The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) at its fourteenth Congress held in Geneva, Switzerland in May 2003 decided to establish a WMO Programme for the Least Developed Countries, taking into account the United Nations Programme of Action for LDCs for the Decade 2001-2010 adopted at the third United Nations Conference on the LDCs.

The long-term objective of the WMO Programme for the LDCs is to enhance the capacities and capabilities of the National Meteorological and Hydrological Services, so that they can contribute efficiently and in a timely manner to the social and economic development of the respective countries. The main areas to be addressed to ensure that NMHSs contribute efficiently to the implementation of national development plans and meet their international obligations included:

(a) Rehabilitation and strengthening of basic infrastructure and facilities of the NMHSs;

(b) Enhancing the human resource base through capacity building and training;

(c) Availability of adequate financial resources for the operations and maintenance of infrastructure and facilities; and Establishment of appropriate institutional frameworks.

The WMO Programme for the LDCs is based on initiatives already developed in the various WMO regions, in particular the strategy for the enhancement and improvement of the World Weather Watch basic systems in Africa, the strategic plan for the enhancement of NMSs in Asia, and the strategic action plan for the development of meteorology in the Pacific Region.

For the implementation of the Programme, a special WMO Trust Fund for the LDCs has been established. The Trust Fund will receive voluntary cash contributions from Members, bilateral and multilateral funding agencies, and other cooperating partners.

The Programme includes the establishment of strategic partnerships with regional/sub-regional organizations and economic groupings, public and private sectors, banks, UN agencies, multilateral organizations and bilateral arrangements.

Website: http://www.wmo.ch/pages/index_en.html