‘Foresight Saves Lives’, Secretary-General Says, Calls for Investing in Global Observing System, in World Meteorological Day Message

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres' message for World Meteorological Day, observed on 23 March:

On this World Meteorological Day, we are reminded that foresight saves lives.

Climate chaos is rewriting the rules of weather, with record heat, longer droughts, rising seas and ever more frequent and extreme disasters. Accurate, trusted science is our first line of defence.

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and national services help keep us safe by weaving a global web of data from land, sea, air and space - turning measurements into forecasts and forecasts into early warnings. Yet the global observing system is under strain, with critical gaps, especially in least developed countries and small island developing States.

This year's theme, Observing Today, Protecting Tomorrow, is a call to action.

Governments, development banks and the private sector must scale up support for our global observing backbone, from surface stations to satellites, and ensure data is shared openly and equitably. And we must accelerate Early Warnings for All so that, by 2027, every person is protected by life-saving alerts. Investing in observation pays many times over - strengthening peace, security, resilience and sustainable development.

By observing today, we can protect tomorrow - for people, for planet, for prosperity and for generations to come.