KINGSTON, Jamaica – President of the Regional Association IV of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), Evan Thompson, says discussions at the just-concluded regional conference were “very encouraging”.

He said he was particularly encouraged by the fulsome participation of Central American member states.

“I was happy to hear them getting really involved in the discussions and really participating… finding out how things can benefit them, finding out how they can get more information and, of course, contributing as much as possible. So, I was really encouraged by that,” he said.

The WMO Regional Conference of Regional Association IV, was held at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston from February 6 to 9.

The discussions focused on the theme: ‘Increasing Weather, Water and Climate Resilience in North America, Central America and the Caribbean’.

Thompson noted that while Region IV is “doing better than most of the other regions, we still recognise that there are some shortcomings, and we really want to fill those gaps”.

These include the implementation of technical systems and meeting certain global goals, all of which were explored in technical working groups and across multiple sessions.

A common theme of the discussions was that of Early Warnings for All – an initiative of the WMO to provide early warning opportunities for every community or group by 2027. Each Regional Association is mandated to contribute to reaching the goal.

Thompson said the meetings during the conference have “set everything in order” and provided a clearer roadmap for the region.

“We have done our survey. We see that there are gaps. We figure we are not at a very bad place because about 50 per cent of our membership already has an early warning system reaching most people. But it’s going to mean that we are going to have to step up on all our programmes almost every day. We will be doing the evaluation and then pressing along,” he shared.

Regarding observation and financing, Thompson stated that though the Region faces challenges in sustaining weather observation operations, it is fair and will be bolstered with forthcoming funding.

“The Systematic Observations Financing Facility (SOFF) has been set up to accommodate the observations that we are not able to achieve, being sustained over time. So, we are looking now to how we apply to the process to get involved in that, so that we can benefit,” he said.

Thompson added that the expected outcome of all the financial and technical resources available to the region will result in better weather forecasting, observation and communication. This, along with improved communication between member countries.

“Now, we have bridged some of the divides between the English-speaking and the Spanish-speaking. So, we believe that we are in a good place, and I am glad that it happened in Jamaica. I believe that this was a good launching pad and I think everybody here is going to remember being in Jamaica in 2023,” he expressed.

The WMO Regional Conference (Regional Association IV) brought together representatives of meteorological and hydrological services from North and Central America and the Caribbean, with representatives from the WMO Regional Office and Headquarters, and international partner agencies.