- 12 CHAP TER 3 TRANSITION OF IMO TO WHO. The development and organization of the CAgM/WMO is associated with the transition of the IMO to the WMO.

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1 - 12 CHAP TER 3 TRANSITION OF IMO TO WHO The birth of WMO and CAgM The development and organization of the CAgM/WMO is associated with the transition of the IMO to the WMO. Following the Second World War the importance of meteorology to the rapid development of human activities such as aviation, maritime navigation, agriculture, control and utilization of water resources, public health, urban development, recreation etc., was well recognized. Furthermore, the Technical Commissions of the UN embodied a number of important activities such as technological developments, scientific instrumentation, and the system of telecommunications which were important to pure and applied meteorology. Close co-operation with these groups was necessary and for the sake of efficient and economical co-operation it was a logical for the IMO to join forces with the UN. The WMO was one of the youngest of the Specialized Agencies of the United Nations at conception in However, it inherited from its predecessor, the IMO, nearly 100 years of practical experience with international co-operation in meteorology and its application to human activities. Terms of reference for WMO At its Conference of Directors held in Washington, D.C. in September-October 1947, the IMO drew up the terms for the Convention of the World Meteorological Organization and included provisions for continuing the international character which had prevailed in the IMO. The Convention of WMO came into force on 23 March One year later final arrangements were made for the transfer of the functions, activities, assets and obligations of the IMO to the WMO at the last Conference of the Directors of the IMO that opened on 15 March 1951 in Paris, and the First Congress of the WMO that began four days later on 19 March 1951, also in Paris. The purposes of the WMO as defined by the Convention were: (a) (b) (c) To facilitate world-wide co-operations in the establishment of networks of stations for the making of meteorological observations or other geophysical observations related to meteorology and to promote the establishment and maintenance of meteorological centres charged with the provision of meteorological services; To promote the establishment and maintenance of systems for the rapid exchange of weather information; To promote standardization of meteorological observations and to ep~ure the uniform publication of observations and statistics;

2 - 13 (dl (e) To further the application of meteorology to aviation, shipping, agriculture, and other human act ivities; and To encourage research and training in meteorology and to assist in co-ordinating the international aspects of such research and training. 1 Secretariat of WMO The Secretariat was located in Geneva, Switzerland, and consisted of two divisions, one administrative and the other technical. The Secretariat was to serve as the administrative, documentary and informational centre of the Organization. It was to carry out technical studies and to organize and perform secretarial duties at sessions of the Congress and the Executive Committee. It was also to prepare, edit and arrange for publication and distribution of the approved publications of the Organization; to carry out the routine procedures of maintaining records and files; to prepare correspondence and to manage the finances of the Organization. Dr Gustav Swoboda, former Chief of the Secretariat of the IMO, was appointed by the First Congress to the post of Secretary-General of the WMO. His area of responsibility included the directing of work of the Secretariat and his office acted as a channel for communications between the Organization and its Members, constituent bodies, and other organizations, both national and international. He was to advise the 14 Technical Commissions and Regional Associations of all proceedings and recommendations concerning their spheres of activity. Mr J.R. Rivet of the French National Meteorological Service was appointed Deputy Secretary-General with the approval of the Executive Committee at its Second Session held in Lausanne, Switzerland, in October He was to assist the Secretary-General in the administration of the Secretariat; to substitute for him during his absence and in particular to be responsible for the external affairs of the Secretariat. Constituent bodies of WMO A Secretariat was formed with a Secretary-General in charge, a Deputy Secretary-General and an authorized staff of 35 persons. Due consideration was given to the engagement of former IMO staff members in the WMO Secretariat to ensure the continuation and development of the work which the IMO had performed i n the various technical fields of meteorology. Geneva, Switzerland, was selected as the location of the Secretariat, the permanent Headquarters of the Organization. The programme of the Organization during the first financial period invol ved several activities which concerned agrometeorology. These included: an invitation to non-members to send observers to meetings of all bodies of the WMO; co-operation with other Specialized Agencies of the United Nations in fields of common interest; collaboration with international organizations in areas of common interest; participation in the United Nations Expanded Programme of Technical Assistance for the Economic Development of Under-developed Countries; participation in international collective WMO-Convention, Article 2

3 - 14 enterprises in meteorology, in international standardization of meteorological instruments, and in establishing an International Meteorological Institute; preparation of Technical Regulations; assurance of adequate world networks of meteorological stations; co-operation with the International Telecommunications Union regarding the requirements of meteorology; informing Members, International Organizations and interested non-members of international activities in meteorology; the publication, editing and distribution of statistics of basic meteorological data and other information; establishment and maintenance of a technical library; publication of a new International Cloud Atlas; participation in the Arid Zone studies with UNESCO Advisory Committee on Arid Zone Research; publishing of world meteorological data; and the preparation and issuance of various technical and operational manuals. The following constituent bodies of the Organization were set up: the Congress, the Executive Committee, the Regional Associations and the Technical Commissions. Congress was designated the Supreme body of the Organization. Originally it was composed of delegates representing 74 Member States and Territories. It would meet at least once every four years to discharge the official functions of the WMO concerning all work of technical, legal, administrative and financial character. The First Congress met from March 19 to April 28, 1951 in Paris. The Executive Committee was formed, composed of 15 members including the three Officers of the Organization, the Presidents of the six Regional Associations and six Directors of Meteorological Services of Member States or Territories elected by the Congress. This body was to meet annually to supervise the execution of the congressional resolutions, administer the finances of the Organization and prepare the agenda for the next session of' the Congress. Regional Associations, six in number, were established by Congress. They were to continue the work performed by the former six Regional Commissions of the IMO. These new Regional Associations were composed of Member States and Territories of the Organization, the networks of which lie in or extend into one of the six meteorological regions of the world; they differed from the former Regional Commissions in that they included ocean as well as land areas (Fig. 1). The Regional Associations meet as often as necessary to ensure the compliance by the Organization with,resolutions of the Congress and the Executive Committee, and to co-ordinate meteorological and associated activities in their respective regions. Each Association had the power to adopt resolutions on matters which related to its internal work and on technical procedures to be followed within its region in accordance with regulations of other constituent bodies of the Organization. It also could make recommendations to the Congress and the Executive Committee on matters within the purposes of the WMO.

4 ~ I-l ' " ~ \' FR, ~ \ ,'. 1. I!v ' e 1_" I I I I ) l' IlO,0 211 _ _.- - 0_ _._ o IOQ 120 I '/) Fig. 1 - WMO Reg i o n a l Associations

5 - 16 The eight new Technical Commissions and their Officers were: Technical Commission Officers Aerology President: Dr J. Van Mieghem, Belgium. Aeronautical Meteorology President: Mr A.H. Nagle, U.S.A. Agricultural Meteorology President: Mr J.J. Burgos, Argentina. Bibliography and Publications President: Dr M. Mezin, France. Climatology President: Dr C.W. Thornthwaite, U.S.A. Vice-President: Dr S. Basu, India. Instruments and Methods of Observations President: Dr J. Patterson, Canada. Maritime Meteorology - President: Cmdr. C.E.N. Frankcom, United Kingdom. Synoptic Meteorology President: Dr W. Bleeker, Netherlands. Vice-President: Dr E. Bjorkdal, Sweden. Terms of reference for CAgM The CAgM was charged with the responsibility: 1. Keeping abreast of and promoting meteorological development, both ~n the scientific and practical fields; 2. Standardizing methods, procedures and the techniques for their application; 3. Collaboration with other commissions; and 4. Proposing to the Organization the adoption of resolutions bearing on the following general questions: a. weather and climate in relation to animals and plants; b. requirements of weather forecasts in relation to agriculture; c. meteorological aspects of phenology; d. artificial influences on weather conditions in relation to agriculture; e. weather and climate in relation to the use, formation, and conservation of soils and vegetation. (Ref. Rubiato, 1963).

6 - 17 Collaboration with other international organizations The programme of the WHO during the First Financial Period was to collaborate with other international organizations. This collaboration was fostered right from the start and involved such groups as : The United Nations (UN) Economic and Social Council Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco).- International Telecommunication Union (ITU) International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) World Health Organization (WHO) International Scientific Radio Union International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics International Air Transport Association (lata) International Organization for Standardization International Statistical Institute (lsi) Some of these groups were of special interest to the CAgM as their programmes and activities overlapped or indirectly affected those of the CAgM. These groups were: FAO - One of the major problems of the FAO was to work towards securing an increased world food supply. WMO recognized the potential which agricultural meteorology could play in this important global problem and took immediate steps to achieve close collaboration with FAO on the matter. At its Second Session the Executive Committee of WMO requested the President to open negotiations with FAO with the view to the adoption of an agreement between the two Organizations, and informal consultations took place between representatives of the two Agencies, particularly with regard to technical assistance. Unesco - WMO was invited to send representatives to several sessions which Unesco held during 1951 i n London and Paris. Topics of interest to WMO included international co-ordination of bibliographic work; the establishment of an International Computational Centre; the establishment of an International Meteorological Research Institute; and arid zone research. In regard to the latter topic, Messrs Ducasse and de Seyssel spoke for WMO at the First and Second Sessions, respectively, of the Advisory Committee on Arid Zone Research, held in Paris April 5-7 and September 3-5, The WMO Executive Committee at its Second Session reviewed the Arid Zone problem from the meteorological aspect, together with the conclusions and proposals developed by the Advisory Committee for Arid Zone Research and decided to refer all the material to the President of the CAgM for consideration and recommendation as to further WMO action in this important field.?