The third annual South Asia Hydromet Forum (SAHF III) co-organised by the World Bank and held online on November 15-18, 2021, examined how pooling data, resources, and information can improve weather and climate services as the region adapts to climate change.
Almost 600 million people – nearly one-third of South Asia’s population – were affected by at least one climate-related disaster in the last decade. Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Myanmar were ranked among the top 25 countries in Germanwatch’s 2021 Global Climate Risk Index. In this context, the annual South Asia Hydromet Forum focused on helping countries to adapt to climate change and supporting regional cooperation.
The objectives of the Forum included:
- Showcasing regional best practices and approaches in the hydromet and climate services value chain;
- Deepening and strengthening knowledge and skills on weather, water, and climate services at the national and regional levels;
- Sharing knowledge about innovations and the socio-economic benefits of the value chain for hydromet and climate services as countries invest in new technology over the next decade; and
- Discussing and agreeing on the design of future SAHF activities.
The ESA Global Development Assistance (GDA) program and the ESA Climate Change Initiative (CCI) activities participated in one of the session in order to present their synergies to support international development. About 100 participants were connected to the virtual meeting at the time of this specific presentation.
