34th Session of the South Asian Climate Outlook Forum (SASCOF-34) for the Summer Season and Climate Services User Forum (CSUF)
- Apr 25-30, 2026
- Male, Maldives
Climate Services User Forum (CSUF)
- Wednesday-Thursday | Apr 29-30, 2026
Participants: Representatives from user sectors in South Asian countries, regional and development partners, NMHSs
Purpose:
- Strengthen user sectors’ ability to interpret the SASCOF consensus outlook
- Improve understanding of impact-based forecasting concepts
- Strengthen capabilities in communicating climate risks and translating probabilistic forecasts into sector-specific advisories
- Integrate climate outlooks into planning and anticipatory action
- Share best practices on the application of climate services in different sectors
Target Outputs and Outcomes:
- Documented user feedback
- Strengthened producer-user co-production process
- Better interpretation and translation of forecasts into sector-specific advisories
DAY 1 – 29 April 2026 (Wednesday) Climate Services User Forum (CSUF) 9:00 – 16:00 (UTC+5) | Malé, Maldives |
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|---|---|---|---|
| Session | Time | Details | Lead/Speaker(s) |
| Registration | 08:30 – 09:00 | ||
| Opening / Inaugural Session | 09:00 – 09:45 | - Recitation of Holy Quran - Remarks/Messages | - Dr. O.P. Sreejith, RCC-Pune, IMD - Maldives Honourable Minister for Tourism and Environment - Mr. David Corbelli, UKMO - Dr. Anshul Agarwal, RIMES-SAHF |
| Overview of the Forum, Participant Acknowledgment | 09:45 – 10:20 | ||
| Group Photo Opportunity | 10:20 – 10:30 | ||
| Health / Tea Break | 10:30 – 10:50 | ||
| Session I: SASCOF-34 Consensus Outlook for JJA 2026 Season (RCC-Pune) | |||
| Presentation of SASCOF-34 Consensus Outlook | 10:50 – 11:05 | - Dr. Sreejith, RCC/IMD | |
| Presentation on Impact Outlook Developed for the South Asian Region at SASCOF-34 and its implications for key sectors | 11:05 – 11:20 | - | - Leila/Rahul, ESCAP |
| Session II: Sub-Seasonal Products and their Utilisation (RCC-Pune) | |||
| Extended-Range Forecast Products | 11:20 – 11:35 | - Dr. Susmida, IITM | |
| S2S Forecast Products from NCMRWF | 11:35 – 11:50 | - Ankur Gupta | |
| Introduction of Recent Updates of Tokyo Climate Center (TCC)’s Services | 11:50 – 12:00 | - Mr. Ken Yamada, TCC-JMA | |
| Lunch Break | 12:00 – 13:00 | ||
| Session III: Status of Climate Services and Impact-Based Forecasting (RIMES Team) | |||
| Presentation of the Regional Assessment on the Status of Climate Services and TNA Report | 13:00 – 13:20 | - Dr. Anshul Agarwal, RIMES | |
| Session IV: Interpretation of Climate Information and Products | |||
| Forecasting Impact of Climate Drivers on Agricultural Sector: An ongoing research at RIMES | 13:20 - 13:40 | - Raihanul Haque Khan, RIMES | |
| Interpretation of Seasonal Outlooks, Probabilistic Forecasts, and Climate Advisories | 13:40 – 14:10 | - Dr. Jane Strachan, UK Met Office | |
| User Sector Presentation | 14:10 – 14:25 | - Dr Jothiganesh Shanmugasundaram, WFP | |
| Health / Tea Break | 14:25 – 14:40 | ||
| Session V: Case-based Discussions: Application of Climate Services in Decision-Making | |||
| Climate Services for Disaster Management | 14:40 – 14:50 | - Ms. Faroosha Ali Naseer, NDMA Maldives | |
| Climate Services for Agriculture: SESAME DSS (Bhutan) | 14:50 – 15:00 | - Ms. Tshering Pema, Department of Agriculture Bhutan | |
| Experience-sharing from the User Sectors | 15:00 – 15:10 | - Nirmala Regmi, NDRRMA & Puja Shakya, RIMES | |
| Panel Discussion: Experience-sharing from the User Sectors | 15:10 – 15:40 | - Moderator: Raihanul Haque Khan | |
| Open Discussion | 15:40 – 16:00 | ||
DAY 2 – 30 April 2026 (Thursday) Climate Services User Forum (CSUF) 9:00 – 16:00 (UTC+5) | Malé, Maldives |
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|---|---|---|---|
| Session | Time | Details | Lead/Speaker(s) |
| Registration, Recap of Day 1 | 09:00 – 09:20 | ||
| Framing and Objectives | 09:20 – 09:25 | - Dr. Roxy Mathew Koll, IITM | |
| Seasonal Heat Outlook for Indian Region and South Asia | 09:25 – 09:40 | - Dr. Rohini P., IMD / WMO RCC | |
| Sub-seasonal Heat Outlook and Forecast Use for Early Action | 09:40 – 09:55 | - MD / NCMRW | |
| Heat-Health Advisory and Public Health Preparedness | 09:55 – 10:10 | - Dr. Aakash Shrivastava, NCDC/MOHFW | |
| Heat Risk Preparedness in Maldives | 10:10 – 10:25 | - Shri Hisan Hassan, NDMA, Maldives | |
| Health / Tea Break | 10:25 – 10:45 | ||
| From Forecasts to Action: Synergizing Heat Health Resilience across Meteorology, Health Sectors, and Communities in South Asia | 10:45 – 11:00 | - Dr. Novil Wijesekaram, Sri Lanka | |
| Heat Risk Preparedness in India | 11:00 – 11:15 | - Shri Krishna Vatsa, NDMA India | |
| Roundtable Discussion with Experts | 11:15 – 11:30 | ||
| Key Takeaways and Next Steps | 11:50 – 12:00 | ||
| Lunch Break | 12:00 – 13:00 | ||
| Climate Services in the Health Sector: WMO-WHO Initiatives for South Asia (continuation) | 13:00 – 13:15 | - Dr. Vishwas Chitale, GHHIN South Asia | |
| Session VII: Analyzing Communicating Sector Specific Climate Risks | |||
| Demonstration of the INSTANT South Asia Portal | 13:15 - 13:30 | - RIMES | |
| Interactive Session: Co-Production of Climate Outlook and Advisories Improving awareness and dissemination of climate information within sector institutions and communities | 13:30 – 14:40 | - Raihanul Haque Khan & Asif Uddin Bin Noor, RIMES | |
| Tea Break | 14:40 – 15:00 | ||
| Session VIII: Using Long-Term Climate Information | |||
| Use of Climate Projections to Support Infrastructure Planning and Climate Adaptation Strategies | 15:00 – 15:30 | - IITM (online) & ESCAP | |
| Open Discussions | 15:30 – 15:50 | ||
| Way Forward and Closing Remarks | 15:50 – 16:00 | ||
