2nd  Workshop for RCEs on IPBES Work Programme and Biodiversity & Ecosystem Assessments

22 November 2016, Yogyakarta, Indonesia

​Organizer: United Nations University – Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability (UNU-IAS), Secretariat of the Regional Centres of Expertise (RCE) on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)

Venue: Gadja Mada University Campus

Date: 22 November, 2016

Time: 14:00-18:00

After the successful completion of the first capacity building workshop in RCE Cha-am during the Asia Pacific RCE conference, a second workshop will be held in Yogyakarta, as a pre-event of the Global RCE Conference.

The objective of this workshop is to orient RCEs on the importance of local biodiversity and ecosystem assessment for policy planning and hands on training on methodologies and strategies for such assessments. 

Programme:

14.00 – 14.20    

Opening & Self introduction of participants

14.20- 14.40     

Overview of UNU-IAS’s contribution to IPBES, Various IPBES policy support tools and methodologies, Objectives of the workshop (Mr. Naoya Tsukamoto)

14.40 – 15.10    

Sharing of individual RCE programs in Biodiversity, Ecosystem Services and Indigenous and local knowledge

15.10 - 15.50

Introduction to local ecosystem assessment methodology – GIZ resource person

15.50 - 16.00      Break

16.00 – 17.00    

Group work on ecosystem assessment (facilitated by UNU-IAS and ValuES project)

17.00 – 17.30   

Group presentations (UNU-IAS)

17.30 - 18.00   

Open discussion on way forward & Conclusion

Context: The Intergovernmental Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) was established in 2012. The Task Force on Capacity Building, one among the three taskforces, has been entrusted to develop innovative ways of engaging existing networks to build capacities of multiple stakeholders on the concepts, tools and methodologies related to IPBES work programmes.  UNU-IAS has been collaborating with IPBES for the last two years in areas such as capacity building, research and assessment, and hosting various meetings etc.

In the third plenary of IPBES, UNU-IAS proposed that the RCE network could be an important stakeholder in activities of the Capacity Building task force. This was endorsed by the taskforce indicating that multi-stakeholder learning and decision making processes are crucial for biodiversity-related implementation tasks on the ground. It was also proposed that there is a need for capacity building activities that can provide lessons on decentralized, bottom-up ways of mobilizing and expanding capacities that take into account the principles of cross-sector, multi-stakeholder engagement and reflexive learning situated in local contexts. RCE network is being considered an important stakeholder in raising awareness of the general public through both formal education (e.g. school education, technical and vocational education and training [TVET], higher education) and non-formal and informal learning opportunities (via NGOs, media, peer interactions, etc.) thereby advancing capacities for local BES assessments and linking these with local policy planning processes. 

UNU-IAS proposed to have two pilot workshops for the RCE network partners in 2016. The Asia-Pacific RCE community participants were the target group of the 1st IPBES Capacity Building Workshop on “Assessment and Policy Support Tools”. The workshop focused on the IPBES work programmes, the ValuES project on ecosystem service assessment, policy support tools and methodologies, and IPBES task forces and deliverables, all of which were considered for RCE actions and possible integration into the respective RCE action plans.

Objective: The objective of this workshop is to orient RCEs on the RCE network’s strategic contribution to the IPBES process, the importance of local biodiversity and ecosystem assessment for policy planning and hands on training on methodologies and strategies for such assessments.

Expected Outcome: Expected outcomes is awareness among IPBES work programs and methodologies as well as a collective understanding of collaboration with IPBES as a science-policy interface

Target Audience/Group: RCE members working in the area of biodiversity, ecosystem services and indigenous and local knowledge

Expected Output: The expected output of the workshop will be a report with suggestions on how RCEs can collaborate with IPBES and its various work programs as well as how to strengthen evidence based action at local level.

Follow up: With IPBES Secretariat, various taskforces and other IPBES stakeholder networks