11am – 1pm: Please check back for more information.

Organized by: UK Met Office and RIMES
1pm – 3pm: Meghdoot Seminar Hall 1
Open to All

This side event will be an interactive discussion on the National Climate Outlook Forum/National Monsoon Forum (NCOF/NMF) process within South Asia, and how to enhance the flow of objective-based seasonal prediction information from the Regional Climate Outlook Forum (RCOF) into these national-level engagements. Participants will be encouraged to engage in group discussions focused on gauging the current awareness of the RCOF/NCOF process, identifying the barriers and challenges with the existing flow of information, and brainstorm concrete, measurable opportunities for improving this flow of information which can be trialled within the ARRCC programme.

• Organized by: UK Met Offices and ICIMOD
• 3:15pm – 5:15pm: Meghdoot Seminar Hall
• Open to All

This side event will explore the concept of establishing a regular and sustainable regional forum in South Asia on climate change and the use of future climate projections. The forum is intended to promote improved knowledge exchange and cooperation amongst climate scientists, climate service provides, boundary organisations, and climate change policy and practice communities. During the interactive side event, participants will engage in facilitated group discussions to identify existing forums and modes of engagement, as well as identifying key gaps and needs. The aim is to share experiences and generate ideas to inform recommendations for developing and trialling a new or enhanced forum under the Asia Regional Resilience to a Changing Climate (ARRCC) programme. Whilst the regional focus is South Asia, knowledge and experiences from outside the region are strongly encouraged. The discussion and outcomes will likely be relevant to regions outside of South Asia.

• Organized by: IITM
• 2pm – 4pm: Pisharoty Hall (PH)
• Open to All

Climate science, like any other study gains relevance only when it spreads its arms to reach outside the generators of the knowledge. It is then that it becomes part of the political and economic decision process. This requires that the enhancement of the communication and use of climate information relevant to the policy makers and to the public at large.

This session will deal with opportunities and challenges in reaching out to a larger audience, making it relevant and interesting for them. The efforts for this starts even before the climate information is generated and not as earlier understood after the generation of the information. Science has for long had a top down approach to knowledge. This session will focus on bottoms up approach to science which implies that the questions of science may also be generated from the public. This session on deals with involving public in generating questions that need solutions or answers through climate services, generating awareness among societal actors about their vulnerability to climate change, the need for relevant products and services offered by the scientific community, the format in which the information is provided, and the business model needed by climate services.

The session will bring in experts in different fields who are involved in communication of climate information and discuss these various aspects of climate communication. It will feature the diversity of experts needed to make climate services relevant and interesting to the people. The experts may include experts in climate science, specialists in impact, adaptation, and vulnerability, representatives of the corporate world, policy makers, agents of the public service as well as social managers and communication specialists. They will work on a roadmap on they can collectively reach the information to the people.

• Organized by: CCAFS
• 2pm – 5pm: Aryabhatta (AH)
• By Invitation only

• Organized by: University of Leeds, ARCC
• 1pm – 3pm: Meghdoot Seminar Hall 1
• Open to All

This session is aimed at practitioners, academics and policy makers who are interested in understanding the possible socio-economic benefits (SEBs) of weather and climate services. This will be a participatory session with discussion calling on participants’ own experiences and/or perspectives on the topic. The session will explore both the opportunities and challenges associated with SEB evaluation, which may include: awareness of suitable methods; internal capacity for implementing SEB studies, or; requirements to demonstrate the benefits of weather and climate services.

• Organized by: CCAFS, WFP
• 3pm – 6pm
• Open to All

In September 2019, the Global Commission on Adaptation announced plans to develop several initiatives over the coming year, including an Action Track on Agriculture and Food Security.  The Action Track is supported by a range of development partners, associations, and other organizations from around the world. One focus under the Action Track is to “Expand access to climate informed digital agricultural advisory services for at least 100 million small-scale producers by 2030”. This involves extending real-time surveillance and early warning systems, seasonal and long-term forecasts, and digitally enabled farmer advisory services. In support of this initiative, the World Food Program and the International Research Institute for Climate and Society, together with the Climate Change, Agriculture, and Food Security Program (CCAFS), are leading an effort to develop an “Investment Blueprint for Climate Informed Digital Advisory Services” during the Year of Action. This session will: 1) Increase visibility of Action Track activity; 2) Solicit feedback and advice of participants on gaps, challenges and opportunities; and 3) Solicit input on Blueprint design, content, potential partners.

For more information, download preliminary description and agenda

• Organized by: WMO
• Pisharoty Hall (PH)
• By Invitation Only

• Organized by Global Heat Health Information Network, IITM, and others
• 8:30am – 5:30pm: Meghdoot Seminar Hall
• Registration Required : https://mailchi.mp/ghhin.org/southasiasummit2020

The Summit aims to build capacity, promote sharing, and encourage evidence-based policy and actions to improve the management of extreme heat risks. The regional summit will bring together interdisciplinary experts and practitioners to share experience and concerns, learn from each other, identify new solutions and opportunities, and raise awareness of the urgent need to protect ourselves and communities from extreme heat in a warming world.  The Summit aims to:

• Strengthen the GHHIN network in the South Asia region by building connections and conversation between key actors to share what they’re working on, what’s working, and where attention is needed;
• Take stock of progress and good practices to address extreme heat risks and identify emerging issues;
• Build awareness of the urgent needs, challenges and opportunities surrounding heat health in the region;
• Identify concrete opportunities for formal projects and collaborations to reduce the impact of extreme heat in South Asia

• Organized by: WMO
• Pisharoty Hall (PH)
• By Invitation Only

• Organized by: WMO
• Pisharoty Hall (PH)
• By Invitation Only