A Congress, an Executive Council and six Regional Associations: how the World Meteorological Organization is built

Background

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) comprises the World Meteorological Congress, the Executive Council, Regional Associations, two Technical Commissions and the Secretariat.
The World Meteorological Congress is WMO's highest decision-making body, and the Executive Council implements the decisions adopted by the Congress.
The six Regional Associations coordinate meteorological, hydrological and related activities within their respective Regions.
The Research Board, the Scientific Advisory Panel and additional bodies have been established by Congress.
The Officers of WMO are a President and three Vice-Presidents, who are also chair and vice-chairs of Congress and the Executive Council.
All Officers and members of the Executive Council act as representatives of the Organization and not of particular Members.
The Secretary-General directs the work of the Secretariat, headquartered in Geneva, and is the legal representative of the Organization.
The Officers and the Secretary-General together form the Bureau, an informal consultative mechanism whose primary, though not exclusive, focus is the preparation of sessions of the Executive Council and Congress.