Meteorological cooperation in Ibero-America. Lessons learned and challenges

Cooperation between the NMHSs of the Ibero-American Community has been carried out since 2003 through the Conference of Directors of Ibero-American NMHSs (CIMHET), which develops, by means of the Ibero-American Meteorological Cooperation Program (PCMI), several action plans approved at its annual meetings on three strategic lines: Institutional strengthening and resource mobilization, provision of meteorological, climatic and hydrological services and training. During these years, different activities have been carried out within the strategic lines indicated.

The experience accumulated during all these years shows several important factors for the success of the different projects carried out, among others that all priorities and activities have been approved within the framework of the annual meetings of the CIMHET, the intense horizontal cooperation among NMHSs, the adoption of common positions and coordinated actions in regional and global forums, the great involvement of WMO, with active participation in the meetings of the Conference and development of activities, the promotion of dialogue with users, so that many of the activities planned in the Program are focused on contributing to the socio-economic development of the countries, or also the coordination with other Ibero-American networks, like CODIA and RIOCC, with proposal for common projects, which makes it easier to access financing mechanisms.

The main problems to achieve the stated goals include the lack of personnel in the NMHS, both technical to carry out their objectives and managerial to propose and implement development projects, the lack of continuity in the implementation of the projects, especially due to the change in management levels, the lack of political relevance and institutional representation of many NMHSs or the lack of sustainability of some of the systems implemented as a result of the lack of human and budgetary resources.

As challenges to be addressed to ensure a better use of the cooperation and projects developed, it is worth highlighting the increase in coordination between the different cooperation initiatives in the region, designing projects with other sectoral networks, having teams that allow monitoring the projects and carrying out the necessary actions for their implementation and ensuring their sustainability, increase the presence of NMHSs in national climate change policies, increase visibility in financing institutions and contribute significantly to the development of the Ibero-American Environmental Agenda approved by the Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Ibero-American Community.