M. Jarraud, Secretary-General World Meteorological Organization. Foto: Raoul Somers, copyright KNMI

It is indeed an honour and a privilege for me to address you on this auspicious occasion, which marks the 150th Anniversary of the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI). It gives me great pleasure, on behalf of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the meteorological and hydrological communities of the world and on my own, to convey our heartfelt appreciation to His Royal Highness for honouring us on this occasion with his presence, and to extend our congratulations to the Government and people of The Netherlands through Her Excellency Ms M.H. Schultz van Haegen - Maas Geesteranus as well as to the Director and the staff of the KNMI on the major achievements of the Institute in support of the socio-economic development of The Netherlands and on the outstanding contributions to the advancement of the science of meteorology and to international cooperation. WMO is privileged to be associated with this momentous event in the life of KNMI for various reasons.

Firstly, The Netherlands was one of the 12 sea-faring nations that had recognized as early as in the middle of 19th century the significance of reliable and regular weather information over all seas of the world for the security and efficiency of the expanding international trade and merchant shipping. This underlined that progress in meteorology could not be achieved without international cooperation. The Netherlands was one of the participating nations in the historic First International Meteorological Conference which was held in Brussels in August 1853. The Netherlands was well prepared to take a lead role in meteorology as it is recalled that Professor C.H.D. Buys Ballot, of Utrecht University, had started regular weather observations and initiated international exchange of such observations already in 1848. It is significant that the KNMI was officially created soon after the International Conference by Royal Decree on 31 January 1854 as by then, Professor Buys Ballot had convinced the Government by demonstrating how ships travelling to and from Indonesia could shorten their trip by several days and be safer if they were 'routed' through meteorological advice on winds, waves and currents.

Secondly, the KNMI played a crucial role in the establishment of formal international cooperation in meteorology. In the period following the 1853 Brussels Conference, along with the establishment of KNMI, other nations, recognizing the importance of meteorological information were establishing National Meteorological Services (NMSs). Inspired by the seminal paper in 1872 by Prof. Buys Ballot on "Suggestions on a Uniform System of Meteorological Observations", the First International Meteorological Congress was held in Vienna in 1873. Prof. Buys Ballot served as the first President over the period 1873 to 1879 of what came to be known as the International Meteorological Organization (IMO). The First Meeting of the Permanent Committee of the IMO was chaired by Prof. Buys Ballot in Utrecht in 1874. The first chief of the IMO Secretariat was the Dutch meteorologist Dr H.G. Cannegieter who was appointed in 1928. It is also significant to recall that the Organization had its Secretariat at the Headquarters of the KNMI at De Bilt.

Thirdly, the Kingdom of the Netherlands was one of the States represented at the Conference of Directors of the International Meteorological Organization which was convened at Washington D.C. in September 1947 and was among the original signatories to the Convention of the World Meteorological Organization. The Netherlands is therefore one of the founding nations of WMO, which was formally established on 23 March 1950.

Over the years since the establishment of WMO, a symbiotic relation has led to the development of both KNMI and of WMO. The KNMI maintains a sophisticated observational network that includes radars and satellite receiving systems; undertakes research in areas such as cloud formation and boundary layer; issues weather forecasts and storm warnings for aviation and shipping as laid down in the "Law on KNMI", with increased accuracy and longer lead time; archives and publishes up-to-date meteorological information; and provides information to the public and other users through modern communication facilities including Internet. Meteorological data from the KNMI and other Services are exchanged globally under the aegis of WMO for the benefit of all nations.

Several world renowned Dutch scientists have made unprecedented contributions to meteorology and related geophysical sciences. Among them, one of the most outstanding is Prof. Dr Crutzen, Recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work in atmospheric chemistry, particularly concerning the formation and decomposition of ozone. A number of other Dutch scientists have served selflessly the intergovernmental constituent bodies and thus the Programmes and activities of WMO. These include Dr W. Bleeker who served as president of the Commission for Basic Systems from 1951 to 1958; Dr J.A. Duijnen Montijn served as president of the WMO Commission for Marine Meteorology from 1960 to 1964; Dr J. Kastelein as president of the Commission of Aeronautical Meteorology from 1982 to 1990 and Dr C.J. Stigter as president of the Commission for Agricultural Meteorology from 1991 to 1999.

Fourthly , the KNMI plays a very active role in several European regional institutions and in international bodies, with which WMO also maintains a privileged relationship. In particular, I would like to mention the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), EUMETSAT and EUMETNET. KNMI also participates in the European Climate Support Network and represents the Netherlands in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which is hosted and co-sponsored by WMO.

Finally, the KNMI is responsible for seismology since the beginning of the 20th century. Indeed, over 40 National Meteorological Services worldwide have similar responsibilities and the World Meteorological Congress in May last year discussed the opportunity of providing an international intergovernmental framework for coordination in the field of seismology. Therefore the Dutch experience is most valuable for other WMO Members.

Your Royal Highness, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Such a long history of symbiotic relationship between KNMI and WMO also derives from the fact that weather and climate do not recognize any political or economic boundaries. The collaboration at global level has resulted in some of the most momentous advances in weather forecasting of up to 7 to 10 days in the middle latitudes, prediction of phenomena such as the El Niño in the seasonal to inter-annual timescale, and climate projections in the scale of decade to over a century, such as those used by the IPCC in its assessments.

The years of painstaking and objective grassroots scientific work such as those undertaken by KNMI have enabled the Organization to alert the world community, in a timely manner, to some of the major threats to our planet Earth and to the well-being of humanity. These include the effect of the increasing amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere on climate variability and change, the serious damage to the protective ozone layer, the fast dwindling freshwater resources and the increasing pollution of the atmosphere and world's freshwater resources. Without such authoritative findings, the world community would not have been able to develop relevant Conventions and strategies in these areas for the protection of some of the global commons including the atmosphere and the climate. As we look to the future, the degradation of the environment, the recent increase in the number and intensity of natural disasters and socio-economic factors such as globalization, market-led economies, population growth and urbanization pose new challenges and offer unexpected opportunities to WMO and the NMHSs.

Addressing these challenges of the 21st century requires the Organization and national meteorological institutions to strengthen their partnership, as exemplified by the KNMI and WMO. In this context, it is important for WMO to evolve in order to contribute in the most effective and efficient manner in harnessing the spectacular achievements in science in recent decades and the unprecedented advances in our understanding of the dynamic and physical processes among the various components of the Earth system, and to ensure that National Meteorological Services (NMSs) have the capacity to contribute in addressing some of the major challenges of sustainable development. Their contributions include in particular preparedness against meteorological and hydrological hazards that account for about 80% of all hazards, monitoring and projection of the potential impacts of natural and human-induced environmental hazards associated with ozone depletion, pollution, forest fires, volcanic ash, toxic chemicals and radionuclides. NMSs are also expected to provide new and increasingly sophisticated services in most sectors of the economy including agriculture, health, leisure and tourism, transport, energy and water resources management.

With these in mind, I have been introducing a number of changes in the WMO Secretariat, placing increased emphasis on strengthening its scientific and technical programmes, promoting research activities, enhancing strategic alliances and partnerships, building capacity especially those of developing countries and improving visibility and communication through the use of new technologies. A primary objective is to further involve national services such as the KNMI in this global undertaking.

In this way, WMO will be better prepared to take up the challenges of the future. The spirit of cooperation among all WMO Members as enshrined in its Convention and practised over the fifty?four years of its existence is a further guarantee of the strength and confidence of the Organization in addressing some of the most daunting environmental and socio-economic challenges that humanity will face this century. The dynamism and innovative approaches inherent in the Organization will be its hallmark in the service of humanity.

Your Royal Highness, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
On this historic occasion, we can see the outstanding benefits to humanity of our adventure into the still largely unchartered territory of international cooperation as initiated by visionary individuals such as Prof. Buys Ballots. We can only admire him and the successive generations of meteorologists who have made it possible for us to contribute to major challenges such as sustainable development, poverty reduction, management of dwindling of fresh water resources and the protection of our planet Earth. The challenge is now upon us to carry their work further for the benefit of future generations. I am confident that the unique mutually supportive relations that have developed over the years between WMO and the national services such as KNMI will stand us in good stead for years to come. I therefore wish KNMI many more years of progress and service for the well-being and prosperity of The Netherlands and for the populations of the world.

Thank you.
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