New Meteorological Training Centre Launched to Enhance Capabilities in Belt and Road Countries

Meteorological Training Centre for Belt and Road Countries established today

The Meteorological Training Centre for Belt and Road Countries was established today (December 3), marking a significant milestone in enhancing the capabilities of meteorological professionals in the Belt and Road (B&R) regionsand promoting future meteorological co-operation and development.

The establishment ceremony of the Training Centre was held this afternoon at the Hong Kong Observatory (HKO). Officiating guests included the Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Mr Tse Chin-wan; Deputy Administrator of the China Meteorological Administration (CMA) Mr Xiong Shaoyuan; the Commissioner for Belt and Road, Mr Nicholas Ho; the Director of Regional Office for Asia and the South-West Pacific of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), Mr Ben Churchill; the Advisor of the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology of Cambodia, Dr Seth Vannareth; the Director of Fiji Meteorological Service, Mr Misaeli Mavoa Funaki; the Director of Jordan Meteorological Department, Mr Ra'ed Ahmad Subhi Rafid; the Director of the Macao Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau, Mr Leong Weng-kun;the Director General of Maldives Meteorological Service, Mr Abdulla Wahid; Deputy Director-General of the Thai Meteorological Department Mr Thanasith Iamananchai; and the Director of the HKO, Dr Chan Pak-wai.

At the ceremony, Mr Tse announced the establishment of the Training Centre. Mr Tse remarked that the Training Centre aims to strengthen climate resilience in the regions through capacity building and knowledge transfer. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government attaches great importance to regional co-operation in meteorological services. The Training Centre will cultivate a network of weather and climate experts to work together to prepare for high-impact and extreme weather.

Mr Xiong congratulated the establishment of the Training Centre and praised the HKO's contributions to various fields in meteorology. He emphasised that the Training Centre will enhance the capabilities of more meteorological organisations along the B&R regions, supporting the WMO's Early Warnings for All initiative. The CMA is willing to strengthen co-operation with the HKO, complement each other's strengths, and fully support the operation of the Training Centre.

Mr Churchill expressed that the establishment of the Training Centre marked a significant step forward in enhancing the resilience of several countries against hazardous weather and aligning with the mission of the Early Warnings for All initiative. He thanked the HKO for its contributions to the WMO over the years and hoped that the Training Centre would provide more information and insights on the latest meteorological developments. He also emphasised the WMO's strong support for the Training Centre.

In addition to the guests present at the ceremony, the President of the WMO, Dr Abdulla Al Mandous, and the heads of more than 10 meteorological agencies from B&R regions extended their congratulations via video on the establishment of the Training Centre. Dr Al Mandous highlighted that the establishment of this Training Centre is a significant milestone in advancing meteorological science and capacity building in the region. The Training Centre aligns with the WMO's mission to promote international co-operation in meteorology, hydrology and related geophysical sciences, contributing to the improvement of weather forecasting and disaster risk reduction.

Dr Chan stated at the ceremony, "The HKO has been involved in providing training to meteorological personnel from around the world for many years. The establishment of the Training Centre will help us strengthen the ability of meteorological professionals over the B&R regions, and promote future meteorological co-operation and technology exchange. Initially, the Training Centre will offer online meteorological training through virtual means and will seek opportunities to provide in-person training for limited number of participants."

The plan of establishing the Training Centre was outlined in the "The Chief Executive's 2023 Policy Address" of the HKSAR. The Training Centre will help enhance the capabilities of meteorological personnel over the B&R regions in responding to adverse weather and resisting natural disasters. Through collaboration with other international organisations, such as the WMO and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), in co-organising training courses, the trainings will also be extended to countries outside the B&R regions.

The first activity of the Training Centre will take place from December 3 to 6 with the theme of aviation meteorological science and service development. Over 90 participants from more than 45 WMO members and ICAO Asia Pacific States will attend the workshop either online or in person. Invited experts will share their professional knowledge and experiences at the workshops.

Meteorological Training Centre for Belt and Road Countries established today Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Meteorological Training Centre for Belt and Road Countries established today Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

GREEN@COMMUNITY has taken over recycling service of waste plastics

​The "Pilot Scheme on Collection and Recycling Services of Plastic Recyclable Materials" (Pilot Scheme) of the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) concluded yesterday (January 18). The collection service of waste plastics in all 18 districts of Hong Kong has been taken over by the operators of GREEN@COMMUNITY.

A spokesman for the EPD said: "After the conclusion of the Pilot Scheme, the recycling service of plastics has been handed over to the GREEN@COMMUNITY recycling network in the respective districts, and the door-to-door collection service of waste plastics provided by the GREEN@COMMUNITY operators to relevant housing estates has also been successfully extended across the territory. The EPD conducted site inspections across districts yesterday and today (January 19) and found that the situation of plastic recycling of residents and housing estates is in order and the operation of GREEN@COMMUNITY recycling stations is generally smooth. The department did not receive any complaint regarding collection service of waste plastics from the relevant housing estates, nor were there any cases observed of certain types of waste plastics not being collected or left unattended. The EPD will continue to monitor the situation."

"After the taking over of waste plastic collection services by GREEN@COMMUNITY, the operators may pass the collected plastics freely to any EPD-approved recyclers for handling, from merely the three designated recyclers under the Pilot Scheme to the current 10 downstream recyclers for processing. The EPD is expediting the approval process and will gradually add more qualified downstream recyclers to the list, further opening up market competition to reduce the cost of collection and recycling of waste plastics," the spokesman added.

The EPD stressed that it will strive to ensure that the plastic collection services for housing estates will remain unaffected after the conclusion of the Pilot Scheme. GREEN@COMMUNITY operators will continue to liaise with the housing estates for more flexible collection services for plastics, as well as other recyclables, with a view to enhancing the cost-effectiveness.

The EPD will continue to strengthen collaboration with GREEN@COMMUNITY operators, downstream recyclers, and relevant housing estates to provide the required plastic recycling services, ensuring that the recycling situation of residents and housing estates remains as usual. The EPD will also step up monitoring of the work of downstream recyclers, including conducting more frequent spot checks, to ensure that all collected waste plastics are properly processed and converted from waste into valuable resources.