This document is presented as a result of the meeting ‘Climate Information for Development Needs: An Action Plan for Africa’ Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on 18-21 April 2006 and presents a strategy for ensuring the full and effective contribution of climate information and services to achievement of the Millennium Development Goals in Africa.

The purpose of the meeting was to bring together a wide cross-section of the users and providers of climate information to identify the gaps and needs for climate observations and services to support efforts to achieve the MDGs. Participants considered several documents: a Gap Analysis, prepared from a user perspective, that assessed needed improvements in the provision of climate information and services to sectoral users and decisionmakers leading to better management of climate risks; and two Regional Action Plans prepared over the period 2001-04 (one for the countries of Eastern and Southern Africa, the other for countries of Western and Central Africa) which identify priority initiatives for observing system and related data management improvements.

The meeting was convened by United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), the African Union Commission and the joint Secretariat established by the international sponsoring agencies of Global Climate Observing System (the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO, and the non-governmental International Council for Science (ICSU)).

Read the Action Plan here: Climate information for development needs: An Action Plan for Africa