ICSU President, Catherine Bréchignac, expressed ICSU’s support for the development of a Global Framework for Climate Services during her speech at the opening of the high-level segment of the World Climate Conference-3 (WCC-3), which has been taking place in Geneva, Switzerland, this week (31 August–4 September 2009).

Deliang Chen, Executive Director of ICSU, also expressed ICSU's support for the framework when he gave a speech at the opening of the Expert Segment earlier in the week.

The theme of WCC-3, which ICSU co-sponsored, was ‘Climate prediction and information for decision-making: focusing on scientific advances in seasonal to inter-annual time-scales, taking into account multi-decadal prediction’.

More than 2,500 participants from 150 countries attended the WCC–3 (WCC-3). The High-Level Segment of the conference decided to establish an international framework to guide the development of climate services, which will link science-based climate predictions and information with climate-risk management and adaptation to climate variability and change throughout the world. The Global Framework for Climate Services aims to enhance the availability of relevant, accurate, timely and easy-to-understand climate information (in the timeframe ranging from seasons to decades) to decision-makers.

The Expert Segment of the conference focused on how to design the Global Framework and identified several essential elements, including:

• A strengthened Global Climate Observing System (GCOS), and free and open exchange of data.
• A strengthened World Climate Research Programme (WCRP), underpinned by adequate computing resources, as well as strong input by the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP), DIVERSITAS, the International Human Dimensions Programme (IHDP), and other globally focussed research initiatives.

ICSU, GCOS and the four gobal environment change programmes mentioned above, will be involved in the WMO-led process of developing the Framework over the next 16 months.

- World Climate Conference-3 website