About

What is ONet

ONet Terms of Reference

Social Media Terms of Engagement

Facilitation Team

Stakeholder Networks

Plenary Statements

Other Resources

 

What is ONet

The Open-ended Network of IPBES Stakeholders proposes to bring all stakeholders and groups of stakeholders interested in the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Service (IPBES) together. The Network aims to facilitate and maximize the effective engagement of stakeholders and knowledge holders in the IPBES process, taking into account the diversity of its members.

ONet main objectives are:

  • Foster a two-way communication between network members and IPBES;
  • Disseminate information and material on IPBES products and achievements to a great variety of audiences;
  • Reach out to a diversity of potential users and providers of information, data, knowledge to increase the relevance and use of the IPBES Platform;
  • Strengthen support for the Platform’s deliverables from different regions and scientific disciplines;
  • Mobilize resources for capacity-building; and
  • Mobilize in-kind contributions from stakeholders.

ONet Terms of Reference

All new ONet members must accept the Network Terms of Reference that are reproduced below.

Download ONet Terms of Reference

Social Media Terms of Engagement

We invite all ONet members to contribute to the vitality of ONet on social media platforms.

Social media has become an integral and important part of:

  • communicating and promoting nature’s role in sustainable development;
  • identifying, gathering and generating data and information to inform biodiversity and ecosystem services assessments;
  • acting as a knowledge intermediary connecting those working across sectors;
  • developing an active relationship (including increasing trust through greater transparency) with stakeholders and target audiences; and
  • bridging the science - policy gap, including sharing outcomes and activities of global environmental initiatives (with those in remote areas).

However, some rules are necessary to ensure good practices and to harmonize posts. These rules are presented in the ONet Social Media Terms of Engagement attached. These Terms of Engagement were approved after discussions among the ONet facilitation team and one online consultation of ONet community of members in 2019.

Download ONet Social Media Terms of Engagement

 

Facilitation Team

The facilitation team meet once per month throughout the year to plan events and respond to issues relating to the IPBES work program. They organise the ONet Caucus day once per year and work with the IPBES secretariat to plan the Stakeholder Day which precedes each IPBES plenary. The faciliation team coordinates the joint efforts of IPBES stakeholders to craft statements which are delivered by ONet during the IPBES plenaries (a copy of these statements can be found below). In addition, the team organise online events (such as the speaker series) and surveys of stakeholders to assess the needs and wishes of the stakeholder community.

 

Laure

 Laure

 Gland, Switzerland

 laure.denos[at]iucn[dot]org

 

Laure Denos has worked for the last +10 years in France, Spain, Chile, Honduras and El Salvador, dealing with sustainable town planning, energy efficiency, environmental policy and science-policy interface in local, national and international contexts. She is an environmental engineer and holds a Master in political science and access to basic services in developing countries, from the Institute of Political Studies (France). She is currently an IUCN science-policy expert and she also supports the IPBES Secretariat in stakeholder engagement.

 

Roslyn Chao bio photo

 Roslyn

 Ohio, USA

 neoclimaterealityproject[at]gmail[dot]com

 

Roslyn Chao holds an Executive MBA from the Weatherhead School of Management and a Juris Doctor from the Case Western Reserve University School of Law.  Her professional career has focused on creating access to education, the arts, and healthcare for at-risk populations; creating sustainable, climate-resilient risk plans for organizations; and designing circular economy strategies, training and programs, and waste-reduction events for nonprofit organizations and businesses.  Roslyn is the Principal for Insight + Redesign Consulting and has served as a panelist on Sustainability at conferences, advising how large-scale festivals can reduce waste and create zero-waste events, as well as hosts monthly Zoom discussions with experts connecting climate change and preservation of biodiversity to public health, environmental justice, waste, ocean preservation, and transitions toward clean energy systems.  

 

 

Sonigitu Ekpe bio photo

 

 Sonigitu

 Calabar, Nigeria

 sonigitu.ekpe[at]graduateinstitute[dot]ch

 

Sonigitu Ekpe is a Nigerian with over 28 years work experience with government, civil society, private sector and had served as a National Consultant to the United Nation Food and Agriculture Organization. He Studied Environmental Governance at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva – Switzerland and had studied Agrobiodiversity in a Changing Climate at Sapienza Universita Di Roma. He is a Laudato Si’ Animator of the Global Climate Movement, an advocate of Open Data Initiatives and Wetlands sustainable management. His background spans across diverse fields in the natural sciences. He sits as a member of the Global Innovation Panel, National Focal Point for IUCN-WCPA-Nigeria, Coordinator of IUCN-WCPA Mountain Specialist Group for West and Central Africa, and sits in for Cross River State Government who is an Observer member of IPBES.

 

Miguel Fernandez bio photo

 

 Miguel

 Leipzig, Germany

 miguel.fernandez[at]idiv[dot]de

 

Miguel Fernandez, works at the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig advancing the framework concept of the Essential Biodiversity Variables and supporting the implementation of the Europa Biodiversity Observation Network. A native of Bolivia, he has a multidisciplinary background that includes ecology, geography and environmental systems. Miguel has successfully executed initiatives to leverage the nexus between environmental science toward policy and decision making in Latin America, the U.S., and Europe for the last 12 years. His career has been focused on the emerging science of global biodiversity change where he has crosses disciplinary boundaries to produce actionable information on the state and trends of the planetary living system.

 

Ismael Ocen bio photo

 Ismael

 Karamoja, Uganda

 Ismaelocen[at]yahoo[dot]co[dot]uk

 

Ismael Ocen is a multi-skilled social researcher and development worker with 11 years' experience & skills in Indigenous Knowledge development and training, Climate Change, Ecosystem Management and Restoration. Ismael has developed skills and experience in leading local communities to advocate for protection of environment and to implement land use strategies for conserving species and important habitats, in order to maintain sustainable livelihoods and economic growth. Ismael is also involved in building synergies on both the market integration and the subsistence economy of pastoralism, through incentives and regulations. These actions ensure greater benefit flows from wildlife conservation and offer diversification options to the communities. Ismael’s work aims to encourage the sustainable use of natural resources and to ensure social and economic security of dryland pastoralists.

 

Paulina_Karimova

 Paulina G. Karimova 孫夏天

 Hualien, Taiwan

 scapeslab[at]gms[dot]ndhu[dot]edu[dot]tw

 

Paulina G. Karimova has a PhD in Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences. She is a research assistant at the Landscape Conservation and Community Participation laboratory, College of Environmental Studies and Oceanography, National Dong Hwa University (NDHU), Taiwan. Her research interests include integrated landscape and seascape approaches, adaptive co-management of protected areas and OECMs, facilitation of multi-stakeholder platforms, and community-based monitoring and evaluation. She is a member of IUCN/WCPA, ProGEO, IPSI, a handling editor for PARKS the International Journal of Protected Areas and Conservation, and a fellow for the IPBES Nexus Assessment. Paulina is passionate about revitalisation of Taiwan’s rural areas and is actively engaged in the nationwide promotion of the Taiwan Partnership for the Satoyama Initiative (TPSI). Together with her research partner dog Beibei Sun, she believes that living in harmony with Nature comes from within our hearts – from our deepest appreciation and joy for Life in all of its forms and sizes. Paulina is a representative of the SSH Network in the ONet facilitation team.

 

Hakon_Aspoy

 Håkon

 Oslo, Norway

 hakon.aspoy[at]nina[dot]no

 

Håkon Aspøy is a research fellow at the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research. He is currently working on a PhD in sociology with the University of Oslo. His dissertation focuses on conflicting interests and knowledges in Norwegian forest management. His research interests include power relations, conflict, land use changes, loss of nature and climate change. Håkon is a representative of the SSH Network in the ONet facilitation team.

 

Oscar Oscar

 Bogor, Indonesia                     

 muremyioscar[at]yahoo[dot]fr

 

I was born and grew up in rural area inhabited by farmers near to Nyungwe rain forest in Nyamagabe, Southwest of Rwanda. However, I was very interested and motivated to learn more and was always looking for opportunities fortify. I did my best to go to high school where I became fascinated with biology, chemistry, physics, geography, math and history and pursued applied chemistry in my Undergraduate. After, I got job as a tour guide since June 2014 to August 2021, later herpetologist in 2019 and curator in 2021 at the Kandt House Museum which is under Rwanda Cultural Heritage Academy. I specialized in culture and nature tourism as well as contact management and daily management of museum.
 

My experiences inspired my interest not only in the environment and its biodiversity but also in culture and nature heritage conservation and protection. As a master student in Natural Resource and Environment Management at the Bogor Agriculture University known as Institut Pertania Bogor ( IPB) in Indonesia, I am following and learning about conservation practices, solutions for environmental pollution, sound management of natural resources and cultural heritage as well as climate change mitigation for the sake of biodiversity and heritage, future generation and our planet as whole. Finally I am dreaming to continue doctorate studies for the better professionalism and brighter future for myself, my family, my country and our World.

 

Shivani Shivani

 Bonn, Germany

 shivanirai[dot]4692[at]gmail[dot]com

 

Shivani Rai is a Capacity Development Consultant with the UN Volunteers (UNV) Programme in Germany with experience in Natural Resource Management, Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation. She strives to promote youth engagement and has therefore been coordinating and facilitating communications between the early career researchers of Young Ecosystem Services Specialists (YESS) and ONet.

 

h Archibong 

 Abuja, Nigeria

 iamakpan[at]gmail[dot]com

 

Archibong Akpan is a young professional and a Nigerian climate scientist. He is the co-founder of the African Centre for Climate Literacy and Rural Development where he leads youth actions to achieve the UN Agenda 2030 and net zero by 2050. Archibong has a PhD in Climatology and Climate Change studies from the University of Uyo, Nigeria and has worked as Program Manager with the African Centre for Environment, Agriculture and Rural Development for over 10 years to engage diverse stakeholders, indigenous peoples, youth groups, community-based organizations and civil societies to lead climate action projects. He is an IPCC scientist and expert reviewer and has contributed to the AR6 that was recently published in April 2022.  He is also a Fellow of Climate Change and Climate Service with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). At ECOWAS, he was part of the technical committee that drafted and validated the ECOWAS Regional Climate Strategy (RCS) to provide a pathway for carbon neutrality in the 15 ECOWAS member states. He presently works full-time with SubjectToClimate, USA, as Director of Climate Sciences.

 

Past members of the facilitation team

 

Stakeholder Networks

ONet is one of two IPBES Stakeholder networks. The second is the International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IIFBES). All IPBES stakeholders are welcome to request to join either or both networks.

The Social Sciences and Humanities Network (SSH Network) is a member organisation within ONet. See their page for further information on this group and how to join.

 

Plenary Statements

ONet coordinates the crafting of opening statements which are delivered at the opening of the IPBES plenaries. All IPBES stakeholders are invited to contribute to these statements each year at ONet caucus day and at the IPBES stakeholder day which precedes the plenary. If there is sufficient time in the plenary schedule, IPBES may also invite ONet to deliver a closing statement on behalf on IPBES stakeholders. The closing statement often touches upon themes and issues raised in the plenary.

IPBES9 opening statement

IPBES8 opening statement, closing statement

IPBES7 opening statement, closing statement

IPBES6 opening statement, closing statement

IPBES5 opening statement

IPBES4 opening statement

 

Other Resources

Guide to IPBES plenary meetings for new observers. ONet 2018

YESS Report from Stakeholder Day - IPBES 9