Press release

UK announces £5 million funding to expand the Met Office’s Weather and Climate Information Services activity in the MENA region

The UK has now committed £60 million over 5 years to tackle climate and biodiversity issues in the Middle East and North Africa.

This was published under the 2019 to 2022 Johnson Conservative government

COP26 Regional Ambassador for the Middle East and Africa Janet Rogan today announced £5 million UK funding to expand the Met Office’s successful Weather and Climate Information Services activity to the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

The Weather and Climate Information Services (WISER) programme was launched in Africa in 2016 and has been delivering transformational change in the uptake of weather and climate information services across the region since then. It has enabled enhanced information for over 3.3 million households and delivered in excess of £200 million of socio-economic benefit.

Following the success of WISER in Africa, the UK’s funding will be used to expand the concept to the MENA region.

The programme aims to deliver transformation in the generation and use of co-produced weather and climate services to support decision making at local, national, and regional levels, building resilience to the impacts of climate change.

Announcing the funding at MENA Climate Week, COP26 Regional Ambassador for the Middle East and Africa Janet Rogan said:

I am extremely proud to announce the UK’s £5 million WISER programme for MENA in partnership with the UK’s Met Office. This programme will see the Met Office expanding the scope of its successful Weather and Climate Information Services (WISER) activity to this region, delivering impactful weather and climate services to those who need it the most.

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Updates to this page

Published 28 March 2022