UN weather agency reviews priorities as funding falls short

By Emma Farge

The U.N. weather agency plans to cut some posts and is reviewing its priorities as dozens of countries, including the United States, are late with their fees, a spokesperson said on Friday.

The World Meteorological Organization, set up in 1951 to coordinate global data for weather forecasts, created a review task force this week during a meeting in Geneva aimed at improving early-warning systems for deadly climate disasters.

The WMO, whose budget is separate from the United Nations', began restructuring in August to cut costs amid broader U.N. reforms, even as accelerating man-made climate change increases the risk of weather-related deaths, especially in developing countries where early-warning systems are lacking.

The WMO envisages cutting 26 posts and reducing travel, according to a budget document seen by Reuters.

"We do need to make sure we are fit for purpose and that we can face the future," spokesperson Clare Nullis told a press briefing on Friday.

She said a task force would begin in January to "tweak" the WMO's work based on current funding constraints as well as new opportunities such as the use of artificial intelligence in weather predictions.

Outstanding late payments to the WMO amount to around 48 million Swiss francs ($60 million) as of the end of August, a WMO document showed, equivalent to two-thirds of its annual budget.

The U.S. owes over 30 million francs.

A U.S. State Department spokesperson said that the administration was focused on ensuring that any U.S. taxpayer dollars at the U.N. advance U.S. interests. U.S. delegates participated in the congress.

Under President Donald Trump, Washington has announced it is quitting some U.N. bodies, as well as the U.N.-backed Paris Climate Accord on slowing climate change, and is late in paying others.

Trump has repeatedly questioned the effectiveness, cost and accountability of international bodies, arguing they often fail to serve U.S. interests.