World Meteorological Organization

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is the United Nations specialized agency that coordinates international cooperation on weather, climate, atmospheric conditions and operational hydrology. It enables countries to share observations, use common standards and improve services concerning the atmosphere, oceans and water resources.

Institutional basis

The WMO was established in 1950 under the Convention of the World Meteorological Organization and became a UN specialized agency in 1951. Headquartered in Geneva, it provides the institutional framework through which member countries and their national meteorological and hydrological services cooperate.

Core cooperative mandate

The purposes listed in Article 2 of the WMO Convention make international coordination, rather than direct control of national services, its central role.

• It facilitates worldwide networks for meteorological, hydrological and related geophysical observations, along with centres that provide associated services.
• It promotes systems for the rapid international exchange of meteorological and related information.
• It supports the standardization of observations and uniform publication of observations and statistics, making national data comparable.
• It advances the application of meteorology to aviation, shipping, agriculture, water management and other human activities.
• It encourages research, training and coordination of their international aspects.

Hydrology and disaster risk reduction

In operational hydrology, the WMO promotes closer cooperation between meteorological and hydrological services, including compatible observations, data exchange and forecasting. For weather, climate and water-related hazards, it strengthens multi-hazard early-warning systems by connecting observing networks, forecasting centres and national authorities across borders; national agencies remain responsible for issuing warnings within their jurisdictions.