IPA PROJECT BUILDING RESILIENCE TO DISASTERS IN WESTERN BALKANS AND TURKEY

Project Progress and Achievements

15 – 16 April 2014 Meeting on enhancing hydrological data management and exchange procedures in the Sava River basin

Tommaso Abrate WMO Project highlights

Overall Objective: To reduce vulnerability of IPA Beneficiaries to natural disasters, in line with the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA), and increase their resilience to climate change.

Project purpose: To enhance the capacity of IPA Beneficiaries to address disaster risk reduction in both today's and the future predicted climate.

Beneficiaries: Albania, , , , , Kosovo*, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and Turkey.

Implementing agencies: UNISDR (4 tasks) WMO (4 tasks).

Funding: EC DG Enlargement, Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA) multi- beneficiary project.

Implementation period: 29 months, May 2012 – October 2014 (subject to approval of project extension by EC.

*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence WMO Focus areas

TASK 3: Enhance the regional risk assessment and mapping capacities through improved capacity of beneficiaries in hazard analysis and mapping TASK 4: Enhance IPA beneficiaries’ capacity to forecast hazardous meteorological and hydrological phenomena and deliver timely warnings to support DRR TASK 5: Develop capacity needed to support climate risk management and climate change adaptation into a national and regional DRR agenda

TASK 6: Design a regional Multi-Hazard Early Warning System composed of harmonized national Early Warning Systems within a regional cooperation framework Activities carried out during the project implementation 14 training workshops and meetings with 217 participants from the beneficiaries

Risk assessment and mapping training, specific to floods and draughts

Improvement of data management

Forecasting training related to severe weather

Capacity building related to providing long- range forecasts and related climate services

Design of regional Multi-Hazard Early Warning System TASK 3

Assessment of beneficiaries needs for data rescue and climate data management systems and assisting in digitizing the meteorological variables

• Assessment missions to Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Kosovo*

• Current status regarding DARE and CDMSs in all targeted beneficiaries is non-satisfactory – support is needed

Procurement/upgrading the climate data management systems – CLIDATA and MCH

Sava River pilot project on flood hazards TASK 3 Training on historical hydrometeorological data management

• Specific modules on data quality assurance, homogenization and standardization

Training on application of remote sensing data for drought monitoring

• Emphasis on EUMETSAT LSA SAF products TASK 4 On-the job training in severe weather forecasting in the Operational Nowcasting Center of the National Meteorological Administration of

Participation to the European severe weather forecasting testbed in collaboration with European Severe Storm Laboratory

Integration to Meteoalarm - Bosnia and Herzegovina TASK 4 Training on integrated flood management, flood forecasting and early warnings

Training on DAWBEE Satellite Nowcasting Applications with EUMETSAT

Improving hydro-meteorological data quality – procurement of calibration kits TASK 5

Organisation of the South-East Europe Climate Outlook Forums (SEECOF)

Training on long-range forecasts, climate watch related aspects and climate scenarios TASK 6 Design of regional Multi-Hazard Early Warning System (MHEWS) design

• Consultants involved, establishment of the Design Team and the first Design Team meeting

• Gap analysis is under development with respect to the four components of effective early warning systems to support preparation of a concept document identifying the technological and institutional needs for building the business case for a regional MHEWS Project contacts: WMO/FMI Project Office, Skopje Sari Lappi [email protected]

WMO Regional Office for Europe Dimitar Ivanov [email protected] Natalia Berghi [email protected]