The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the World Bank signed an agreement on Thursday to work together to help developing nations manage water resources, combat drought, and measure changes in climate.

Future projects are expected to take place initially in the Latin American region, notably in Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru, while other projects could be launched in other parts of the world, according to a joint statement released by the two agencies.

This new partnership will allow NOAA scientists and resource managers and the World Bank to more readily assist global communities in building resilience to climate extremes, said the statement.

Specifically, the assistance can help establish end-to-end early warning systems, enhance and protect local ecosystems, and realize the benefits of an integrated earth observing system, it added.

"This initiative enables us to marry financial resources and technical resources – bringing them together for sustainable development," said Dr. William J. Brennan, NOAA's deputy assistant secretary for international affairs.

"This helps us realize our mutual goals to decrease suffering from natural disasters and bolster economies while sustaining our environment. Together these efforts seek to improve livelihoods and reduce global poverty," he stressed.

The NOAA, an agency of the US Commerce Department, is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and information service delivery for transportation.

Through the emerging Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS), NOAA is working with its federal partners, more than 70 countries and the European Commission to develop a global monitoring network that is as integrated as the planet it observes, predicts and protects.

"We have always believed that good development is based on solid partnerships," said Katherine Sierra, World Bank vice president of sustainable development.

"Today's agreement allows us to work more easily with an important partner in development and to bring the complementary strengths of our two organizations together for this common cause, " she added.

(Xinhua News Agency February 29, 2008)