To be successful, GFCS needs to be fully country driven. WMO Members can influence GFCS by commenting on the draft Implementation Plan and then participating actively in the debate at the Extraordinary Session of Congress in October as well as at the Users Conference that will immediately precede it. In this way, they will not only ensure that GFCS meets their own particular national needs, but they will help to make GFCS more relevant and effective for all countries.
Just as Heads of State and Government and Ministers played a key role at WCC - 3 in launching work on GFCS, their engagement in the Extraordinary Congress would make an enormous difference in advancing its implementation. The decisions at Congress are of political importance because they will shape the national commitments and benefits that GFCS will generate. Coming just a month before the annual conference of the UNFCCC, and less than a year before the launches of the IPCC’s Fifth Assessment Report begin, the Extraordinary Congress coincides with an important period on the international climate calendar.