress, except those for presidents of regional associations, who are elected by their respective associations. Apart from regional association presidents, the members of the Council serve from the end of one Congress to the end of the next. When a vacancy occurs among the 27 elected members between Congress sessions, an acting member is designated by the Executive Council. Current membership is:
President D Grimes, Canada
First Vice-President A D Moura, Brazil
Second Vice-President M S Ostojski, Poland
Third Vice-President A Mokssit, Morocco
Presidents of regional associations Region I, Africa: M L Bah, Guinea Region II, Asia: V E Chub, Uzbekistan Region III, South America: M Araneda Funtes, Chile Region IV, North America, Central America and the Caribbean: A W Rolle, Bahamas Region V, South-West Pacific: S W B Harijono, Indonesia Region VI, Europe: I Cacic, Croatia
Membership of the WMO comprises 183 Member States and six territories. Members of the Executive Council are elected in an individual capacity. The following is a list of members and their terms of office on the Executive Council.
Afghanistan Albania Algeria Angola Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil British Caribbean Territories Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Central African Republic Chad Chile China Colombia Comoros Congo Cook Islands Costa Rica Cote d'Ivoire Croatia Cuba Curacao and St Maarten Cyprus Czech Republic DPRK DR Congo Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Fiji Finland France French Polynesia Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Greece Guatemala Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Honduras Hong Kong, China Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Lao PDR Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libyan AJ Lithuania Luxembourg Macau, China Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Mauritania Mauritius Mexico Micronesia Mongolia Montenegro Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nepal Netherlands New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norway Oman Pakistan Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Qatar ROK Republic of Moldova Romania Russian Federation Rwanda Saint Lucia Samoa Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Syrian AR Tajikistan Thailand The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia Timor-Leste Togo Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Uganda Ukraine UAE UK UR of Tanzania USA Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela Viet Nam Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe
The World Meteorological Congress, the supreme body of the Organization, meets once every four years. The 16th Congress was held from 16 May to 3 June 2011.
7 bis Avenue de la Paix Case Postale 2300 1211 Geneva 2 Switzerland Telephone: (+41 22) 730 8111 Fax: (+41 22) 730 8181 Email: wmo@wmo.int
Organ(s)
Category
HQ location
Date established
Resolution
Joined CEB
Leadership
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is the successor to the International Meteorological Organization, which was established in 1873. It formally came into existence in 1950 and became a UN specialised agency in 1951.
Article 2 of the WMO Convention, which was signed in Washington in 1947 and came into force on 23 March 1950, defined the Organization's purposes as being to:
The 37 Executive Council members are the Organization's President and three Vice-Presidents, the six Presidents of the regional associations who are ex officio members, and 27 Directors of members' national meteorological or hydro-meteorological services. Elections to the Council are held at the World Meteorological Congress, except those for presidents of regional associations, who are elected by their respective associations. Apart from regional association presidents, the members of the Council serve from the end of one Congress to the end of the next. When a vacancy occurs among the 27 elected members between Congress sessions, an acting member is designated by the Executive Council. Current membership is:
President
D Grimes, Canada
First Vice-President
A D Moura, Brazil
Second Vice-President
M S Ostojski, Poland
Third Vice-President
A Mokssit, Morocco
Presidents of regional associations
Region I, Africa: M L Bah, Guinea
Region II, Asia: V E Chub, Uzbekistan
Region III, South America: M Araneda Funtes, Chile
Region IV, North America, Central America and the Caribbean: A W Rolle, Bahamas
Region V, South-West Pacific: S W B Harijono, Indonesia
Region VI, Europe: I Cacic, Croatia
Membership of the WMO comprises 183 Member States and six territories. Members of the Executive Council are elected in an individual capacity. The following is a list of members and their terms of office on the Executive Council.
Afghanistan
Albania
Algeria
Angola
Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina
Armenia
Australia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Bahamas
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Barbados
Belarus
Belgium
Belize
Benin
Bhutan
Bolivia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana
Brazil
British Caribbean Territories
Brunei Darussalam
Bulgaria
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cambodia
Cameroon
Canada
Cape Verde
Central African Republic
Chad
Chile
China
Colombia
Comoros
Congo
Cook Islands
Costa Rica
Cote d'Ivoire
Croatia
Cuba
Curacao and St Maarten
Cyprus
Czech Republic
DPRK
DR Congo
Denmark
Djibouti
Dominica
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
Egypt
El Salvador
Eritrea
Estonia
Ethiopia
Fiji
Finland
France
French Polynesia
Gabon
Gambia
Georgia
Germany
Ghana
Greece
Guatemala
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Guyana
Haiti
Honduras
Hong Kong, China
Hungary
Iceland
India
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Jamaica
Japan
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kiribati
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Lao PDR
Latvia
Lebanon
Lesotho
Liberia
Libyan AJ
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macau, China
Madagascar
Malawi
Malaysia
Maldives
Mali
Malta
Mauritania
Mauritius
Mexico
Micronesia
Mongolia
Montenegro
Morocco
Mozambique
Myanmar
Namibia
Nepal
Netherlands
New Caledonia
New Zealand
Nicaragua
Niger
Nigeria
Niue
Norway
Oman
Pakistan
Panama
Papua New Guinea
Paraguay
Peru
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Qatar
ROK
Republic of Moldova
Romania
Russian Federation
Rwanda
Saint Lucia
Samoa
Sao Tome and Principe
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Serbia
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
Solomon Islands
Somalia
South Africa
Spain
Sri Lanka
Sudan
Suriname
Swaziland
Sweden
Switzerland
Syrian AR
Tajikistan
Thailand
The former Yugoslav Republic
of Macedonia
Timor-Leste
Togo
Tonga
Trinidad and Tobago
Tunisia
Turkey
Turkmenistan
Uganda
Ukraine
UAE
UK
UR of Tanzania
USA
Uruguay
Uzbekistan
Vanuatu
Venezuela
Viet Nam
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe
The World Meteorological Congress, the supreme body of the Organization, meets once every four years. The 16th Congress was held from 16 May to 3 June 2011.
7 bis Avenue de la Paix
Case Postale 2300
1211 Geneva 2
Switzerland
Telephone: (+41 22) 730 8111
Fax: (+41 22) 730 8181
Email: wmo@wmo.int
Agreements between WMO and the UN