PROVISIONAL SUMMARY REPORT
7. OBSERVING SYSTEMS AND DATA MANAGEMENT 1 OBSERVING SYSTEMS
7.1.2 WMO-ICSU-IOC-UNEP Global Climate Observing System (GCOS)
32. The Director of the WMO-ICSU-IOC-UNEP Global Climate Observing System (GCOS), Carolin Richter, introduced this item. GCOS responds to the needs of Member States for comprehensive, continuous, reliable climate and climate-related data and information: for climate monitoring, research, and projections, and increasingly to assess climate impacts, monitor the effectiveness of mitigation, support adaptation, develop climate information services, and promoting sustainable development.
33. Dr Richter presented the outcomes of a comprehensive independent review of the GCOS programme, undertaken by its four sponsors. The review was motivated by new developments including the establishment of the Global Earth Observation
Programme of Research on Climate Change Vulnerability, Impacts, and Adaptation (PROVIA). The review recognized the significance of the programme, the normative work of GCOS in defining guidelines and setting principles, and made 18 recommendations to assist the sponsors in their consideration of action to support the GCOS programme. The GCOS Steering Committee has already responded to a number of these recommendations.
34. The Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) is a key contributor to the atmospheric, oceanic, and terrestrial domains covered by GCOS. The strong link is evident in the joint sponsorship of the GCOS-GOOS-WCRP Ocean Observations Panel for Climate (OOPC), which for GOOS is the Physics and Climate Panel. The secretariat for OOPC has been hosted by GCOS since 2013. The OOPC now draws on the work of its sister GOOS panels (Biogeochemistry, Biology and Ecosystems) in the definition of requirements, coordination of observations, and evaluation of outputs for biogeochemical and biological Essential Climate Variables (ECVs), a subset of Essential Ocean Variables (EOVs) that respond to the climate theme in the GOOS Strategic Mapping. Dr Richter expressed her appreciation for the ongoing IOC financial sponsorship of GCOS in 2013, 2014, and 2015.
35. Dr Richter recalled that the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) invited GCOS, through its Subsidiary Body on Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) to submit a Status Report on the status of each Essential Climate Variable, progress against the GCOS Implementation Plan (GCOS-138, 2010), and gaps, to its 43rd session at COP-21 in December 2015; and a new GCOS Implementation Plan considering new developments, to its 45th session at COP-22 in December 2016.
36. The Assembly stressed the strong link between the work of GOOS and GCOS in securing sustained ocean observations for climate and other societal benefit areas, as well as the importance of the visibility gained within the UN Framework for Climate Change (UNFCCC) afforded by the GCOS cycle of reporting. The Assembly welcomed the extension of climate observations to biogeochemical and biological variables, and in responding more closely to regional priorities.
37. The representatives of two Member States and one programme took the floor.
The following Member State chose to provide records of their plenary intervention on this agenda item for the informational annex to the meeting report: Canada.
38. The Assembly adopted Decision IOC-XXVIII,Dec.7.1.2 below.
WMO-ICSU-IOC-UNEP Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) The Assembly,
Recalling the 1998 Memorandum of Understanding between WMO, IOC, UNEP, and ICSU on the Global Climate Observing System,
Having considered the GCOS planning and implementation (IOC/INF-1326) and the Synthesis report of the GCOS Review Board (GCOS-181),
Reaffirms the IOC commitment to continue as a sponsor of the Global Climate Observing System;
Expresses its appreciation that GCOS support of the OOPC has strengthened the contribution of GOOS to GCOS;
Requests the Executive Secretary to work with the other sponsors of GCOS in revising the existing Memorandum of Understanding for the GCOS Programme based on the recommendations of the GCOS Review Board; and
Urges Member States to support GCOS through cash contributions to the IOC Special Account for GCOS, support to sustained ocean observing elements measuring Essential Climate Variables, and experts contributing to the GCOS programme.
Original: English
INTERGOVERNMENTAL OCEANOGRAPHIC COMMISSION
(of UNESCO)
Twenty-eighth Session of the Assembly
UNESCO, Paris, 18-25 June 2015
PROVISIONAL SUMMARY REPORT
Part 3
(Agenda items 1
(continuation),5.3, 7.2, 8 & 10)
Unedited version as adopted on 25 July 2015 in plenary session
[…] Completes the report on item 1 published in Part 1 of the Draft Summary Report
1. UNESCO Director-General, Irina Bokova, addressed the IOC Assembly during the opening session, and returned on June 22 to take questions from the Member States. The Director-General stressed the importance of the role of the ocean within the sustainable development agenda, congratulated the IOC on the successful UN World Oceans Day event, and recalled the Rio+20 thematic priority of the ocean for development, livelihood and science. The Director-General recounted the challenge to IOC of performing with reduced financial resources and staff during the current biennium, which were partially offset by additional resources made available to IOC from the UNESCO Emergency Fund, and assured the Assembly that the IOC is one of the high priorities for UNESCO. As evidence of this commitment the Director-General reminded the Assembly that the UNESCO Draft Budget for 2016–2017 contains a proposed allocation to the IOC at the level of 2%
of the total UNESCO budget, which, while modest, is a confirmation of a steady increase in the IOC share of the Organization’s total budget over the last four biennia.
2. The Director-General indicated that she follows, with great interest, the work on the Future of the IOC, its efforts to further sharpen the IOC mission and raise its visibility, and the reflections on the IOC functional autonomy and the efficiency of its governance. She expects from this work a clear statement from the IOC of its mandate, vision and responsibility in support of the Sustainable Development Agenda.
3. The Director-General complemented the commission on successful work within limited resources and thanked the outgoing officers for their commitment and contributions to the commission.
4. The Member States thanked the Director-General for her support and interest in the IOC. The Assembly appreciated the Director-General’s expression of support with regard to the need to sharpen the IOC mission and raise IOC image within the UN organizations, to further prioritize its core mandate in the area of long-term sustained observations and related data and information management, to increase the emphasis on regional priorities, including through a more balanced geographical distribution within the IOC Secretariat. The Director-General reiterated the importance of the Future of IOC process and emphasized how the IOC intergovernmental role, the interface between science and politics, is so important to the governance questions related to all Sustainable Development Goals and of fundamental importance to UNESCO.
5 OCEAN RESEARCH