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The Director of the Hong Kong Observatory, Mr Shun Chi-ming, was re-elected as President of the Commission for Aeronautical Meteorology (CAeM) of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in the 15th session of the Commission held in Montreal, Canada, yesterday (July 15). He will serve a second four-year term as the President from 2014 to 2018.
"Four years ago, when I was elected President, I started my speech by saying that there would be many challenges ahead for this Commission. Today, this statement is even truer, as we are all aware of the sentiment and outcomes from the meeting in the past week. The drive for changes to aeronautical meteorological services is loud and clear," Mr Shun said in addressing the 159 participants from 69 members and six international organisations after the election.
Mr Shun also emphasised the importance of striking the right balance between seeking further advancements of the weather services for aviation and the needs of the developing world. The overarching principles of international co-operation, equality of opportunities, and inclusiveness in engaging all affected members, users and stakeholders should also be respected in the change process.
The Deputy Administrator of the China Meteorological Administration and the principal delegate of China attending the session, Mr Shen Xiaonong, said he highly regarded the leadership of Mr Shun in the past four years. Noting that the aeronautical meteorological community is going to face even greater challenges in the coming 15 years, he expressed the hope that the Commission can reach new heights under the leadership of Mr Shun.
The principal delegate of Tanzania, Dr Agnes L Kijazi, said, "During the last four years, we have seen a number of achievements through the leadership of Mr Shun. African countries received a lot of support in establishing quality management systems and competency assessment. We look forward to new achievements under Mr Shun's leadership in the next four years."
The CAeM is one of the WMO's eight technical commissions looking after the application of meteorology to aviation. The Commission's primary mission is to co-ordinate meteorological support to meet the requirements of aviation for safe, economical and efficient air navigation. Mr Shun was first elected as its President in the previous session of the Commission held in Hong Kong in February 2010.
Ends/Wednesday, July 16, 2014
Issued at HKT 15:35
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