VACS meeting

Meeting Date: 13-15^th July 2006

Location: TMA, Dar es Salaam

(Note that the first afternoon was joint with the VACS workshop at the Dar es Salaam International Conference Centre)

Attendees:

Kerry Cook (panel)

Ali Giannini (panel)

Laban Ogallo (panel)

Dan Olago (panel)

Chris Reason (panel)

Fred Semazzi (panel)

Wassila Thiaw (panel)

Richard Washington (panel)

Mike Sparrow (ICPO)

Andy Morse (expert)

Simon Mason (expert) – Thursday only

Joseph Intsiful (expert)

Willem Landman (expert)

Dr Mpeta (TMA rep)

Friday, July 14^th

08.45-09.00 Welcome etc. (Dr Mhita, DG of TMA)

09.00-09.15 Meeting Outline (Chris Reason)

09.15-09.45 VACS priorities and directions over the next few years. Links to CLIVAR roadmap and SSG report etc. To be revisited at end of meeting (Richard W)

09.45-10.40 Discussion of outcomes from workshop (Part 1 Southern Africa: Chris/Richard; Part 2 Eastern Africa: Fred/Laban)

10.40-11.10 Tea/coffee

11.10-11.45 Discussion on workshop concept, e.g.

(a) should we have more VACS run workshops? Broad decision in principle needed.

b) which regions should we target and when should they be?

c) who should lead the effort for each?

d) what funding sources can we target?

e) how should the content match the need/funders etc

11.45-12.05 ICPO support + other matters, e.g. new CLIVAR FOCUS magazine, World Climate News article (Mike S)

12.05-1.00 Lunch

13.00-13.55 Developments with African Climate since G8, including GCOS GAP analysis, Addis meeting and mainstreaming climate into African development (Laban O & Richard W.)

13.55-14.20 AFRICANNESS and links to VACS (Dan O)

14.20-14.50 - Report on the Workshop for Enhancing Collaborative Research on the Environment in Sub-Saharan Africa – link to VACS priorities. Discussion on submitted document (Fred S)

14.50-15.20 – East African Initiative – update and relevance to VACS (Fred S/ Laban O)

15.20-15.35 VACS Africa Climate Atlas (Richard W)

15.35-15.55 Tea/coffee

15.55-16.35 AMMA: update and VACS role within AMMA (e.g. bridging links with rest of continent; capacity building; African participation; sustained obs. System etc.) (Richard W)

16.35-17.20 Links with Indian (and other basin) panels (e.g. there are several issues including the proposal to have next panel meetings back-to-back or to have the IOP meeting in Africa with a workshop attached). VACS interaction with WGSIP, AAMP, IOP, AIP, WCRP seasonal prediction experiment

(Chris R/Andy M/Willem L)

17.20-17.40 Decadal Scale issues – discuss review paper and ask for volunteers to contribute (all)

17.40-18.10 Recent research on eastern Africa (Laban O)

Saturday, July 15^th

08.45-09.10 Report on workshop on Health and Climate – (comment on submitted document?)(Wassila T)

09.10-09.50 Update on the plans for the conference on African Climate: Past, Present and Future (Kerry C)

09.50-10.15 Next WCRP (JSC) meeting in Africa – what role should VACS play? (Laban O)

10.15-10.40 Coffee/Tea

10.40-11.10 Developing Decision Support Systems for the sustainable management of water resources (Joseph I)

11.10-11.30 Revisit VACS priorities and directions over the next few years taking into account meeting outcomes (Richard W/Chris R)

11.30-11.50-Membership issues (new chair; membership rotation etc.)

11.50-12.05 Next Meeting? Location/Time etc. (all)

12.05-12.45 Review of actions, close (Chris R/Mike S)