An Interview with Celeste Saulo, WMO Secretary-General

By Sylvie Castonguay, WMO Secretariat

Bulletin – How does it make you feel to be the “first” female Secretary-General of WMO? Few of us get to mark history by being first.

Celeste – I never stopped believing in myself throughout the long campaign to be Secretary-General. But that moment – when the outcome of the first round of voting was announced and I heard I had a resounding victory – I had never imagined it. My overwhelming feeling was of gratitude – to my family, my colleagues and piers – I cannot express it. So much tireless work went into getting me there, that being “first” did not enter my mind. My campaign wasn’t about being first woman, but I think my election will be a turning point for gender equity and inclusivity in the Organization.

Bulletin – To what do you attribute such a resounding victory?

Celeste – Ethics and passion brought me there, thanks to the support of my family, my collaborators and WMO Members. I have been a member of the WMO Executive Council, a second then first WMO Vice-President, Chair of the Research Board, and served on two occasions as the interim president of Regional Association III. I was always willing to put my work at the service of WMO. I did it because I profoundly believe in the value of international cooperation. I think as I act, and act as I think. I promised to bring a new way of leading the Organization. I believe this resonated with a vast majority of WMO constituents.

Bulletin – What are your immediate priority? 

Celeste – To listen to the voice of WMO Members, hear their concerns about their local and regional contexts and the specific challenges they face in implementing, and contributing to, WMO standards and initiatives so that we can provide more meaningful assistance and projects tailored to their needs. I reached out to over 160 Members over the campaign. It was hectic, but it gave me a clear perspective of what WMO really needed from the Secretariat and what I could be part of as Secretary-General. The majority of Members are from developing and least developed States and Territories, yet the WMO agenda does not reflect their needs. For example, initiatives need to be prioritized not multiplied so that the majority of Members do not feel like they are forever trying to catch up.

I have valuable assets for achieving this goal: I am from a developing country and aware of many of the challenges, I know the Organization, its staff and most Members, and the Members know me.

WMO initiatives need to be prioritized, not multiplied, so that the majority of Members do not feel like they are forever trying to catch up.

Bulletin – Some Members have huge ocean territories with sparse populations spread across
many islands, others are small land-locked states. There are big disparities in the level of financing and human resources of National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs). What is the role of WMO in bringing such diverse stakeholders together? Can they achieve the same level of services – can they all provide Early Warnings for All?

Celeste – WMO is unique in that all of it Members come together to help and assist each other and to learn from each other. I must repeat the meteorological mantra: weather, climate and water know no borders. Weather forecasting, climate prediction and water management cannot be done in isolation without observational data and information exchanged between Members. WMO cannot afford to leave any Member behind.

The Secretariat also has in important role to play in elevating the voice of its Members, in bringing them recognition for their contributions to national wellbeing and sustainable development. Governments should be aware of the importance of giving NHMSs a seat at the table when policies and decisions are being made for the security of populations and economic growth. There is no area of business – energy and water needed for production, defining supply and demand, the logistics for delivery of products, etc. – that is not impacted by weather, climate, water.

Bulletin – Where will you start?

Celeste – We need to work from the ground up both with Members and at the Secretariat. Members have a large diversity of on the ground needs that urgently need to be addressed. The Secretariat needs to get closer to Members to gain a fundamental understanding of their situation to provide the right assistance and empower Members. That will require changing the work environment from the ground up in the Secretariat to one that encourages
dialogue, promotes interaction and dismantles isolated work units and competitive practices.

Bulletin – The Joint Inspection Unit of the United Nations points to many issues that have to be addressed at the Secretariat, including the lack of communication between management and the Staff Association. How will you bring about the paradigm shift required at the Secretariat?

Celeste – I knew what I was getting into, I had access to the reports. From the beginning of my campaign, I stressed the need to prioritize staff engagement and welfare. Those who have followed my career know that I have steered ships through worse storms to safe harbour. When I became the Director of the Argentine Meteorological Service (AMS), the 1 100 staff were also waiting for a paradigm shift, including better management, communication, prioritization and planning. Engagement with staff was the key to turning AMS around. The staff became fully involved in strategic planning, identifying priorities and in finding cost-effective solutions for continuous improvement. Together, we re-aligned AMS, then found impetus to improve service delivery by strengthening our ties with academia and society. Momentum gained, we started addressing other issues, implementing plans to promote gender equity, to attract and mentor a younger generation of meteorologists and hydrologists, to adopt emerging technologies and lots more. Throughout, I worked actively and continuously to gain access to the external resources we needed to improve our infrastructure.

Staff engagement is also the key at the WMO Secretariat. WMO Secretariat staff are from different countries, regions and cultures. The diversity brings challenges, but it also brings opportunities. Together, we will consolidate what works well in the Secretariat and address what needs to be improved.

The new Secretary-General engaged with staff in an informal gathering on the first day of her term. She encouraged them to reach out to her, to build strong horizontal relationships with colleagues and to be part of making WMO a good place to work.

Bulletin – What changes would you like to make in the Secretariat?

Celeste – I aim to make the Organization more horizontal. A flatter structure with more regional presence will bring us closer to Members, so we can gain firsthand knowledge of their challenges and listen to their feedback – criticisms and proposals – and better address their needs. Stronger Members make for a stronger Organization that will achieve more than any single Member could hope to achieve on its own. WMO history and landmark programmes, such as the World Weather Watch, have demonstrated this.