Capacity Building in the Field of Meteorology

Description What is done in the programme or project and why, what results are pursued, who benefits from the activities and who are involved in the implementation.

The Finnish Meteorological Institute is implementing a project during the years 2014-2016 in Tajikistan with the national institute Tajikhydromet. In the project the capacity of Tajikhydromet is strengthened, the field modernized and the staff trained. The project also promotes adapting to climate change and climate sustainability. Strengthening the capacity of Tajikhydromet aims at better forecasting of natural disasters, as well as producing better information on the weather, climate and environmental issues. Better weather, environmental and climate services are essential for social and economic development. Tajikistan is prone to climate disasters, such as flooding, mud avalanches, drought and glaciers’ retreats. These disasters cause the major part of all economic losses associated with natural hazards. The main achievements of the first phase include providing The Climate Center at the Tajikhydromet with open source tools, an automatic pilot air quality station in Dushanbe and promotion of strategic planning capacity during the study trips to Finland. Wide cooperation is done with other institutions in the region, such as the Finnish Environment Institute (Water program), Geological Survey of Finland (Strengthening the mastering of natural resources) and the World Bank. In particular, joint workshops, field trips and training sessions have been useful. The first phase of the project has a budget of EUR 502.500. The project has a strong emphasis on capacity building of the institution. Due to reasons not depending on the Finnish Meteorological Institute, the institute has not been able to carry out the training fully according to the plan. Therefore the project is granted an additional financing. The second phase has a budget of EUR 52.200 (year 2017).