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Scientific and Technical Meeting on Strengthening the Scientific Base of UNEP:

Scientific and Technical Meeting on Strengthening the Scientific Base of UNEP: A Brief Summary Report Thomas Rosswall International Council for Science (ICSU). The Context. Important UNEP initiative Science is essential to identify environmental problems and develop solutions

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Scientific and Technical Meeting on Strengthening the Scientific Base of UNEP:

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  1. Scientific and Technical Meeting on Strengthening the Scientific Base of UNEP: A Brief Summary Report Thomas Rosswall International Council for Science (ICSU)

  2. The Context • Important UNEP initiative • Science is essential to identify environmental problems and develop solutions • Policy development should be based on best available knowledge • Scientific research – monitoring – assessment - policy

  3. Central Issues • Input necessary from natural, social, engineering and health sciences • Partnerships are essential: - With the international science community (e.g ICSU and TWAS) - With other components of the UN system (e.g., UNESCO) - With ongoing and planned assessments - With Multilateral Environmental Agreements

  4. The Survey • Provides an excellent point of departure • Results are important both for the scientific and policy communities • Question 3 identifies needs and gaps to be linked with the 5 clusters of Box 1 • Rich discussion in the Scientific and Technical Meeting • Broad participation in the consultation

  5. Recommendations • Rich input to UNEP Secretariat but this report focuses on two issues • Interlinkages of drivers of change and sectors • Strengthening the scientific credibility of the GEO process

  6. Interlinkages • A targeted report linked to the GEO process • Mainstreaming environment into the development agenda – MDG and JPI • Provide an overview of the assessment “landscape” • Meet objectives of MEAs (partnerships) • Build on assessment interlinkages reports (e.g., IPCC, CBD, MA, GEF-STAP)

  7. Interlinkages (cont.) • Address spatial (global, regional, national) and temporal scales • Include capacity building as an essential component • Adaptive management and social learning • UNEP ED to set up an advisory committee to focus on scope, key questions (based on questionnaire), authors and time table

  8. Interlinkages (cont.) • Ensure linkages to the GEO process and products • Build on the needs and gaps identified in the questionnaire survey

  9. Science and GEO • It is essential to strengthen the scientific credibility of GEO • Strengthen linkages with other assessments and the international scientific community (e.g., ICSU and its SCOPE) • Ensure that a sufficient number of collaborative centres with high scientific credibility are involved

  10. Science and GEO (cont.) • Address multiple scales • Improve the review process • For capacity building, collaborate with the various institutions involved and link to, e.g., UN Decade on education for sustainable development • As one example, for GEO4, look specifically climate change and biodiversity interlinkages

  11. To strengthen the scientific base of UNEP is essential, but this consultation was just a first step in a necessary process. Much more is needed! Science must become more policy relevant and the scientific community is ready to contribute.

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