Draft

RECOMMENDATIONS
of the 3 (23) Session of Coordinating Committee on Hydrometeorology of the Caspian Sea

The 3 (23) Session of Coordinating Committee on Hydrometeorology of the Caspian Sea (CASPCOM) was held in Ashgabat, the Turkmenistan, on 30-31 October 2018.

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 of Turkmenistan, Interim Secretariat of the Tehran Convention, business, scientific and public organizations of the Caspian littoral states.

The main results of activities of Coordinating Committee on Hydrometeorology of the Caspian Sea in 2017-2018 are as follows:

progress in the elaboration of CASPCOM organizational and Programme documents required to implement the Agreement on Cooperation in the Field of Hydrometeorology of the Caspian Sea;
a new CASPCOM catalogue of air temperature of the Caspian Sea;
the updated CASPCOM data catalogues (sea level, water temperature, regional atmospheric circulation and surface runoff to the Caspian Sea);
CASPCOM bulletins on the state of the Caspian Sea level containing the assessment of actual and expected seasonal changes of the sea level;
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

During the 3 (23) CASPCOM Session its participants discussed the issues of implementation of the Agreement on Cooperation in the Field of Hydrometeorology of the Caspian Sea and elaboration of the Intergovernmental Integrated Programme on Hydrometeorology of the Caspian Sea.

The Session recommends as follows:

to postpone adopting the document (CASPCOM Regulations) until the following Session. Within two weeks after the completion of this Session, CASPCOM Chairman is to forward to the NMHSs the discussed document for additional comments and proposals;
within 3 months after the completion of the 3 (23) Session, NMHSs are to forward to CASPAS Coordinator additional comments and proposals on the draft document or the notice that there are no comments;
within 3 months after the completion of the 3 (23) CASPCOM Session, CASPAS Coordinator shall collect the proposals of the Parties on the text of the document;
2 months prior to the start of the 4 (24) CASPCOM Session, CASPAS Coordinator is to forward to the NMHSs the draft document elaborated with account of their comments and proposals.

On development of the Intergovernmental Integrated Programme on Hydrometeorology of the Caspian Sea

The Parties have approved in full the indicators of implementation of the Intergovernmental Programme in the field of Hydrometeorology of the Caspian Sea,

The Session has resolved as follows:

to adopt indicators of implementation of midterm objectives of the Intergovernmental Integrated Programme on Hydrometeorology of the Caspian Sea for the period before 2025 taking account of their amendments approved by all Parties at the Session;
CASPAS Coordinator shall disseminate the list of indicators among NMHSs and publish it on the CASPCOM website within a month after the 3(23) Session;

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 in the field of hydrometeorology of the Caspian Sea in 2017-2018, welcoming expanding cooperation of the Parties in the field of climate service of customers in the Caspian region and prognostic information exchange,

The Session recommends as follows:

NMHSs are to develop and strengthen the prognostic information exchange on the basis of bilateral agreements;
NMHSs are to provide data for CASPCOM Catalogues in time, no later than 3 months before the beginning of the next CASPCOM Session. NMHSs, which have gaps in submission of data for CASPCOM catalogues are to submit the missing data within 3 months after the 3 (23) Session;
CASPAS Coordinator shall continue annual update of CASPCOM Catalogues with the new data (on sea level, air and water temperature, surface runoff and regional atmospheric circulation),
NMHSs shall submit to CASPAS Coordinator the corrected dates of all posts establishment and dates of starting observations as well as corrected locations of all the posts and stations to introduce changes to CASPCOM catalogues within three months after the completion of the 3 (23) CASPCOM Session;
at the following CASPCOM Session, CASPAS Coordinator shall submit to the NMHSs the updated versions of the Catalogues;
CASPAS Coordinator and CASPCOM Working Group are to continue issuing CASPCOM information bulletins on the state of the Caspian Sea level in 2019;
CASPAS Coordinator shall prepare a layout of the new CASPCOM Catalogue on seawater salinity and disseminate it among NMHSs within two months after the 3(23) CASPCOM Session;
NMHSs shall submit to CASPAS Coordinator data on seawater salinity not later than 2 months prior the next, 4(24) Session:
Session to approve the activities of NMHSs on design and support websites informing on CASPCOM in national languages;
NMHSs are to consider the possibility to apply the experience in Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) presented at the Session by theIranianParty in their national activities and to report about this at the 4(24) CASPCOM Session;
CASPAS Coordinator shall prepare the annotated Agenda for the following Session and forward it to the NMHSs no less than a month prior to the Session.

3. CASPCOM cooperation with international and economic organizations

Welcoming the information provided by the representatives of the Interim Secretariat of the Tehran Convention on preparation of the 2-nd Report on the State of the Environment of the Caspian Sea, current work of the Working group of the Convention on Monitoring and Assessment and other issues, and expressing willingness to future closer cooperation

The Session recommends as follows:

CASPCOM is to expand and strengthen operating contacts with the Tehran Conventionon the basis of the Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2013 in the areas of mutual interest including the conventioninitiated projects,
CASPAS Coordinator, in line with CASPCOM competence, is to be conferred authority to cooperate with the Interim Secretariat of the Tehran Convention as a matter of routine procedure in time between the sessions with informing NMHSs on a regular basis about the results;
CASPCOM shall take part in preparation of the project proposal of the Tehran Convention Secretariat for the Green fund, in line with CASPCOM competence;
CASPAS Coordinator shall organize the registration of CASPCOM site users in order to take account of their interests while developing CASPCOM information products.

4. Election of CASPCOM Chair and Deputy Chair

The Session has elected President of IRIMO Mr. Davood Parhizkaras CASPCOM Chair and Director General of Kazhydromet Mr. Marat Kynatov as CASPCOM Deputy Chair.

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

The Session addressed the Iranian Party with a proposal to consider an opportunity of holding the following 4 (24) CASPCOM Session in Iran in the autumn of 2019, and to inform NMHSs and CASPAS Coordinator on the date and venue of the Session not later than three months before it.

6. Adoption of resolutions and recommendations of the 3 (23) CASPCOM session

The Session has adopted the proposed resolutions and recommendations.