Port of Spain (May 5, 2011) - The Secretariat of the Association of Caribbean states has expressed firm support to Mr. Tyrone Sutherland, regional candidate for the Presidency of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

Mr. Tyrone Sutherland who presently is the Coordinating Director of the Caribbean Meteorological Organization will be seeking election as President of the WMO at its XVI World Congress which will be taking place in Geneva, Switzerland from May 17th to June 3rd. WMO is the specialized agency of the United Nations. It is the UN system's authoritative voice on the state and behavior of the Earth's atmosphere, its interaction with the oceans, the climate it produces, the resulting distribution of water resources and related aspects of the environment.

The World Meteorological Congress assembles Members delegates every four years to determine general policies on the scientific and technical programmes of the Organization to be carried out across the world, determines general policies for the fulfillment of the purposes of the Organization, considers membership of the Organization, establishes and coordinates the activities of constituent bodies of the Organization, approves long-term plans and the budget for the following financial period, elects the President and Vice-Presidents of the Organization and members of the Executive Council, and appoints the Secretary-General.

In regards to the Association of Caribbean States, Mr. Sutherland has been actively involved as a Board Member of the Strengthening of Hydro-meteorological Operations and Services in the Caribbean SIDS, (SHOCS) Project between the ACS and the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI).

Moreover, the Member States of the Caribbean Meteorological Organization (CMO) are firmly supporting Mr. Sutherland’s candidature for the Presidency of the WMO. The CMO is the specialized Agency of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) that coordinates the joint scientific and technical activities in weather, water, climate and related sciences in 16 English-speaking Caribbean countries.

Mr. Sutherland has been at the forefront of the governance structure of the WMO for many years and is now one of its longest serving executives. Mr. Sutherland was elected to the WMO Executive Council in 1999 and is now completing his second four-year term as the WMO’s Second Vice-President, having been elected in 2003 and re-elected in 2007.

As the head of the CMO, Mr. Southerland has positively increment the involvement of the CMO into WMO matters, particularly in the transfer of appropriate technology from the more advanced countries. Mr. Southerland’s unbiased leadership qualities have made a significant contribution to the management structure of the WMO.

The ACS Secretariat firmly considers that Mr. Sutherland, who possesses a strong understanding of the scientific and technological developments and knowledge of the operations of the WMO Secretariat, is the most appropriate candidate for the position of President of WMO; in order to provide the necessary guidance to the WMO to ensure that it continues to maintain its global leadership role in the science and related services in weather, water and climate.