Kalpana Palkhiwala
Each year, on 23 March the World Meteorological Organization, its 189 Members and the worldwide meteorological community celebrate, the World Meteorological Day. The International Meteorological Organization was established at the first International Meteorological Congress in Vienna, Austria, in 1873. The organization aim was to establish meteorological station networks. These networks were linked by telegraph for improved weather forecasts which contributed to shipping services’ safety. It became  the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) on March 23, 1950 a UN’s specialized agency for meteorological (weather and climate), operational hydrology and related geophysical sciences in 1951.
The World Meteorological Organization plays a crucial role in contributing towards people’s safety and welfare and  providing food security, water resources and transport. This year the theme is “Climate for You”. Climate has both physical aspects, which can shape the availability of natural resources, such as in particular renewable energies, as well as informational aspects that may be used, at least potentially, to support socioeconomic decision-making. Moreover, climate as resources can have considerable influence on the management of other natural resources, in particular to optimize agricultural performance and food security, water management, health and many other essential applications, thereby posing very attractive challenges to the resourcefulness of the international hydro meteorological community.

            Some recent themes of World Meteorological Day have been “Weather, Climate and the   Air we breathe (2009), Observing our planet for a better future (2008), Polar Meteorology: Understanding global impacts (2007), Preventing and mitigating natural disasters (2006), Weather, climate, water and sustainable development(2005),Weather, climate, water in the information age (2004) and our future climate (2003).

            World Meteorological Day is celebrated to promote global cooperation in the establishment of meteorological observations stations, establishment of stations for hydrological and geophysical observations, maintenance and upkeep of observation stations and equip them adequately with resources for research and equipment, establishment and maintenance of systems for the rapid exchange of meteorological and related information, standardization of meteorological and related observations and to ensure the uniform publication of observations and statistics, development in operational hydrological to increase the scope of meteorology to other areas like aviation, shipping, water problems, agriculture and other human activities, encourage close co-operation between Meteorological and hydrological services, research and training in meteorological and in related fields and international collaboration  in research and training.
            It is also celebrated to enlighten the masses and provide information for better understanding of climatic variability and change, assist in understanding the impact of meteorology on environment and surroundings and suggest ways to implement climatic application to address environmental concerns.
            World Meteorological Organization activities in the area of climate are widely perceived today as key contributions to human safety and well-being and the realization of economic benefits for all nations.