RECOMMENDATIONS
of the 20th Session of Coordinating Committee on Hydrometeorology
and Pollution Monitoring of the Caspian Sea

The 20th Session of Coordinating Committee on Hydrometeorology and Pollution Monitoring of the Caspian Sea (CASPCOM) was held in the Russian Federation, Astrakhan, on 14-15 October 2015.

The Session was attended by the representatives of the National Hydrometeorological Organizations (NMHSs) of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Russian Federation, and Turkmenistan, governmental authorities, business and public organizations of Astrakhan Region.

The main results of the activities of the Coordinating Committee on Hydrometeorology and Pollution Monitoring of the Caspian Sea in 2014 – 2015 are as follows:

the established CASPCOM Working Groups having started to prepare the documents required to implement the Agreement on Cooperation in the Field of Hydrometeorology of the Caspian Sea;
the updated CASPCOM data catalogues (sea level, water temperature, regional atmospheric circulation and surface runoff);
CASPCOM bulletins on the state of the Caspian Sea level containing the assessment of actual and expected seasonal changes of the sea level, which aroused profound interest;
the International Applied Science Conference “Hydrometeorological and Environmental Security of Marine Activity” which kicks off the day after the Session is over;
national achievements in the field of hydrometeorology and monitoring of the Caspian Sea, which create the framework for expanding of NMHS’s cooperation and increasing its efficiency.

1. On implementation of the Agreement on Cooperation in the Field of Hydrometeorology of the Caspian Sea and the elaboration of the Intergovernmental Integrated Programme on Hydrometeorology of the Caspian Sea

All the NMHSs – CASPCOM participants informed the Session that all the Parties had ratified the Agreement on Cooperation in the Field of Hydrometeorology of the Caspian Sea. The Session participants addressed the Meteorological Organization of the Islamic Republic of Iran with a request to inform them about the receipt date of the last notification on the Agreement ratification and the date of the Agreement coming into force.

The participants of the 20th Session discussed the issues of implementation of the Agreement on Cooperation in the Field of Hydrometeorology of the Caspian States and the elaboration of the Intergovernmental Integrated Programme on Hydrometeorology of the Caspian Sea. The Participants agreed to work towards making CASPCOM activities the best practice of regional cooperation in the field of marine hydrometeorology.

The Session recommends as follows:

to approve CASPCOM motto offered by CASPCOM Chairman “Cooperation in the field of meteorology for mutual security and benefit of the people and the sea” and the draft CASPCOM Mission and Strategy (Annex 1) offered by CASPAS Coordinator, and to display it at CASPCOM website.
Azhydromet is to submit to CASPAS Coordinator the proposals on the officials to be included in the Working Groups on the elaboration of CASPCOM Regulations and the draft Intergovernmental Integrated Programme on Hydrometeorology of the Caspian Sea;
the Working Group on the elaboration of CASPCOM Regulations is to submit the draft Regulations at the following CASPCOM Session. The Regulations shall define the formation procedures and functions of CASPCOM management and executive bodies with account of experience of CASPCOM and other international organizations, especially the WMO;
at the following CASPCOM Session, the NMHSs are to present the proposals on the National Action Plans, and the Working Group on the elaboration of draft Intergovernmental Integrated Programme on Hydrometeorology of the Caspian Sea is to present proposals on joint action plans for the period up to 2025 for the main areas of the Caspian Sea hydrometeorology, identified in the Programme Structure approved by the Session;
to improve the exchange of regular information on the state of the Caspian Sea, the NMHSs are to integrate CASPCOM data catalogues compiled through joint efforts into the national funds of hydrometeorological data;
at the following Session, CASPAS Coordinator is to present the proposals on the improvement of operational data exchange (observation data, synoptic materials and emergency information) among the NMHSs, focusing on the creation of the unified data code for marine hydrological observations and the proposals on the creation of the unified geoinformation system for integrating marine hydrometeorological forecasts prepared by different NMHSs;
CASPAS Coordinator is to make a list of WMO Regulations recommended for the Caspian Sea and to display this list at CASPCOM website.

2. CASPCOM activities and national activities in the field of hydrometeorology and pollution monitoring of the Caspian Sea

Having appreciated CASPCOM activities, as well as the national activities addressing high priority problems in hydrometeorology and environmental monitoring of the Caspian Sea in 2014-2015,

the Session recommends as follows:

to update CASPCOM data catalogues (sea level, water temperature, regional atmospheric circulation and other catalogues which will be compiled in future) annually, bearing in mind that this procedure will create the basis for the preparation of CASPCOM Annual Review of the State of the Caspian Sea;
before August 2016, NMHSs are to submit to CASPAS Coordinator the observations data required for catalogues completion, including the data for 2015. The data shall be submitted annually. CASPAS Coordinator is to present the updated catalogues at the following CASPCOM Session and is to do it every year;
CASPAS Coordinator and CASPCOM Working Group are to continue issuing CASPCOM information bulletins on the state of the Caspian Sea level in 2016;
NMHSs are to display CASPCOM website content in their national languages (with the exception of the IRIMO and Roshydromet, which have already implemented this task), and CASPAS Coordinator jointly with the Working Group and using CASPCOM website is to continue the activities aimed at raising awareness in the field of hydrometeorology of the Caspian Sea in the following year.

The Session has expressed its gratitude to Roshydromet which has made a sufficient contribution to the organization of the International Applied Science Conference “Hydrometeorological and Environmental Security of Marine Economy”.

3. CASPCOM cooperation with international and economic organizations

The participants of the Session have acquainted with the reports on the status and prospects of CASPCOM cooperation with international organizations (WMO, IOC UNESCO, the Tehran Convention), including the issues of integration of CASPCOM information resources to the international information systems.

The Session recommends as follows:

to consider the implementation of marine pollution monitoring of the Caspian Sea and the submission of hydrometeorological information for regular assessment of the Caspian Sea state as the main area of CASPCOM interaction with the Tehran Convention. CASPAS Coordinator is to present the proposals on cooperation of CASPCOM with the Tehran Convention within the framework of the abovementioned fields at the following Session;
CASPAS Coordinator is to prepare and present at the following Session the communication on the opportunities of using international information systems for data and information exchange between the NMHSs within CASPCOM framework.

4. Adoption of the Recommendations of the 20th CASPCOM Session

The Session has adopted the Recommendations.

5. Determination of the date and venue of the following CASPCOM Session

The Session recommended holding the following 21st CASPCOM Session in the Republic of Azerbaijan in the autumn of 2016.