Regional Associations activities in Hydrology

Regional Associations , whose mandate requires promoting the implementation of Congress and Executive Council resolution and coordinating activities in their respective Regions, undertake in their intersessional period a wide range of activities related to topics relevant to HWRP implementation, as reflected in the programmatic decisions contained in the Regional Strategic Plans. A pivotal role in this undertaking is played by the Regional Hydrological Adviser, who is responsible for assisting and advising the Regional President on matters related to HWRP implementation and collate information on relevant needs and activities of Members. To ensure further support the regional activities ad-hoc working group or individual experts are appointed with specific Terms of Reference.

In an attempt  to keep  a simplified structure for regional subsidiary bodies aligned with the new structure  of the WMO Secretariat, each of the six Regional Associations of WMO has established its own arrangements to address activities in the field of hydrology and better respond to the Members’ different needs and priorities in this area, as described in the respective Regional Strategic Plans. These new arrangement supplant the previous common practice of establishing for each intersessional period a regional Working Group on Hydrology.

As of May 2010 the arrangements of each region are as follows

• RAI: Working Group on Hydrology (established in 2006)
• RA II: Working Group on Hydrological Forecasting and Assessment (established in 2008)
• RA III: Working Group on Hydrology and Water Resources ((established in 2006)
• RA IV: Regional Hydrological Advisor and focal point for hydrological matters in the Region (appointed in 2009)
• RA V: Working Group in Hydrology (established in 2006)
• RA VI: Working Group on Climate and Hydrology ((established in 2009)

With a goal to improve synergies between the Commission for Hydrology and the Regional Associations, the president of CHy has also among his duties to promote effective communication and cooperation between the two bodies. This cooperation has been already concretized by inviting Regional Hydrological Advisers to contribute regional perspectives in the formulation of the current CHy working programme, in appointing a representative of regional working groups in the Management Committee of the Project on the assessment of the performance of flow measurement instruments and techniques and by involving OPACHE experts in regional activities relevant to their thematic area of interest.