- He is in Bulgaria on the occasion of the 61st session of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

The President of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Abdullah Al Mandous today visited the National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology (NIMH) and met with the Deputy Minister of Environment and Water Reneta Koleva, the Executive Director of NIMH Prof. Tania Marinova, and scientists from the institute.

During the meeting, Abdullah Al Mandous expressed his gratitude to Bulgaria for hosting the 61st IPCC session and in response, Deputy Minister Reneta Koleva pointed out that Bulgaria is grateful for the opportunity to host the event. "It is gratifying that more than 20 Bulgarian scientists have expressed their willingness to participate in the scoping meeting of the IPCC's seventh Special Report in Malaysia this year. This is a way for them to show their experience and upgrade their expertise, and at the same time demonstrate Bulgaria's commitment to addressing the impacts of climate change," said Deputy Minister Koleva. 

"The National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology is Bulgaria's official representative in the World Meteorological Organization and we are honored to welcome the WMO President Abdullah Al Mandous on our territory," said NIMH Executive Director Prof. Tania Marinova.

"I would be glad to learn more about how NIMH works, what difficulties it faces in its work, and what opportunities it has ahead of it" - with these words Dr. Abdullah Al Mandous addressed his hosts, who in turn introduced him to the structure of the institute, its approaches to work in the fields of meteorology and hydrology, and openly shared about the problems and prospects before them. Both sides agreed that more training was needed for younger scientists.

On the NIMH tour, Dr. Abdullah Al Mandous met meteorologists who make short- and long-term forecasts and discussed professional topics with hydrologists from the institute. At the end of the meeting, the WMO President expressed his readiness to support NIMH when needed.

Dr. Abdullah Al Mandous was elected President of the WMO in 2023. He is in Bulgaria on the occasion of the 61st session of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which was launched on 27 July and will continue until 2 August.

NIMH is the main implementer of research and scientific operational activities in the country in the fields of meteorology, agrometeorology and hydrology. These activities follow the standards in the United Nations World Meteorological Organization (WMO) regulations. NIMH is Bulgaria's official representative to the WMO, participating in the WMO's largest programme, the World Weather Watch, through the stations of the national meteorological network and the Regional Telecommunication Centre-Sofia, responsible for the countries of South-Eastern Europe and the Middle East.