Much of our knowledge on climate comes from global scientific and technical programmes coordinated by WMO. The Organization's mandate is to coordinate and facilitate world-wide cooperation in making and exchanging standardized and quality-controlled meteorological, hydrological and geophysical observations as well as their analysis, understanding and interpretation. WMO is sensitive and responsive to the changing global needs for meteorological and hydrological support to an ever-widening spectrum of human activities.

WMO, working with UNEP, is responsible for the periodic assessments of climate change issued by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and for the publication of the biennial reviews of the Global Climate System. The latter publication is an output from the Climate System Monitoring project of the World Climate Data and Monitoring Programme (WCDMP). In June 1993, the 45th session of the Executive Council of WMO decided that greater efforts were needed to promote the WMO role as a provider of credible scientific information on climate and its variability and requested that arrangements be made for the regular wide distribution, starting in 1994, of WMO statements on the status of the global climate. In response to this decision, statements have been provided annually through the Climate Change Detection project of the WCDMP.

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In support of Rio+20 outcome paragraph 90 - We stress the need for the continuation of a regular review of the state of the Earth's changing environment and its impact on human well-being.

The Environment Under Review aims to contribute to sustainable development and improved well-being through empowering stakeholders at global, regional and national levels. It aims to do this by: providing open web platforms, services and access to timely, substantiated knowledge about the environment and emerging issues and strengthening capacities to make use of substantiated knowledge in decision-making.

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In support of Rio+20 outcome paragraph 90 - We stress the need for the continuation of a regular review of the state of the Earth's changing environment and its impact on human well-being.

The United Nations Environment Assembly of UNEP (UNEA) is a result of the call made by world leaders at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), held in Brazil in June 2012, to strengthen and upgrade UNEP as the leading global environmental authority that sets the global environmental agenda and by establishing universal membership in its Governing Council. As the new governing body of UNEP, UNEA has the mandate to take strategic decisions, provide political guidance in the work of UNEP and promote a strong science-policy interface. The first UNEA session took place from 23 to 27 June 2014, which was covered by UNEP's magazine 'Our Planet'.

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In support of Rio+20 outcome paragraph 90 - We stress the need for the continuation of a regular review of the state of the Earth's changing environment and its impact on human well-being.