ALM UNDP

* The setting up of global, regional, national and city to city networks of national and local government associations, non-governmental bodies, universities, the private sector, and UN organizations addressing climate change;
* Localization and implementation of national adaptation and mitigation strategies;
* The strengthening of capacities of local authorities to integrate climate change concerns in local and city wide planning and budgeting for cost-effective policy responses;
* The strengthening of the capacities of local government training institutes to provide climate change training for local governments.

The Climate Information and Prediction Services (CLIPS) project is an implementation arm of WCASP around the globe. It strives to take advantage of current data bases, increasing climate knowledge and improving prediction capabilities to limit the negative impacts of climate variability and to enhance planning activities based on the developing capacity of climate science.

The main project components of CLIPS include training and capacity building, development of best practices in operational climate services including verification and user liaison, communication of El Niño/La Niña and related aspects, determining research needs and liaison with research programmes, demonstration/showcase projects, and regional as well as climate provider-user networking and consensus building.

Over the past decade and half, the main activities underpinning the CLIPS project implementation include:

1.Promotion of operational climate prediction services, particularly on seasonal to interannual scales;
2. Providing an active interface between the research and operational communities; Development of operational frameworks linking global, regional and national level long range forecasts;
3. Establishment of WMO Regional Climate Centres (RCCs) including the development of their formal designation process involving CCl, CBS and RAs;
4. Promotion of consensus-based climate outlook product generation, particularly through its support to the Regional Climate Outlook Forum (RCOF) process;
5. Regular issue of WMO El Niño/La Niña Updates based on global consensus;
6. Capacity building of NMHSs in providing climate services through a worldwide programme of CLIPS Training Workshops;
7. Establishment of a CLIPS Focal Point network and its coordination through Regional CLIPS Rapporteurs;
8. Integration of CLIPS activities into the regional coordination of climate related matters within the RAs;
9. Promotion of climate applications through showcase projects and user liaison activities;
10. Development of CLIPS Curriculum and web-based information;
11. Cross-cutting activities with other WMO technical programmes, especially WCRP, WCDMP, DRR, AgMP, HWR, ETR and WWW, Technical Commissions CBS, CAgM and CHy as well as other global systems such as GCOS and GEO;
12. Closer integration of climate applications activities and CLIPS, including partnerships with UN bodies and international organizations such as WHO, UNWTO, IRI, etc.

_Source: World Climate Applications and Services Programme (WCASP), World Meteorological Organization website, June 28, 2010._