PICOFS

Pacific Islands Climate Outlook Forums (PICOFs)

Regional Climate Outlook Forums (RCOFs) are organized under the auspices of the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and bring together national, regional and international experts on climate outlooks and climate services. By bringing together countries with common climatological characteristics, an RCOF ensures consistency in the access to and the interpretation of climate information. Through interaction with socio-economic sectors, RCOFs assess the likely implications of climate outlooks on the most critical sectors in a given region or sub-region and explore ways in which the information can be used.

The WMO Summary Report on RCOFs Worldwide summarises the responses from representatives of 20 Regional Climate Outlook Forums (RCOFs) from across the world to a survey initiated by WMO in 2017 as part of global review of RCOF operations worldwide. The survey questions covered the following topic areas: specific climate features and climate-sensitive sectors of the region, the RCOF background and process, capacity needs, user involvement, SWOT analysis, sustainability of the RCOF, and the way forward.

In the Pacific Islands region, the RCOF is called the Pacific Islands Climate Outlook Forum (PICOF). Each PICOF has a sector focus, with representatives from each country's National Meteorological and Hydrological Service (NMHS) and the relevant sector organisation attending the PICOF. In addition, there is a strong representation from regional support organisations, WMO and science service providers. Starting in 2020, Pacific countries decided to have additional PICOF to provide information for the dry season, therefore an April virtual PICOF was initiated. The following PICOFs have been held so far:

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