The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations which comprises 193 states and territories maintaining their own meteorological service. The worldwide cooperation in weather, climate and water services gives the WMO a prominent role, with Germany taking a leading position in global meteorology. The WMO is a key provider of reliable data on climate. In 1988 it founded the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) wich publishes a highly regarded annual report, the “WMO Statement on the status of the global climate”, together with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Germany is represented in the WMO by the president of the German Meteorological Service (DWD).