At the invitation of the Government of Macao Special Administrative Region, the 40th Session of the ESCAP/WMO Typhoon Committee will be jointly organized by Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau and Typhoon Committee Secretariat, with the support of Macao Foundation, on 21 to 26 November 2007. This international meeting will take place in World Trade Center in Friendship Avenue. Delegations of 14 Country and Territory Members in Asia Pacific Region will participate in this Session, as well as representatives of the Commission for Economic and Social for Asia and Pacific (ESCAP), World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and other international organizations, with a total of approximately 80 delegates. Delegates are generally directors of their respective Meteorological and Hydrological Authorities plus specialists in different components and Typhoon Committee Working Groups. Among the participants in the 40th Session are the representative of the Executive Secretary of ESCAP, Mr. Le Huu Ti, and the representative of Secretary-General of WMO and also Director of Regional Office II & V for Asia and Southwest Pacific of the WMO, Dr. Tokiyoshi Toya. The Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific and World Meteorological Organization jointly established the Typhoon Committee in 1968 with the aim to promote and coordinates efforts to reduce damages caused by the typhoons. The Committee Program included meteorological and hydrological component, natural disaster preparedness and prevention, as well as training and research. Macao has started participating in Typhoon Committee’s works in the beginning of the 90’s and became a full Member in 1992 and hosted the 27th and 33rd Sessions of this Committee respectively in 1994 and 2000 in Macao. Macao has been very active participating in the programs and integrating technicians in their working groups, seminars and training activities promoted by the Typhoon Committee, and has been nominating Macao representatives in different components of the activities of the Committee: meteorology, hydrology, natural disaster preparedness and prevention, training and research. The very active involvement of Macao in the work of the Committee and the strong support of the Central Government succeeded in moving officially the Typhoon Committee Secretariat to Macao on 13 February 2007. It is the first international organization to have its headquarters located here since the handover of the sovereignty to the People’s Republic of China. The realization of this Session in Macao is a recognition, by ESCAP, WMO and Members of the Typhoon Committee of the involvement and contribution of Macao in regional and international affairs in the areas of meteorology as well as in other programs and activities that affect the population covered by this Organization. The opening ceremony will take place on 9:30am of 21 November 2007 in Outer Harbor, at Lotus Room of World Trade Center and will be presided by His Excellency the Chief Executive of the Macao Special Administrative Region, Dr. Edmund Ho Hau Wah, and the Secretary for Transport and Public Works, Eng. Lau Si Io will officiate the open Session.
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