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| WMO Regional Association II (Asia) | |
|---|---|
| Name | WMO Regional Association II (Asia) |
| Abbreviation | RA II |
| Formation | 1951 |
| Type | Intergovernmental |
| Region served | Asia |
| Parent organization | World Meteorological Organization |
WMO Regional Association II (Asia) WMO Regional Association II (Asia) is one of six regional bodies of the World Meteorological Organization coordinating meteorological, hydrological and climate services across Asia. It serves as a forum for national meteorological and hydrological services such as India Meteorological Department, China Meteorological Administration and Japan Meteorological Agency to harmonize standards, exchange data and advance regional resilience to hazards including Typhoon Haiyan, 2010 Pakistan floods and transboundary air pollution in Asia. The association works with intergovernmental and scientific institutions like the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, Asian Development Bank and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
RA II facilitates implementation of the Global Framework for Climate Services, the Global Earth Observation System of Systems and the Tropical Cyclone Programme within an Asian context, aligning national practices with World Meteorological Organization standards. It promotes capacity building among agencies such as the Korea Meteorological Administration, Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration and Meteorological Service Singapore to improve early warning for events like 2013 Uttarakhand floods, 2015 Chennai floods and 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.
Membership comprises national meteorological and hydrological services from sovereign states and territories across Central Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, East Asia and parts of Western Asia, including entities such as Pakistan Meteorological Department, Bangladesh Meteorological Department, Bangladesh — note: members are national agencies like Nepal Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, Afghanistan Meteorological Authority, Sri Lanka Department of Meteorology, Thailand Meteorological Department and Viet Nam Meteorological and Hydrological Administration. The geographic remit overlaps with regional bodies like the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation and Association of Southeast Asian Nations in matters of transboundary hazards and climate services.
RA II operates under the statutes of the World Meteorological Organization and reports to the WMO Congress. Its governance includes an elected President and Vice-Presidents drawn from member services, a Regional Association Executive Council, technical commissions mirroring WMO structures such as the Commission for Hydrology and Commission for Basic Systems, and standing committees on forecasting, observations and capacity development. Plenary sessions convene at Regional Association sessions where representatives from agencies like the Russian Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring and Iran Meteorological Organization participate.
Core functions include standardization of meteorological observations, exchange of climatological data, coordination of regional networks like the Asian Aerosol Research Network, facilitation of numerical weather prediction collaboration among centers such as the ECMWF counterpart arrangements, and development of service delivery for hazards including landslide, flood and drought risk. RA II advances implementation of the WMO Information System and supports training through partnerships with institutions like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration training centres and the World Meteorological Research Programme.
RA II spearheads programs addressing monsoon variability, tropical cyclone regional warning systems, glacier and snow monitoring in the Himalayas, and air quality forecasting cooperation involving the Beijing Aerosol Sources Assessment Study participants. Initiatives include capacity building for global climate models used by the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project contributors, operationalization of impact-based forecasting adopted by agencies like Bangladesh Meteorological Department, and enhancement of regional observing networks including radiosonde networks, satellite reception hubs collaborating with Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and China Meteorological Administration satellite programmes.
The association coordinates closely with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change mechanisms, regional development banks such as the Asian Development Bank, humanitarian actors including the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and scientific consortia like the International Association of Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences. It links national services to global systems operated by World Weather Watch partners, aligns activities with United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction frameworks, and partners with research entities including Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Chinese Academy of Sciences and National University of Singapore.
Since its establishment in the mid-20th century, RA II has evolved alongside milestones such as the creation of the World Meteorological Organization in 1950, the expansion of satellite meteorology with programmes from National Aeronautics and Space Administration and European Space Agency, and the rise of regional early warning systems following catastrophic events like the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami. Key developments include adoption of regional strategies for climate services, modernization of observation networks through cooperation with Group on Earth Observations, and enhanced multilateral data-sharing agreements influenced by protocols like the Geneva Convention-era diplomatic frameworks for atmospheric data exchange.