JOURNEY
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DEVELOPMENT
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JUN 2019World Meteorological Congress establishes GBON concept
193 Member States and Territories of the World Meteorological Organization agreed to set global requirements for continuous real time international data exchange of basic weather and climate observation to improve forecast products.
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Jul 2019Initial SOFF Concept Workshop
29 participants from WMO, multilateral development and climate finance organizations and other stakeholder groups met to develop an initial concept of an equitable, predictable and sustainable finance mechanism to support developing countries’ GBON weather and climate observations.
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DEC 2019Alliance for Hydromet Development launched
At COP25, 12 international development, humanitarian and climate finance institutions collectively committed to scale up and unite efforts to close the hydromet capacity gap by 2030, with SOFF creation as a priority.
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MAR 2021 - APR 2022First to Fifth Funders Forum
A series of forums presented to potential funders the main advances for the establishment of SOFF, including expanding the value proposition and institutional and governance arrangements.
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OCT 2021World Meteorological Congress endorses SOFF
Congress took landmark decisions by approving the new WMO Data Policy to enhance the free and unrestricted exchange of Earth System Data, passed the new GBON standard as the backbone for weather, climate and hydrological services, and endorsed SOFF as the new financing mechanism to support countries’ GBON compliance.
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NOV 2021At COP26, WMO, UNDP and UNEP establish SOFF as a UN Fund
WMO, UNDP and UNEP signed the Memorandum of Understanding to legally establish SOFF as UN Multi-Partner Trust Fund.
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JAN 2022Launch of SOFF Start-up phase and establishment of SOFF Secretariat
The start-up phase was launched to establish the SOFF Secretariat administratively hosted by WMO, to fine-tune proposed governance arrangements, to prepare the first-year operational programme and budget, as well as organize the first SOFF Steering Committee meeting.
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Start-up
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MAR 2022First pledge to SOFF
The Nordic Development Fund pledged as first funder EUR 10 million to SOFF.
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JUN 20221st SOFF Steering Committee meeting in Helsinki opens SOFF doors for business
The first SOFF Steering Committee meeting comprised of seven initial funders (Austria, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, NDF, Norway) and stakeholder group representatives adopted the SOFF governance structure, the SOFF programming criteria, and the initial SOFF work programme.
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IMPLEMENTATION
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26FIRST COUNTRIES PROGRAMMEDOCT - NOV 2022
2nd and 3rd Steering Committee meeting
Decisions of the second SOFF Steering Committee meeting included the adoption of SOFF Operational manual and the endorsement of SOFF Resource Mobilization and Outreach Strategy.
The third meeting decided on the inclusion of the first 26 countries with a request to prepare Readiness funding requests, and adopted the SOFF Readiness phase Results Framework and the SOFF Gender Action Plan.
Total countries programmed: 26
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NOV 2022COP27 emphasizes need to address existing gaps in the global climate observing system and SBSTA appreciates SOFF progress
At COP27 the UN Early Warnings for All Executive (EW4All) Action Plan was launched, including SOFF as a delivery vehicle. The COP27 cover decision emphasized the need to address existing gaps in the global climate observing system and welcomed EW4All. SBSTA noted with appreciation the progress on systematic observation through SOFF.
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40TOTAL COUNTRIES PROGRAMMEDMAR 2023
4TH Steering Committee meeting programmes additional countries and approves first Readiness funding requests from 26 countries
The fourth SOFF Steering Committee meeting approved the Readiness Phase Funding Requests from 26 countries, programmed an additional 14 countries, and adopted the SOFF Risk Management Framework. Spain and US joined as Funders and Steering Committee members.
Total countries programmed: 40 (+14)
Total readiness phase funding requests approved: 26
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JUN 20235TH Steering Committee meeting in Copenhagen increases SOFF ambition
The fifth meeting decided to expand SOFF support to 62 countries, including all EW4All focus countries, approved 10 additional Readiness funding requests, and requested the SOFF Secretariat to analyse implications of a Middle-Income-Country expansion. Netherlands and Belgium joined as Funders and Steering Committee members.
Total countries programmed: 62 (+22)
Total readiness phase funding requests approved: 36 (+10) -
60TOTAL COUNTRIES PROGRAMMEDSEP 2023
1st Intersessionals Steering Committee decision approves additional Readiness Phase Funding Requests
The Steering Committee approved additional Readiness Phase Funding Requests from 23 countries and one addendum to a prior funding request in the first intersessional.
Total countries programmed: 62
Total readiness phase funding requests approved: 59 (+23)
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6FIRST INVESTMENT FUNDING REQUESTS APPROVEDNOV 2023
6th Steering Committee meeting approves first six Investment funding requests
Big milestones include the first six countries moving into the SOFF Investment phase: Belize, Kiribati, Maldives, Mozambique, Rwanda and South Sudan. Additionally, Haiti’s Readiness phase funding requests were approved. Framework for collaboration for enhancing systematic observation with major climate funds was adopted, to be signed at COP28.
Total countries programmed: 62
Total Readiness funding requests approved: 60 (+1)
Total Investment funding requests approved: 6
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DEC 2023SOFF at COP28: Increased Recognition, Showcasing Action
COP28 increased global recognition of systematic observation and SOFF, including through the first Global Stocktake and the Earth Information Day 2023, where SOFF presented its progress for the first time.
Two SOFF high-level events, including one co-hosted with ECMWF, brought together a broad range of committed partners. Norway and Ireland pledged an additional $5.7 million in total.
The Secretariats of the Adaptation Fund, Climate Investment Funds, Climate Risk and Early Warning Systems Initiative, Global Environment Facility and Green Climate Fund signed the Framework for Collaboration with SOFF for enhanced collaboration.
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11TOTAL INVESTMENT FUNDING REQUESTS APPROVEDMar 2024
7th Steering Committee meeting proves SOFF moves fast
The Steering Committee approved Investment funding requests for Bhutan, Cabo Verde, Ethiopia, Solomon Islands and Tanzania with a total budget of $35 million at its 7th meeting.
Additionally, the first SOFF Independent External review was endorsed. The findings were welcomed: with SOFF being considered as highly relevant, highly transparent, and highly effective; as the best viable option for countries to upgrade, maintain and operate their observation systems in a sustainable fashion; and as foundational for additional investments of other partners.
Total countries programmed: 62
Total Readiness funding requests approved: 60 (+1)
Total Investment funding requests approved: 11 (+5)
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13INVESTMENT FUNDING REQUESTS APPROVED, ADDITIONAL 5 CONDITIONALLYJun 2024
Continued support and stepped-up action agreed at 8th Steering Committee meeting in Reykjavík
At the 8th Steering Committee meeting in Reykjavík, Iceland, additional $14.7 million in contributions from Austria, Belgium, Iceland, and the Nordic Development Fund (NDF) were pledged, bringing SOFF’s resources to $94 million within the first two years of operation.
The Steering Committee approved $13.2 million in Investment funding for Chad and Uganda. Five additional requests were provisionally approved upon additional SOFF resource mobilization.
Niue, Cook Islands, Guinea and Sierra Leone programmed to receive SOFF support, in total already 66 countries to benefit from SOFF.
Dr. Sinead Walsh, Climate Director, Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs, was appointed as Co-Chair of the SOFF Steering Committee.
Total countries programmed: 66 (+4)
Total Readiness funding requests approved: 60
Total Investment funding requests approved: 18 (+7)
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Jun 2024Hydromet Gap Report 2024 shows how to provide support in a focused manner
The Hydromet Gap Report 2024 presents an analysis based on Country Hydromet Diagnostics (CHD) looking into the weakest links in the hydrometeorological value chain in 20 Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States.
These Diagnostics were conducted by SOFF peer advisors together with the partner country. The Diagnostics are funded by SOFF and are a crucial output of the SOFF Readiness phase. The Report is issued by the Alliance for Hydromet Development of which the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is a founding member.
The report was launched at the 8th SOFF Steering Committee meeting.
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Sep 2024Regional Workshops bringing together SOFF partners
Throughout 2024, more than 90 SOFF partners met on three occasions to coordinate regional support in the Pacific, South Asia and Africa.
Co-hosts were the Government of Fiji, the National Center for Hydrology and Meteorology of the Royal Government of Bhutan and the African Development Bank.
The workshops brought together SOFF countries’ representatives from the National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHS), regional organizations, development partners, UN agencies, WMO and SOFF Secretariat to discuss progress and opportunities for regional approaches in developing basic observations and in connecting initiatives to provide early warnings that make a difference locally.
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Oct 20249th Steering Committee meeting
The 9th Steering Committee convened virtually. It welcomed the first SOFF Impact Report prepared by ECMWF as well as WMO’s stepped-up role in SOFF, encouraged further SOFF regional collaboration and partnerships, and requested the development of a Green Climate Fund – SOFF Fragile and Conflict Affected States Accelerator Programme.
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NOV 2024COP29
SOFF is featured at the Earth Information Day as an innovative financing model, and in the conclusions of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA). Additionally, the SOFF Action Report 2024 launched, and additional pledges to the SOFF UN fund announced. WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo signed agreements with the African Development Bank and Weather Ready Pacific for enhanced partnership, on behalf of SOFF.
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