16 August 2018
IPBES Publishes “Roadmap” for Conducting and Communicating Assessments
UN Photo/Mark Garten
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‘The IPBES Guide on the Production of Assessments’ is aimed at all those involved in different types of IPBES assessments, such as co-chairs, authors, review editors and members of technical support units.

Using examples from the IPBES Assessment on Pollinators, the guide explains how to use “confidence terms” and how to identify the key messages for policy makers.

The core guide is supported by a series of eight modules that contain further information for those involved in IPBES assessments.

8 August 2018: The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) has published a guide to help address conceptual, procedural and practical aspects of the IPBES assessments, and to promote consistency in evaluating and communicating the state of knowledge across different scales.

IPBES conducts four main types of assessments: global, regional, thematic and methodological. Each assessment synthesizes and assesses available policy-relevant knowledge on the topic under review, and develops a summary containing key messages for policymakers. An assessment is typically initiated by the Plenary and performed by independent experts from multiple disciplines and from all regions of the world who contribute their time freely. IPBES also encourages and helps catalyze other assessments at lower scales, such as those with a local, national and a more limited sub-regional scope.

The publication titled, ‘The IPBES Guide on the Production of Assessments,’ is aimed at all those involved in different types of IPBES assessments, such as co-chairs, authors, review editors and members of technical support units (TSUs). The guide also seeks to assist those who might want to undertake “IPBES inspired” assessments at different levels to help ensure that such assessments are compatible with larger-scale IPBES assessments.

The guide seeks to assist those who might want to undertake “IPBES inspired” assessments.

Following an introductory chapter, the core part of the guide sets out the four stages of the IPBES assessment process, namely: assessment requests and scoping; expert evaluation of the state of knowledge; approval/acceptance; and use of the assessment findings. The chapter provides detailed explanations of the nomination and selection process, as well as the roles and responsibilities of different actors involved in an assessment. It also explains how to structure the technical reports and executive summaries. Using examples from the IPBES Assessment on Pollinators, the final sections of the chapter explain how to use “confidence terms” and the process for developing a summary for policy makers, including how to identify the key messages.

The core guide is supported by a series of eight modules that contain further information for those involved in IPBES assessments, including explanations of core concepts, recommended practical steps and key resources, and examples of guidelines, plans, strategies and approaches. Other resources available include webinars, e-learning modules, and the IPBES Catalogue for Policy Support Tools and Methodologies.

Once finalized, individual modules will be available for download on the IPBES website.

IPBES was established in 2012 with the aim of strengthening the science-policy interface in order to understand the dynamics in human-nature interactions. Inspired by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA), each IPBES assessment critically evaluates the state of knowledge on the interactions between human societies and the natural world. [Publication: The IPBES Guide on the Production of Assessments] [UNCCD News Release]


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