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UN weather agency reviews priorities as funding falls short
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on October 24, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 21, 2026
Global Banking & Finance Review®
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Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on October 24, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 21, 2026
The UN weather agency is restructuring due to funding shortfalls, with plans to cut posts and explore AI for weather predictions.
By Emma Farge
GENEVA (Reuters) -The U.N. weather agency plans to cut some posts and is reviewing its priorities as dozens of countries, including the United States, are late with their fees, a spokesperson confirmed on Friday.
The World Meteorological Organization, set up in 1951 to coordinate global data for weather forecasts, created a review task force this week during a meeting in Geneva aimed at improving early-warning systems for deadly climate disasters.
The WMO, whose budget is separate from the United Nations', began restructuring in August to cut costs amid broader U.N. reforms, even as accelerating manmade climate change increases the risk of weather-related deaths, especially in developing countries where early-warning systems are lacking.
The WMO envisages cutting 26 posts and reducing travel, according to a budget document seen by Reuters.
"We do need to make sure we are fit for purpose and that we can face the future," spokesperson Clare Nullis told a press briefing on Friday.
She said a task force will begin in January to "tweak" the WMO's work based on current funding constraints as well as new opportunities such as the use of artificial intelligence in weather predictions.
Outstanding late payments to the WMO amount to around 48 million Swiss francs ($60 million) as of the end of August, a WMO document showed, equivalent to two-thirds of its annual budget.
The United States owes over 30 million Swiss francs ($38 million).
The U.S. State Department did not respond to a request for comment. U.S. delegates participated in the congress.
Under President Donald Trump, Washington has announced it is quitting some U.N. bodies, as well as the U.N.-backed Paris Climate Accord on slowing climate change, and is late in paying others.
Trump has repeatedly questioned the effectiveness, cost and accountability of international bodies, arguing they often fail to serve U.S. interests. ($1 = 0.7931 Swiss francs)
(Reporting by Emma Farge; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
Early-warning systems are tools and processes designed to provide timely alerts about potential hazards, such as severe weather events, to help mitigate risks and enhance public safety.
Climate change refers to significant changes in global temperatures and weather patterns over time, largely driven by human activities, particularly the burning of fossil fuels.
A funding shortfall occurs when an organization does not receive the expected or required financial resources needed to operate effectively or achieve its goals.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is the simulation of human intelligence processes by machines, particularly computer systems, enabling them to perform tasks such as learning, reasoning, and problem-solving.
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