Meteorology is one of the most inherently international of all fields of science and human endeavour. Accordingly, international cooperation plays a vital role in the operation of the Bureau, enabling it to draw on, and benefit from, scientific, technological and operational developments and expertise in other countries while contributing, within its own capability, to the effectiveness of the total international effort from which all countries benefit. This helps to ensure that the Australian community receives the best services possible within the limitations of available resources and the international state of the art in meteorological science and technology.

International Meteorological Activities form one of the Bureau's eight major outputs as well as one of the four output groups, Output 1.4 International Meteorological Activities. Outputs from this group typically include: effective Australian participation in the various constituent bodies, programs and activities of the World Meteorological Organization including the provision of data, products and services to overseas National Meteorological Services and overseas user communities; participation in the international meteorological and related programs of other international organisations; bilateral cooperation with other advanced countries; and bilateral cooperation with, and assistance to, National Meteorological Services of developing countries in the southwest Pacific and South-East Asia.

OUTPUT PERFORMANCE 2004-05

COMMENTS ON OUTPUT PERFORMANCE

The Bureau continued to be strongly represented in WMO constituent bodies including the Congress, Executive Council, Regional Association V and all eight Technical Commissions. A total of nine international meetings were hosted by Australia: eight were WMO conferences and one a bilateral meeting with Viet Nam. A Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in meteorology has been signed with the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority Meteorology Department; this brings the total number of bilateral protocols to ten.

The three influential senior positions in WMO occupied by Bureau officers are: i) Member of Executive Council; ii) Acting President of the Commission for Instruments and Methods of Observation; and iii) President of the Commission for Hydrology. In June, Dr Neville Smith became a Vice Chair of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO. In recognition of his outstanding contribution to international meteorology, the WMO Executive Council at its 57th Session in 2005, conferred its most prestigious award, the IMO Prize, on the Bureau's former Director, Dr John Zillman.