Prime Minister Hu’akavameiliku Open the 21st Session of the World Meteorological Organization Southwest Pacific and Southeast Indian Ocean Tropical Cyclone Committee Meeting in Nuku’alofa.
25 July 2023
The Honorable Prime Minister and Acting Minister for MEIDECC, Hon. Hu’akavameiliku today opened the 21st Session of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Southwest Pacific and Southeast Indian Ocean Tropical Cyclone Committee and Severe Weather Program Management Group Meetings at the Fa’onelua Convention Centre in Nuku’alofa.
These important technical meetings of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) are held on a biennial basis, to review the Regional Tropical Cyclone Operation Plan and activities of the Regional Severe Weather Program. This is the first time Tonga has hosted these meetings.
In his Opening Address, the Honourable Prime Minister emphasized the Government of Tonga’s support of the ambitious UN Early Warning for All Initiative by 2027 being spearheaded by WMO as an important climate change adaptation measure supporting the implementation of the Sendai Framework on Disaster Risk Reduction.
Honorable Hu’akavameiliku also reconfirmed Tonga’s support of the Weather Ready Pacific Decadal Initiative and the importance of investing in the development and building the capacity of National Meteorological Services in the Region. He challenged the meeting and WMO to seek more innovative ways to relay actionable impact-based hazard information for the public and to establish guidelines that will improve the decision making of Governments in the Region around Early Action for the Declaration of State of Emergencies from Tropical Cyclones prior to tropical cyclones impacting communities.
Attending and representing the World Meteorological Organization is Mr, Cyrille Honore, Director of Disaster Risk Reduction of the WMO Multi hazard Early Warning Office and the Chair of the WMO Region V Tropical Cyclone Committee Mr. Chris Noble of New Zealand.
The meetings are being attended by Directors and Operational Tropical Cyclone Forecasters of Meteorological Services of 24 WMO Region V (Southwest Pacific) Member countries and will run until Friday 28 July 2023.
For more information
Contact the Meteorology Department of the Ministry of Environment, Energy, Climate Change, Disaster Management, Meteorology, Information and Communications (MEIDECC) at toll-free number: 0800638 or phone no. 35-009 or Email: metstaff@met.gov.to. Also join and follow the Tonga Meteorological Services Facebook page and website at: www.met.gov.to
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