To mark the end of another three years of the collaboration between UNEP and WCMC, the UK charity, which provides support to the United Nations Environment Programme in the specialist field of biodiversity, the Executive Director of UNEP, Achim Steiner, established a senior Working Group from across UNEP to review UNEP-WCMC’s performance and make recommendations for its future.

As part of its review, a questionnaire survey was sent across UNEP and 300 of its partners. The result was an approval rating that was at or above 80 per cent across all areas of work and reached over 90 per cent in several, such as the preparation of scientific reports and understanding of biodiversity science and data. The results of the survey can be found here.

The Working Group considered this evidence together with further written submissions and concluded that UNEP-WCMC is a centre of excellence and an important and highly valued resource to UNEP, the biodiversity-related multilateral environmental agreements, and the international community more widely. It was highlighted that UNEP-WCMC delivers authoritative biodiversity services and maintains assets of global importance to UNEP and key UN processes including the Post-2015 Agenda. The Working Group concluded that the collaboration remains of strategic importance to UNEP.

Subsequently, on 13 December, the Steering Committee of the review agreed that UNEP would establish an internal advisory panel to serve as a platform for the discussion and coordination of biodiversity activities across UNEP as well as to guide UNEP’s inputs into the Collaboration. It was also agreed that UNEP-WCMC should work with the Regional Support Office and UNEP’s Regional Offices to work out how best it can support UNEP’s strategic regional presence.

The next review will be conducted at the end of 2018.