Facing a severe shortfall in dues from member states, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has announced a sweeping internal review of its priorities, operations and staffing. As of the end of August 2025, unpaid assessments amount to approximately 48 million Swiss francs — roughly two-thirds of its annual budget. That sum includes more than 30 million francs owed by the United States.

In response to this financial crunch, the WMO has initiated a cost-cutting exercise and formed a task force that will work early next year to restructure its agenda and reallocate resources. The organisation plans to eliminate 26 posts and reduce travel budgets as part of the effort to “make sure we are fit for purpose and that we can face the future,” according to its spokesperson.

What Built the Pressure: Growing Mandate, Flat Budget

The financial squeeze comes at a moment of mounting global climate and weather challenges. The WMO’s remit includes providing the foundational data and early-warning systems that underpin national weather forecasting, climate monitoring, water management and disaster-risk reduction. Climate-driven extremes are intensifying worldwide, pushing demand for timely warnings, more satellites, denser observational networks and broader services.

Yet the agency’s core funding model, reliant on member-state assessed contributions and voluntary extra-budgetary resources, has remained largely static. In its 75th year, the organisation has flagged that its budget lacks the predictability and flexibility needed to meet the scale of the challenge. For example, although it secured extra project commitments totalling more than 40 million francs in early 2025, those funds are largely earmarked for specific programmes and do not address the underlying gap in core operations.

Analysts note that a mismatch now exists: rising demand for data, early warning and services, but constrained resources to deliver and scale them. The WMO report emphasised that this structural gap “threatens the continuation and growth of these indispensable services.”

Realignment of Priorities: More Focus, Fewer Resources

With budgets tight and obligations expanding, the WMO is officially recalibrating. The review task force will begin work in January and aims to propose a leaner organisational model, sharper priority-setting, and greater use of technology such as artificial intelligence in forecasting. The underlying logic: deliver more relevant services with fewer resources by focusing on impact-driven programmes, streamlining processes and increasing partnerships.

Part of the recalibration involves scaling down travel and non-essential staffing, trimming operational costs and concentrating on core programmes such as the “Early Warnings for All” initiative — which aims to ensure that every person on Earth is protected by an early-warning system by 2027. The WMO will place greater emphasis on cloud-based delivery, remote-sensing integration and regional capacity building rather than overhead-heavy global management.

Internally, the agency acknowledges that it must become more agile and better aligned to the operating environment of rising climate risk, tighter budgets and greater demand for actionable services. The question now is whether federated national agencies and private-sector partners can plug the gap, or whether global forecasting and warning capacity will be compromised by resource constraints.

Impacts on Forecasting, Disaster Response and Member States

The repercussions will be felt most acutely in developing countries where national meteorological and hydrological services depend heavily on WMO coordination, data exchange and technical support. Some of the most vulnerable populations – in small island states, least-developed countries and conflict-affected regions – are already operating with weaker observation networks and less robust forecast infrastructure. For those countries, any reduction in global coordination or delayed data flows can translate directly into higher risk of disaster losses.

Moreover, the WMO’s role in ensuring data interoperability, standardised observation networks and global forecasting models means that a drop in its capability could slow improvements in lead times for storms, floods and droughts. Financial shortfalls may reduce the pace of sensor upgrades, satellite data access and training for national services — all of which undermine global resilience.

At the same time, budget constraints are forcing tougher trade-offs. The WMO could delay or scale back investments in new technologies, such as advanced machine-learning systems for predicting extreme events, or defer expansion of observational networks in under-served regions. As one internal document notes, the “gap between ambition and available core resources remains a critical concern.”

The fact that dozens of countries are behind on their assessed contributions is itself a symptom of broader geopolitical and budgetary pressures. For the WMO, late payments of 48 million francs highlight how dependence on national dues creates systemic vulnerability. When major contributors default or delay payments, the agency’s funding base shrinks and its planning becomes unsettled.

Some member states tie their contributions to broader debates about international institutions, climate policy and accountability. In some cases, financial contributions are delayed due to domestic budget decisions or constraints on foreign-aid flows. For the WMO, this means that even if demand for its services increases, its capacity to respond may shrink if dependable funding is not forthcoming.

The situation raises questions about the sustainability of the global meteorological architecture. If the lead organisation cannot rely on stable core funding, can it maintain the same level of service and innovation? Will member states be willing to increase their assessed contributions, or will they expect the agency to do more with less? And how will the WMO engage the private sector, philanthropic donors or regional bodies to diversify its funding base?

Technology, Innovation and the Role of Partnerships

One silver lining is that the WMO is explicitly looking toward innovation and partnerships as part of its response. The review task force will explore greater use of artificial intelligence for early warning, smarter integration of satellite data, improved share of forecast models and collaboration with private-sector weather and climate-data providers. By doing more with technology and reducing duplication, the agency hopes to offset budget pressures.

Regional capacity-building is another avenue. The agency emphasises that shifting some functions from a centralised model to regional or national authorities can reduce costs and increase relevance. Countries with stronger systems can absorb responsibilities, allowing the WMO to focus on global coordination, standards and gap-filling.

However, the shift to partnerships and innovation does not fully replace the need for core funding. Technology may improve efficiency, but it does not address the fundamental cost base of maintaining observation networks, satellites, modelling centres and expertise. Without dependable funding, the risk is that innovation becomes patchy rather than systemic.

Reinforcing Early-Warning Systems Amid Budget Crunch

The WMO is also re-centering its priority on early-warning systems, especially in vulnerable countries. More than half of weather-related deaths occur in developing nations due to limited warning infrastructure, weak forecasting and insufficient coordination. The WMO’s capacity to support those systems is now being tested by its own internal constraints.

In practical terms, that means fewer resources might be available for training meteorologists in frontier states, fewer satellites devoted to under-observed regions, or slower rollout of advanced forecasting tools. Given the rising toll from climate-driven extreme weather — floods, heat waves, wildfires, tropical cyclones — the timing of the funding crunch is particularly problematic. The WMO’s own materials warn that its ability to serve societal needs is challenged by resource gaps.

The agency’s forthcoming “fit-for-purpose” review is designed to prioritise high-impact programmes — for instance stepping up early warnings in areas with low coverage, streamlining data flows, and leveraging partnerships — while deferring or reducing lower-impact functions. The broader aim is to ensure that despite budget constraints, the WMO retains capability where it matters most for lives and livelihoods.

The current recalibration marks a strategic pivot in global meteorological governance. For decades, the reliance on assessed contributions and voluntary funds worked when stakes were lower. Now, with climate risk rising rapidly, the system is under stress. The WMO must demonstrate both relevance and accountability to persuade member states and private funders that investment is essential.

Within the agency, reform of governance and administrative structures is already under way. Past reviews identified issues of structure, change-management, budget transparency and member-state engagement. The current review is adding operational urgency to those structural reforms. A major question is whether the WMO can emerge from this period leaner, smarter and more digitally enabled, without compromising its global mandate.

At the same time, funding innovation is increasingly visible. The WMO is exploring public-private partnerships, philanthropic support, regional funding pools, and blended finance models to top up its budget. Its funding strategy now recognises that core functions must be funded predictably, and that project-based funding alone is insufficient. Yet launching new funding streams takes time, and the agency must manage the immediate shortfall while building longer-term resilience.

The WMO’s decision to re-prioritise and restructure is not simply an organisational exercise: it reflects a hard reality of global climate governance. Rising hazards, new technologies and increasing global interdependence require an agile, well-funded coordinating body. With its funding under pressure and member dues lagging, the WMO must navigate a path to remain relevant, effective and impactful in a world where weather data and early warnings are becoming increasingly vital.

(Adapted from ThePrint.com)