Adhoc Global Assessments Dialogue

The Adhoc Global Assessment Dialogue (AGAD) is an informal process that brings together the Heads of Secretariats and the Co-chairs of major global environmental assessments supported by the UN and its Member States, leveraging inputs from thousands of scientific authors and stakeholders, with the main objective of finding synergies and opportunities for coordination across major assessments. The process is informal and technical in scope, in recognition of the separate and independent governance systems, mandate and work plans in place for each of the major global assessment processes involved – hence the ad hoc term.

The dialogue also aims to serve as an informal mechanism to strengthen the voice of the scientific community as well as civil society to trigger the science-based policy change and action for the urgent transformative change that is necessary to achieve sustainable development.

The ongoing Adhoc Global Assessments Dialogue (AGAD) was first convened under the auspices of the UNEP Chief Scientist in October 2018 and is coordinated by the UNEP GEO team in the Science Division. Its mandate was also reinforced in 2019 through UNEA-4 Resolution 4/23 on keeping the world environment under review that requested the Executive Director of UNEP “to continue to promote greater coherence and coordination of global assessments undertaken within the United Nations system and in cooperation with relevant international bodies and the secretariats of the multilateral environmental agreements”.

The first meeting was attended by Secretariats and Co-chairs of GEO, GSDR, IPBES and IRP. The participants discussed their governance structures, basic guidelines for consulting assessments and feedback from their Member States. The second meeting was held during the Fourth Session of the UN Environment Assembly, in March 2019, where the production of the “Making Peace with Nature” report was first discussed. The outcomes of this meeting served as an input to EA.4/RES.23, specifically paragraphs 7 and 10.

As the staff at Secretariats and Co-chairs have changed over time, a new round of consultations was started in July 2020, aiming at reinitiating the process. New partners were invited to participate in the process, to ensure a clearer representation of the assessment landscape. This also allows the AGAD to consider a wider range of environmental issues and related scientific assessment processes.

In May 2021, a new work plan was approved. The participants agreed on meeting on a quarterly basis. The main elements of the plans are to have meetings focused on specific potential synergy items, including:

Mapping the production schedule and major activities of global assessments: to increase potential collaboration across assessments;
Terminology and glossaries: ensuring clear and consistent communication of science is a key goal of all assessment processes;
Modelling and scenarios: communicating possible futures to decision-makers is one of the most challenging tasks of any assessment.

Since May 2021, the quarterly calls of the group have focused on these topics but also on peer-review processes and the need to digitalize them.

The AGAD also agreed on forming two subgroups, one focused on glossary development and the other on modelling and scenarios.

The modelling and scenario subgroup, formed by experts nominated by the different assessments, met for the first time in September 2022 and agree on some ToRs (please see document below).

A list of partners engaged in the dialogue to date includes:

GEO-7 Secretariat and co-Chairs
IPCC Secretariat and co-Chairs of all thematic working groups
IPBES Secretariat and co-Chairs
Chemicals Outlook team at the UNEP Chemicals Branch in Geneva
Waste Management Outlook Secretariat at the IETC in Japan
Global Land Outlook team of UNCCD and UNCCD Chief Scientist
Global Sustainable Development Report of UN DESA in UN NY
IRP Secretariat and co-Chairs
Global Biodiversity Outlook at the CBD Secretariat and CBD Chief Scientist
The Human Development Report
The World Water Quality Alliance
The Science Policy Panel on sound management of chemicals and waste
The Secretariat (based at the European Environment Agency) of the SOER, European Environment – State and Outlook

For further information on the AGAD process: pierre.boileau@un.org and adele.roccato@un.org

Working Documents

This project is co-funded by the European Union.

This project is co-funded by the European Union.

Adhoc Global Assessments Dialogue

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