About GBO-3

Advisory Group

The preparations for the third edition of Global Biodiversity Outlook are being guided and overseen by an Advisory Group. The Executive Secretary has invited the current and former chairs of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA) as well as the Presidents of the eighth, ninth and anticipated tenth meetings of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to participate as members of this Advisory Group. Representatives from various groups and organizations have also been invited to participate so that they can provide detailed guidance on specific aspects of the preparation of the publication. They include:

• The Informal Advisory Committee for Communication, Education and Public Awareness;
• The 2010 Biodiversity Indicators Partnership project;
• Tebtebba on behalf of the International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity;
• The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations;
• The United Nations Environment Programme;
• The United Nations University;
• The World Bank;
• IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature; and
• The World Resources Institute.

The terms of reference for the Advisory Group are set out in documentUNEP/CBD/COP/9/15 prepared for the ninth meeting of the Conference of the Parties. Specifically the purpose of the Advisory Group is to advise, within the general guidance provided through relevant decisions of the Conference of the Parties and recommendations by other Convention bodies, the Convention Secretariat on all aspects of the preparation of the publication and its related products. It will seek to:

1. Ensure the scientific and technical soundness of the products;
2. Promote the appropriate style and presentation of the envisaged products in view of the target audience;
3. Promote the participation of relevant partners and networks in the various stages of preparation of GBO-3;
4. Recommend possible partnerships, including where appropriate commercial partners, for the distribution of selected products;

In particular, the GBO-3 Advisory Group will: 

1. Keep the work plan and communication strategy (UNEP/CBD/COP/9/INF/18) under review throughout the preparation process and recommend adjustments where necessary;
2. Review the annotated outline for GBO-3;
3. Contribute to the compilation of data and material, case studies and elements for the storyline;
4. Make recommendations on suitable section/chapter contributors and review guidelines and instructions for contributors;
5. Review of chapter drafts, including draft graphics.

The first meeting of the GBO-3 Advisory Group was held on 24 May 2008, in Bonn, Germany on the margins of the ninth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity. The meeting provided an overview, as well as the opportunity to discuss, the preparation of GBO-3. During this meeting the inputs expected from the Advisory Group were further specified.The Advisory group is working primarily through electronic means. To facilitate this work aGBO-3 Advisory Group Webpage has been established to allow members of the group to share documents, comments and insights related to the production of GBO3. As documents related to the production of Global Biodiversity Outlook become available they will be posted to this portal.