WMO Commons Skip to content About Pathways Why WMO Contribute Contact Get Started WMO WEATHER, CLIMATE AND WATER INTELLIGENCE The WMO Commons A financing mechanism for global resilience: Safeguarding the World's Weather, Climate and Water Intelligence Financing the world's public weather and climate infrastructure – the invisible global backbone of systems, standards and coordination that keeps weather, climate and water intelligence working worldwide. Every forecast. Every warning. Every climate-risk decision. Every investment decision. All depend on a shared, trusted, global flow of weather, climate and water data. Learn more ↓ Pause background motion Scroll INTRODUCTION The WMO Commons sustains and modernizes the international cooperation behind this critical public infrastructure - enabling resilience, economic stability, market confidence and informed decision making worldwide. Yet this shared foundation is underfunded and under increasing pressure with growing demand, aging infrastructure, mounting operational complexity and evolving requirements. The consequences fall on billions of people and the economic systems they depend on. Reliable, forward-looking risk intelligence is essential for governments, financial markets, insurers, supply chains, communities, and businesses. In an increasingly AI-powered world, systems are only as strong as the data they depend on. Ensuring that critical data streams remain continuous, open, and trusted is not just a technical challenge. It is a global commitment. The WMO Commons seeks to mobilize at least USD 100 million over 5 years to finance global weather, climate and water monitoring, prediction, and service delivery systems. Our Partners Founding Contributor United Arab Emirates STRATOSPHERE CHAMPION The state of global weather, climate and water intelligence Essential systems. Growing risks. Persistent gaps. Click each figure to learn more. 193 Members connected through one global system World Meteorological Organization WMO enables cooperation across 193 Members through shared standards, trusted data exchange and operational coordination. This allows countries to function as one connected global system where observations, forecasts and warnings move across borders in real time. 100M+ observations exchanged globally every day WMO · 2024 More than 100 million weather, climate and water observations are exchanged internationally each day through WMO-coordinated systems. Every forecast, warning and climate outlook depends on this invisible data backbone. 0% Early Warning coverage is expanding – but major gaps remain UNDRR / WMO · 2023 The EW4All Initiative aims to ensure every person on Earth is protected by an early warning system. Real progress is being made, but significant gaps remain, particularly in the least developed countries and small island states where the need is greatest. Roughly 90% of weather-related disaster deaths occur in developing countries. Without reliable observation networks and forecast systems, warnings arrive too late or not at all. 11,000+ disasters and US$ 3.64 trillion in economic losses (1970–2019) WMO Atlas of Mortality and Economic Losses from Weather, Climate and Water-related Hazards (1970–2021) Weather, climate and water hazards caused more than 11,000 disasters between 1970 and 2019. Economic losses increased sevenfold from the 1970s to the 2010s; stronger early warning systems helped reduce mortality. 0% of least developed countries lack forecasting capacity WMO Global Survey · 2022 Many National Meteorological and Hydrological Services still require external support to deliver reliable operational forecasts and warnings. This creates a climate intelligence divide with consequences far beyond national borders. Inadequate forecasting results in major economic losses. USD 230B in annual inefficiencies across key sectors Farkas et al., 2025 Studies estimate annual inefficiencies of up to USD 230 billion in cereal agriculture, USD 20 billion in energy, and USD 9 billion in disaster risk management due to absent or imperfect forecasts. AI is only as strong as trusted data Advanced forecasting models depend on continuous, authoritative and quality-assured observations . Innovation can accelerate insight, but only when grounded in trusted public data. Sources: WMO , UNDRR , World Bank, CREWS , EW4All Initiative, Farkas et al. (2025) Full references at wmo.int (opens in a new tab) Why now Risk is rising. Demand is accelerating. The systems the world depends on for forecasts, warnings and climate intelligence are under growing pressure. The moment to act is now. Climate volatility is increasing More frequent and severe weather, climate and water extremes are driving higher losses, disruption and humanitarian need. AI needs trusted public data Advanced models depend on continuous, authoritative observations, internationally agreed standards and open data flows. Innovation can accelerate insight, but only when grounded in trusted infrastructure. Insurance markets are under pressure Escalating risk is increasing claims, pricing volatility and protection gaps, reinforcing the need for stronger forecasting and risk intelligence. No country can sustain the backbone alone The global system depends on a chain of shared investment, cooperation and stewardship. When one part weakens, it weakens all countries. Supply chains are more exposed Global production, transport and trade networks are increasingly vulnerable to weather shocks, water stress and cascading disruptions. The WMO Commons is a WMO-managed pooled financing mechanism that sustains, strengthens and modernizes the globally mandated backbone of weather, climate and water intelligence. The mechanism leverages Member State contributions by mobilizing additional financial resources to address critical gaps and high-priority global system needs that deliver benefits across borders. Resources are allocated by WMO through the WMO Commons Annual Workplan , ensuring system-wide coherence, reducing fragmentation and maximizing collective impact. Financial Target USD  100 M over 5 years to sustain, strengthen and modernize the global backbone of weather, climate and water intelligence. Governance & Accountability Fully Aligned with WMO’s Accountability Frameworks The WMO Commons is: 01 Administered in line with WMO financial rules and regulations Contributions are received and managed under WMO’s established financial rules and regulations, ensuring full legal and fiduciary accountability. 02 Subject to WMO audit, oversight and accountability systems All operations are subject to WMO’s internal audit, oversight and accountability systems — the same standards that govern all WMO activities. 03 Driven by WMO’s Results-Based Management framework Resource allocation and reporting are grounded in WMO’s Results-Based Management framework, linking every contribution to measurable system outcomes. 04 Designed to complement, not duplicate, existing financing mechanisms The WMO Commons fills genuine gaps in the global system, carefully avoiding overlap with bilateral, regional or other multilateral financing mechanisms. 05 Governed with active management of organizational and reputational risk Including structured due diligence for all contributors. The integration into WMO management systems reduces fragmentation, improves planning certainty and maximizes system-wide impact. The integration into WMO management systems reduces fragmentation, improves planning certainty and maximizes system-wide impact. What It Supports / Why It Matters Critical functions and outcomes What the WMO Commons Helps Finance The WMO Commons helps finance critical gaps in globally mandated functions, including: 01 Global observing systems 02 Data exchange & prediction 03 International standards 04 System integrity & interoperability Overseeing the sustained operation and modernisation of its globally coordinated observing systems. Why This Matters WMO Members already invest in and rely on these shared systems. The WMO Commons ensures they are adequately resourced, modernized and globally coherent, so that all countries can: Share meteorological observations across borders in real time. Coordinating global meteorological data exchange and prediction infrastructure. Why This Matters WMO Members already invest in and rely on these shared systems. The WMO Commons ensures they are adequately resourced, modernized and globally coherent, so that all countries can: Contribute to and benefit from global weather and climate prediction models. Leading development, governance, and oversight of international standards and data policies. Why This Matters WMO Members already invest in and rely on these shared systems. The WMO Commons ensures they are adequately resourced, modernized and globally coherent, so that all countries can: Maintain internationally agreed standards, protocols, and coordination mechanisms. Stewarding coordination mechanisms that safeguard system integrity and interoperability. Why This Matters WMO Members already invest in and rely on these shared systems. The WMO Commons ensures they are adequately resourced, modernized and globally coherent, so that all countries can: Ensure interoperability between national systems within the global network. Why WMO A 75-Year Track Record You Already Rely On 01 Convener 193 Members plus partners and expert networks; neutral, science-based convening authority. 02 Guardian Safeguards the free and unrestricted data exchange underpinning global early warnings. 03 Standard-Setter Global standards for weather, climate, and water data and services. 04 Architect Designs and sustains the global observing systems powering every forecast. 05 Bridge Transforms scientific advances into actionable services with everyday impact. 06 Equity Builder Empowers vulnerable nations, strengthening systems for global knowledge access. Where funding goes Four Investment Pathways Every contribution is allocated through the Annual Workplan across four pathways. Hover or click each pathway to see what your investment concretely supports. Pathway 1: Sustain & Optimize the Global Observing System Without data, there are no forecasts. This secures the invisible backbone of all intelligence. Pathway 3: Expand High-Impact Services & Early Warnings Ensuring the best forecasts reach people in a form they can act on, saving lives and protecting economies. Pathway 2: Strengthen Global Data Interoperability and Prediction Translating raw data into high-resolution forecasts across timescales. Pathway 4: Capacity & User Co-Creation Building strong institutions and embedding co-creation to ensure science translates into action. 01 Sustain & Optimize the Global Observing System 02 Strengthen Global Data Interoperability and Prediction 03 Expand High-Impact Services and Early Warnings 04 Capacity and User Co-Creation 01 Pathway 1 Pathway 1 – Sustain & Optimize the Global Observing System Without data, there are no forecasts. This pathway strengthens the observing backbone that powers warnings, forecasts and climate services across the atmosphere, oceans, hydrology, cryosphere and greenhouse gas domains. Contributions help close critical coverage gaps, modernize systems and ensure compliance with WMO standards. Why it matters Observing systems are the invisible backbone of every early warning, climate outlook, and weather app. Yet critical gaps remain, especially in the most vulnerable regions, undermining global resilience. Each contribution strengthens the global foundation of all forecasts and warnings, improving model accuracy, extending lead times, and reducing false alarms. The result is fewer disaster losses, greater climate resilience, and economic benefits worth trillions. WIGOS GCOS GAW GBON Ocean monitoring 02 Pathway 2 Pathway 2 – Strengthen Global Data Interoperability & Prediction Data only creates value when it can be exchanged, processed and t…