2 March 2015: The Climate Knowledge Brokers (CKB) Group Coordination Hub, the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP) and the Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) have released the report from their 2014 annual workshop, which sought to strengthen collaboration among knowledge brokers working in the climate and development fields.

As outlined in the report, the workshop aimed to: provide a platform for sharing experiences, best practices and lessons learned; learn how other organizations view the needs of climate information users; reflect on the work of the previous year; and set ambitions for the coming year.

According to the report, key take-aways from the workshop include: shared tools and joint projects, such as projects cutting across the water-energy-food nexus, create a climate knowledge value chain that mutually benefits members; the collaborative and networking aspect of the CKB Hub is particularly well-received and should be strengthened; there is high demand for an effective Climate Knowledge Grid; CKB members not only manage online portals to information but are also often involved in the monitoring and evaluation of their organizations; and end users’ needs assessments should be conducted and the results shared with the Group.

The report also notes that ‘Climate Tagger,’ which links websites and their content together, now offers a range of tools and that the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) is planning to expand functionality and dissemination of the Knowledge Navigator. Among other key points, the report emphasizes the importance of considering the potential value-added before creating a new online platform or enhancing an existing one.

Among next steps identified in the report are: developing a joint mission and vision for the CKB Hub, surveying CKB members; implementing a monitoring and evaluation strategy; creating greater links among online tools and websites; and increasing communication among members.

The report also provides detailed background on the CKB Group, describes its membership and details the interactions of each session during the workshop. The workshop was held 4-5 October 2014 and was hosted by the IDS in Brighton, UK. [REEEP Press Release] [CKB Group Website] [2014 Climate Knowledge Brokers Workshop Report] [Workshop Webpage]