WMO names Celeste Saulo as first female secretary-general

June 1 (UPI) -- The World Meteorological Organization named Argentina's Celeste Saulo as secretary-general of the agency on Thursday, making her the first woman ever to hold the position.

Saulo will replace Petteri Taalas when she assumes office in January. Saulo, the current director of the National Meteorological Service of Argentina, received the required two-thirds votes in the 193-member WMO to win the post.

The WMO is a United Nations organization made up of weather experts around the world serving the globe's authoritative voice on weather, climate and water. The organization has played a critical role in recent years in studying and documenting the impact of climate change on Earth.

The WMO also named Abdulla Al Mandous, director general of the National Center of Meteorology of the United Arab Emirates, as its next president. He currently serves as president of the WMO Regional Association for Asia.

"In these times when inequality and climate change are the greatest global threats, the WMO must contribute to strengthening the meteorological and hydrological services to protect populations and their economies, providing timely and effective services and early warning systems," Saulo said.

In April, the WMO warned that trending climate change continues to give hints of future food insecurity and mass migration. The Global Climate 2022 report said weather changes last year exacerbated conditions for the 95 million displaced people throughout the world.

"My ambition is to lead the WMO towards a scenario in which the voice of all Members is heard equally, prioritizing those most vulnerable and in which the actions it undertakes are aligned with the needs and particularities of each one of them," Saulo said.