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^{Photo: Stephen Shepherd}

A Co-operation Agreement between ECMWF and Georgia came into force on 1 December 2021.

Co-operation Agreements offer full access to ECMWF real-time products, archive data and software tools, as well as access to ECMWF training facilities. Georgia will also join the Boundary Conditions and SAPP Optional Programmes.

"Becoming a Co-operating State of ECMWF is an important step forward for Georgia,” said Levan Davitashvili, Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia.

“This cooperation will facilitate the enhancement of Georgia’s numerical weather prediction capabilities, which in turn will help to improve the accuracy of weather forecasts across the country as well as to produce effective early warnings on natural disasters related to hydrometeorological and geological events."

ECMWF Director-General Florence Rabier welcomed the agreement:

“We warmly welcome Georgia, our first new Co-operating State since 2011. Joining ECMWF is not simply a matter of receiving weather forecasts. Our whole community of ECMWF Member and Co-operating States benefits from being able to draw on a wider base of expertise and experience, and we look forward to receiving valuable feedback from colleagues in Georgia on our meteorological performance.”

Tetnuldi meteorological station in the Greater Caucasus mountain range, Georgia. (Photo courtesy of Georgia National Environmental Agency)

International organisations such as the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the World Bank have supported Georgia to become an ECMWF Co-operating State. The UNDP Georgia Deputy Resident Representative, Ms. Anna Chernyshova, stressed the importance of such cooperation for establishing effective early warning systems to protect life and property:

“As Georgia strives to build a climate-agile society, access to modern research and technology is crucial for weather modelling, weather forecasts and disaster risk assessment. Being an ECMWF Co-operating State will help the country establish an effective early warning system and save people’s lives and property from climate-induced disasters. As Georgia’s trusted partner in climate action, UNDP supported this process by providing technical expertise and funding needed to cover the costs of being a Co-operating State. Our support draws on broader assistance funded by the Green Climate Fund and the governments of Switzerland, Sweden and Georgia.”

Georgia is ECMWF's 12th Co-operating State. The other Co-operating States are Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro, Morocco, North Macedonia, Romania and Slovakia.