UAE Re-elected As President Of WMO Regional Association II /Asia/

ABU DHABI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 26th May, 2021) Dr. Abdulla Al Mandous, Director of the National Center of Meteorology (NCM), has been renamed the President of the Regional Association II (Asia) for a second term. This was announced during the 17th Session of RA II (ASIA) convened virtually at NCM headquarters in Abu Dhabi from 25 to 26 May, 2021.

Drawing the participation of 139 representatives from 35 WMO members and several other international organisations, the session was opened by Dr. Abdulla Al Mandous in his capacity as the as the President of the Regional Association II (Asia) and Permanent Representative of the UAE to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

During the session, which kicked off with the progress report on the achievements of RA II (ASIA) since the last session, Al Mandous expressed his appreciation for the Secretariat for its unwavering support despite the challenges posed by COVID-19 pandemic.

The election to the position of RA II (ASIA) president was conducted by the WMO secretariat that invited the members who have the right to vote, verified their credentials, and outlined the organisation’s rules concerning the election process and eligibility to run for the position of president and vice president.

For his part, Professor Petteri Taalas, WMO Secretary-General, addressed the participants of the session and encouraged them to share their thoughts on how the regional reform process could be effectively implemented at the regional scale.

After the announcement of his re-election as the president of RA II (ASIA), Dr. Abdulla Al Mandous delivered a speech, thanking the members for their unanimous support, and reiterating his commitment to the promises he made in the previous session to adhere to WMO charters.

Al Mandous also stated his firm intention to address the specific challenges facing the region due to its vast size, diversity, harshness of weather conditions and the recurrence of natural disasters in areas with high population density.

In addition to the poor infrastructure in some areas, the region also suffers from greater inequality in physical and human resources, which will receive his special attention during his second term. He also added that he would be an ideal representative of RA II (ASIA) at WMO with the support of the administrative team from the region.

Al Mandous added: "Winning the presidency of RA II (ASIA) for a second term is a token of confidence by the international meteorological community in the UAE’s efforts to tackle the weather related challenges. It has placed on me the responsibility to raise the UAE’s profile in meteorology, and NCM will do its best to represent the country in the international arena in the best possible manner. Moreover, the re-election will enable our national workforce to gain further exposure to renowned international organisations.'' "I highly appreciate the trust reposed in me and will strive to be worthy of this mandate and its responsibilities. It is not merely an honor, but a responsibility towards everyone who lives in this region.

"RA II (ASIA) has a mandate over a vast geographical area with diverse climatic regions, witnessing an increase in frequency of extreme weather events and natural disasters, high population density and poor infrastructure in some regions. To address these pressing issues, I look forward to the valuable opinions of all Association members," Al Mandous added.

WMO’s six Regional Associations for Asia, Africa, Europe, Asia Pacific, North America and South America meet once every four years, when it elects a President and a Vice-president.