FORUM ANNOUNCEMENT

THE GREATER HORN OF AFRICA FOURTEENTH CLIMATE OUTLOOK FORUM (GHACOF14) AND THE REGIONAL FOOD SECURITY OUTLOOK (FSO) FOR SEPTEMBER - DECEMBER 2004 SEASON

THEME: Development of the consensus forecast for the September - December 2004 rainfall season and associated food security outlook for the Greater Horn of Africa.

VENUE: Hilton Hotel, Nairobi, Kenya

DATE: 23 - 27 August 2004

INTRODUCTION

The IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre (ICPAC) formerly known as the Drought Monitoring Centre Nairobi (DMCN) and partners are organizing the fourteenth Climate Outlook Forum for the Greater Horn of Africa (GHACOF14) in Nairobi, Kenya from 23 to 27 August 2004. The forum will be held within the framework of the USAID/OFDA funded project "Sustainable generation and applications of climate information, products and services for disaster preparedness and sustainable development in the Greater Horn of Africa".

OBJECTIVES

The main objective of the forum is to develop a consensus climate outlook for the September to December 2004 rainfall season, and the associated food security outlook for the Greater Horn of Africa. The forum will also discuss the potential impacts of the consensus climate outlook on other socio-economic sectors including disaster risk management, water resources and hydropower management; health among others sectors. It will address potential mitigation strategies for coping with the sectoral negative impacts of the projected climate extremes. The forum will also review how the consensus March-May 2004 climate outlook developed at the GHACOF13 was used by various sectors. Development of the consensus forecast for the September - December 2004 rainfall season will be undertaken, together with the associated regional food security outlook. The forum will further assess the potential socio-economic impacts of the consensus food security outlook and mitigation strategies.

PARTICIPANTS

Participants will include climate prediction experts from the National Meteorological/Hydrological Services (NMHSs) of the Greater Horn of Africa (GHA) and climate scientists from universities, research institutions, as well as regional and international organizations engaged in climate modeling, prediction and applications for the sub-region. The key focus of the users’ workshop will be on the regional food security. Food security experts are therefore expected to attend the workshop. Other participants will include experts from disaster risk management, health, water resources and hydropower management among others. Various regional and international Governmental and Non-Governmental organizations and the donor community will also be invited.

CO-OPERATING INSTITUTIONS

The following is the list of institutions that are expected to participate at the forum: Institut Géographique du Burundi; Météorologie Nationale de Djibouti; Eritrea Meteorological Service; National Meteorological Services Agency of Ethiopia; Kenya Meteorological Department; Rwanda Meteorological Service; Somalia Meteorological Services; Sudan Meteorological Authority; Tanzania Meteorological Agency; Uganda Department of Meteorology; IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre (ICPAC); the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD); Drought Monitoring Centre, Harare; ACMAD; International Research Institute for Climate Prediction (IRI); World Meteorological Organization; European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts; NOAA/National Centers for Environmental Prediction, North Carolina State University, the United Kingdom Meteorological Office; NOAA/Office of Global Programs; University of Nairobi; AU / IBAR; USAID/OFDA; USAID/REDSO, World Food Programme (WFP), FEWS-NET, USGS and FAO among others.

WORKING LANGUAGE

English will be the working language for the forum.

|BACK|