Secretary General Celeste Saulo WMO 16 January 2024

STORYLINE

In her first public statement to journalists at the UN in Geneva, the new UN weather chief, Professor Celeste Saulo, emphasized today (16 January) that one of the priorities of her administration will be to strengthen early warning systems that can forecast when and where extreme weather events will be occurring. With natural disasters becoming more frequent due to human-caused climate change, the need for early warning systems has increased.

Adapting to the climate change is not a choice but an essential necessity, said the new Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in her introductory remarks at a press briefing. “It's about building resilient communities, especially in the most vulnerable regions, capable of resisting to, and recovering from, climate-related disasters.”

She added that “early warning systems will be the linchpin in disaster risk reduction, transforming threats into opportunities for sustainable development. Under my leadership, we will fortify early warning systems, enhance data accessibility, and make science and timely, life-saving information accessible to all.”

Making sure that “we are not mere observers, we are architects of a sustainable future,” Professor Saulo said that “over the next years, we have an opportunity, a duty, and a possibility, to shape the narrative on climate action. This is about empowering nations, fostering inclusivity, and creating sustainable pathways for a shared prosperity.”

At the end of her mandate, Professor Saulo would like to be measured on the execution of common tasks she has achieved for the WMO.

“We share a common understanding of what we need, the issues how we can implement, and the implementation is, for me, the crucial aspect of all what we do. If we fail at implementation, we will be failing I would say the world. And here is where my strength will be. It will be focused in implementing and implementing the decisions that our member countries decided.”

Replying to a journalist's question on her role being the first female Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization, Professor Saulo said that “it's not only about women, I would say it is about diversity and we have different ways of thinking, the problems, the issues and finding solutions. I don't say that it is necessarily better. But I think it's different and I, for example I highlighted for me, how important family is. For me, it's a building block, something that moves me forward because I'm thinking of the new generations all the time. I cannot do something without thinking of the impact for the future generations.”

Professor Saulo is from Argentina. She took office on 1 January 2024. She succeeds Professor Petteri Taalas of Finland who completed his two-term mandate.

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Secretary General Celeste Saulo WMO 16 January 2024

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