ICPAC

Vision

To become a viable regional centre of excellence in climate prediction and applications for climate risk management, environmental management, and sustainable development.

Objectives

The objectives of the Centre are:

I) To provide timely climate early warning information and support specific sector applications for the mitigation of the impacts of climate variability and change for poverty alleviation, management of environment and sustainable development;

II) To improve the technical capacity of producers and users of climatic information, in order to enhance the use of climate monitoring and forecasting products in climate risk management and environment management;

III) To develop an improved, proactive, timely, broad-based system of information/product dissemination and feedback, at both sub-regional and national scales through national partners;

IV) To expand climate knowledge base and applications within the sub-region in order to facilitate informed decision making on climate risk related issues; and

V) To maintain quality controlled databases and information systems required for risk/vulnerability assessment, mapping and general support to the national/ regional climate risk reduction strategies.

Functions

The functions of the Centre include:

I) Acquisition of climate and remotely sensed data

II) Develop and archive national and regional climate databanks including calibration of remote sensing records;

III) Process data and develop basic climatological statistics required for baseline risk scenarios and other applications;

IV) Monitor, predict and provide early warning information of the space-time evolutions of weather and climate extremes over the sub-region;

V) Hazards and climate risk mapping of the extreme climate events thresholds;

VI) Networking with WMO, the National Meteorological and Hydrological institutions as well as regional and international centers for data and information exchange;

VII) Capacity building in the generation and applications of climate information and products;

VIII) Applications of climate tools for specific climate sensitive sector risk reduction, environment management , and sustainable development, including integration of indigenous knowledge;

IX) Monitor, assess, detect and attribute climate change and associated impacts, vulnerability, adaptation and mitigation options;

X) Develop relevant tools required to address the regional climate challenges through research and applications in all climate sensitive socio-economic sectors including addressing linkages with other natural and man-made disasters; and

XI) Networking and exchange of information regarding disasters in the sub-region

ICPAC Products

The Centre produces the following:

• Ten day, monthly and seasonal climate/weather bulletins
• Climate watch/El Niño updates
• Annual climate summaries

Mission

Provision of timely climate early warning information and supporting specific sector applications to enable the region cope with various risks associated with extreme climate variability and change for poverty alleviation, environment management and sustainable development of the member countries.