The Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) has been working with the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) for a decade to foster improvement in systematic observation in support on the Climate Convention. This has involved continuing and substantive interaction with the UNFCCC’s Subsidiary Body on Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) and thereby with its governing body, the Conference of Parties (COP).

In a companion paper, the recently completed “Implementation Plan for the Global Observing Systems for Climate in Support of the UNFCCC”, which has been prepared in response to decision 11/CP.9, adopted by the Conference of the Parties (COP) at its ninth session, held in Milan, Italy in December 2003, is discussed. The Plan has been developed by a group of scientific authors under the leadership of GCOS, and in cooperation with its observing system partners.

This paper reports on a set of activities, organized by GCOS, with the support of a number of countries to provide a strategic approach to providing global coverage of the key “essential climate variables”, developed in the “Second Report on the Adequacy of the Global Observing Systems for Climate in Support of the UNFCCC” that was prepared for SBSTA in June 2003. This strategy must involve the participation of countries in the developing regions of the world.

The key features of this strategy are: 1. Improved monitoring, analysis and archiving of the basic observations and historical data sets needed to implement the decisions of the Climate Convention; 2. Development of observing system standards for improved data quality, especially as related to long term calibration-validation of satellite observations and to observations and products for the terrestrial domain; 3. Highlighting the regional needs for climate observations in order to strengthen the global networks and to improve the capability of the developing regions to respond to their needs for information on climate impacts, vulnerability and adaptation; 4. Establishment of a GCOS Cooperation Mechanism and the related GCOS Cooperation Board “ to facilitate cooperation amongst donor countries, between donor and recipient countries, and amongst countries and existing funding and implementation mechanisms, in addressing high-priority needs for the improvement of global observing systems for climate in developing countries. 5. Specific improvements in high priority observations in developing countries, especially in the least-developed countries (LDCs) and small-island developing states (SIDS);

This paper will discuss the specific actions that GCOS, in partnership with interested countries and international organizations, has taken and will be taking to implement this strategy. The activities that further support the goals and implementation of GEO will be discussed.