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SARVA's Dr Rebecca Maserumule (left) with Dr Glaudine Mtshali, South Africa's Ambassador to the United Nations Office in Geneva and Head of Mission.
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At World Climate Conference-3 in Geneva, Switzerland - SARVA's Dr Emma Archer and Imraan Patel, Chief Director - Science and Technology for Economic Impact, Department of Science and Technology.
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Emma Archer and Rebecca Maserumule, SARVA Project
From August 31st to September 4th, 2009, Dr Rebecca Maserumule and Dr Emma Archer represented the CSIR and the Risk and Vulnerability Atlas at the World Climate Conference-3 (WCC-3) in Geneva, Switzerland.
Drs Maserumule and Archer attended on the invitation of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), and joined colleagues from DST, the Department of Environmental Affairs, the South African Weather Service and the South African Permanent Mission in Geneva. Staff from the Permanent Mission included Dr Glaudine Mtshali, the Ambassador to the United Nations Office in Geneva and Head of Mission. Dr Mtshali, with her staff, made us feel extremely welcome, and facilitated a series of fascinating discussions as we assisted in drafting the official statement of the South African delegation to WCC-3.
WCC-3's subtitle read 'Better climate information for a better future'; and the conference was notable for a number of reasons. Firstly, obviously, 2009 represents a critical year for translating climate science findings into real strategies around responding to climate risk and change.
Secondly, the mission of the meeting essentially responded to this objective, with the goal the creation of an integrated climate system, delivering information to end users. Such an objective resonated strongly for us, given the mission of the Risk and Vulnerability Atlas, and we were delighted to see such a priority recognised on the international stage.
Negotiations around the content of the WCC-3 High Level Declaration were intense, with a number of countries attempting to include issues in the statement which prejudged the outcomes at the Copenhagen COP-15. The final declaration regarding the establishment of a Global Framework for Climate Services read as follows:
DO 1 We, Heads of State and Government, Ministers and Heads of Delegation present at the High-level Segment of the World Climate Conference-3 (WCC-3) in Geneva, noting the findings of the Expert Segment of the Conference;
OP 1 Decide to establish a Global Framework for Climate Services (hereafter referred to as "the Framework") to strengthen production, availability, delivery and application of science-based climate prediction and services;
OP 2 Request the Secretary-General of WMO to convene within four months of the adoption of the Declaration an intergovernmental meeting of member states of the WMO to approve the terms of reference and to endorse the composition of a task force of high-level, independent advisors to be appointed by the Secretary-General of the WMO with due consideration to expertise, geographical and gender balance;
OP 3 Decide that the task force will, after wide consultation with governments, partner organizations and relevant stakeholders, prepare a report, including recommendations on proposed elements of the Framework, to the Secretary-General of WMO within 12 months of the task force being set up. The report should contain findings and proposed next steps for developing and implementing a Framework. In the development of their report, the task force will take into account the concepts outlined in the annexed Brief Note;
OP 4 Decide further that the report of the task force shall be circulated by the Secretary-General of WMO to Member States of the WMO for consideration at the next WMO Congress in 2011, with a view to the adoption of a Framework and a plan for its implementation; and
OP 5 Invite the Secretary-General of WMO to provide the report to relevant organizations, including the UN Secretary-General.
The conference also provided us with a strong sense of South Africa's commitment to a presence at Copenhagen. At the time of WCC-3, indications were that possibly the President and three ministers would attend, indicating the priority that South Africa has accorded to the meeting. The President's presence has now been confirmed.
As the meeting drew to a close, both the official South African delegation, and guests such as ourselves discussed the extent to which communication in a country following such meetings is critical, both in terms of in-country debriefing and in follow up.
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