Geneva: Former Director of the National Meteorological Service of Argentina, Celeste Saulo, has been appointed as the first female Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO).
She has served as Director of the National Meteorological Service of Argentina since 2014 and is currently the First Vice-President of WMO. She will assume office on January 1, 2024 and succeeds Petteri Taalas, who completed his two-term mandate.
Saulo was appointed after receiving the requisite two-thirds majority of votes from delegates at the quadrennial World Meteorological Congress, the top decision-making body of the 193-Member WMO, according to an official release.
Dr Abdulla Al Mandous Director General of the National Center of Meteorology, United Arab Emirates Permanent Representative of UAE and President of the WMO Regional Association for Asia will be the next WMO President. He received the majority of votes during the presidential elections.
"In these times when inequality and climate change are the greatest global threats, the WMO must contribute to strengthening the Meteorological and Hydrological Services to protect populations and their economies, providing timely and effective services and early warning systems," Saulo said, according to the official release.
"My ambition is to lead the WMO towards a scenario in which the voice of all Members is heard equally, prioritizing those most vulnerable and in which the actions it undertakes are aligned with the needs and particularities of each one of them," she added.
Saulo has pursued a career in academia: she combined her calling for science and teaching with university management and the connection of scientific research with the society's needs.
At the National Meteorological Service of Argentina, she promoted substantive organisational changes, based on a management that strives for concrete results, meets social demands, articulates at national, regional and international levels, and cultivates equity, inclusion and mutual respect.
Saulo was elected in June 2015 as a member of the WMO Executive Council. In April 2018, she was elected as Second Vice-president for WMO and, in June 2019, she was elected First Vice-President, becoming the first woman to hold the office.
Her work has been essential to understanding the South American Monsoon System and the warm season precipitation and circulation patterns that go along with it. She intensified her work on interdisciplinary issues in recent years, including wind energy production, agricultural applications, and early warning systems. According to her, she enjoys playing tennis, cooking for her family and dancing Latin rhythms. She is passionate about music, and enjoys reading and cinema, as per the WMO release. —ANI
