It was pointed out that the capacity of the working groups established at the first meeting of the GTOS Steering Committee was probably overestimated, but they remain a useful tool. It was suggested that the working group members be given time to meet when the second Steering Committee meeting is held.
There was some concern about the structure of the Steering Committee (i.e. technical members mixed with representatives from the Co-sponsors). It was reaffirmed that the role of the Steering Committee is to guide the Secretariat and to provide programme development, implementation guidance and scientific and technical advice to the Co-sponsors.
There was discussion on the budget, which is still limited to the annual contributions of the Co-sponsors to the GTOS Trust Fund. The Co-sponsors were asked to commit at least the same amount of money for 1998 and 1999. It was agreed that every effort has to be made to provide visibility to GTOS, through publications and products in order to establish a communication and collaboration with the users.
All Steering Committee members, and not just the Co-sponsors, were encouraged to identify and follow up on opportunities for obtaining financial support for GTOS.
The group strongly recommended that an effort be made to organize the next full Steering Committee meeting before the end of 1997. It was agreed that the Secretariat would explore with some Steering Committee members the possibility of having support from Spain or USA. It was also suggested that it should be a 5 day meeting.
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Follow-up actions: · Co-sponsors to confirm their commitment, with regards to the annual contributions to the GTOS Trust Fund, for 1998 and 1999. · Secretariat to prepare a detailed list of costs for a Steering Committee meeting and to explore the possibility of external support in Spain, Japan and the USA, in order to organize the second meeting of the Steering Committee before the end of 1997. |
