Coordinating Lead Authors
Coordinating Lead Authors (CLAs) will establish and coordinate writing teams for each section in the Global and Regional assessments based on the selection of Lead Authors by the Scientific Advisory Panel, in close consultation with respective CLAs, the Secretariat and the UNEP Chief Scientist. Ensuring the scientific credibility and technical accuracy of GEO-6 content in the section that they are responsible for, will be one of the main tasks of CLAs. The global Scientific Advisory Panel, in consultation with the CoP Moderators, the Secretariat and the UNEP Chief Scientist, will select the CLA experts. The specific number of CLAs that GEO-6 will require is yet to be determined, and will be guided by the outcomes of the Intergovernmental and Multi-stakeholder Consultation and the Regional Environmental Information Network conferences. A modest honorarium will be paid by UNEP to all CLAs.
Key roles and responsibilities (Terms of Reference):
- take the overall responsibility for coordinating and drafting sections to given deadlines, actively participate in the GEO-6 CoPs and work closely with the designated CoP Moderator and Secretariat staff to provide oversight of the section;
- plan the relevant information, knowledge and data required for each section that will be accessed through UNEP Live;
- lead ‘writing sprints’7 with the designated CoP Moderators to deliver first-order drafts for each section;
- ensure that manuscripts are completed to a high standard, collated and delivered to the Secretariat in a timely manner and conform to the GEO-6 guidelines for scientific credibility;
- ensure that all review comments are dealt with according to specific guidelines;
- develop text that is scientifically, technically and socio-economically sound incorporating contributions by a wide variety of experts;
- ensure that any crosscutting scientific or technical issues, which may involve several sections (and/or) regional assessments of the GEO-6 are addressed in a complete and coherent manner;
- prepare the first-order draft of the Summary for Policy Makers, under the guidance and leadership of the HLG;
- contribute to preparing intermediate technical papers8 as required; and
- take responsibility for referring any scientific credibility issues such as uncertainties and use of grey literature to the SAP, when such issues cannot be dealt with within their writing team.
Lead Authors
A core group of Lead Authors (LA) will be selected to join the various writing teams for each section in the Global and Regional assessments. Each writing group will comprise between 15 to 20 authors depending on the nature and scope of the section. The Scientific Advisory Panel, in close consultation with respective CLAs, the Secretariat and the UNEP Chief Scientist, will select Lead Authors. Each Lead Author is expected to uphold the standards of, and guidelines for ensuring scientific integrity and credibility.
Key roles and responsibilities (Terms of Reference):
- actively participate in the GEO-6 CoPs and lead the drafting and revising of their designated section of the GEO-6 report;
- identify, collect and synthesize relevant material drawn from available peer-reviewed literature, the UNEP Live portal, and other knowledge sources as appropriate;
- record expert views which cannot be reconciled with a consensus view but which are nonetheless scientifically or technically valid9;
- take account of expert and government review comments when revising text and record how comments have been dealt with;
- identify data gaps on specific topics in consultation with the data and indicators working group;
- ensure that the various components of the section are brought together on time, are of uniformly high quality and conform to the guidelines for scientific credibility; and
- work closely with the CLAs to prepare text.
The LAs in consultation with the SAP, CLAs, secretariat and UNEP’s Chief Scientist will document diverging viewpoints in the assessment report as appropriate. Diverging viewpoints considered but not presented in the final report will still be documented and made available in the CoP.
