The 20th ESCAP/WMO^* Typhoon Committee Attachment Training course was held online from 9 to 11 March 2021.

The Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre (RSMC) Tokyo – Typhoon Center has run annual ESCAP/WMO Typhoon Committee Attachment Training courses since 2001 with the support of the WMO Tropical Cyclone Programme and the Typhoon Committee in order to enhance the tropical cyclone (TC) analysis and forecasting capacity of Committee Members. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 course was held virtually with 44 attendees from the seven Typhoon Committee Members (Hong Kong China, Macao China, Malaysia, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, Singapore and Thailand). RSMC New Delhi senior forecaster Ms. Sunitha Devi attended as an invited presenter, and two researchers from the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) Meteorological Research Institutes joined the attendees' presentation session.

At the opening session, Mr. Obayashi Masanori (Director-General of the Atmosphere and Ocean Department at JMA) highlighted the main purpose of the training, that is to provide a solid understanding of monitoring, analysis and forecasting for tropical cyclones based on RSMC Tokyo products, and to raise awareness of up-to-date public weather services and information design based on the concept of the 10-year Vision to Protect Life and Property from Tropical Cyclones as delineated in the Tokyo Statement from the High-level Dialogues on Tropical Cyclones held in Tokyo, Japan in October 2019. The training course also addressed the promotion of information sharing on recent tropical cyclone activities conducted by contributing services.

The online course saw active discussions between presenters and attendees, with more than 50 questions and comments made during the three-day event regarding RSMC-Tokyo operational services and products and technical aspects of tropical cyclones. Mr. Tanaka Nobuyuki, Head of the Tokyo Typhoon Center, gave a presentation on best practices in Japan and JMA disaster risk mitigation measures. Attendee presentations included case studies on TCs affecting individual areas, highlighting the characteristics of such phenomena and how neighboring Meteorological Services implement TC-related services.

During the closing session, Mr. Cyrille Honoré (Director of the DRR and Public Services Branch within the WMO Services Department) highlighted how current climate changes mandate the development and maintenance of competency in typhoon monitoring, forecasting and warning services. Training was also highlighted as a key element in the WMO strategy for long-term capacity and personnel development to reflect and leverage progress in sciences and technology to better address public need. Against such a background, RSMC-Tokyo is committed to playing vital roles in improving competence and skills of forecasters, thus the capacities of Meteorological Services in the Typhoon Committee region via training to meet various regional needs, from basic application to state-of-the-art tropical cyclone forecasting and monitoring techniques and methodologies. It is expected that the annual training will serve to help save lives and mitigate the impacts of hazardous conditions relating to tropical cyclones in the region.

^* United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific/World Meteorological Organization