Call for reviewers to the IAASTD's global assessment report and the five sub-global assessment reports
The International Assessment of Agricultural Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD) is a unique inter-governmental process with a multi-stakeholder comprising 30 representatives from governments and 30 representatives from civil society. This is the first instance where governments, the private sector non-governmental organisations have collaborated in a complex and global assessment.
The initiative is also co-sponsored by multiple international (FAO, GEF, UNDP, UNEP, UNESCO, the World Bank and WHO), and has been given support from the private sector as well as the Governments of Australia, Canada, Finland, France, Ireland, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK, USA and the Commission.
The goal of IAASTD is to assess how we can:
- reduce hunger and poverty;
- improve health and nutrition,
- improve rural livelihoods and
- facilitate environmentally, socially and economically sustainable development,
through the generation of, access to, and use of agricultural knowledge, science and technology (AKST).
Over 400 experts are involved in the preparation of the IAASTD global and five sub-global assessment reports (Central and West Asia and North Africa; East and South Asia and the Pacific; Latin America and the Caribbean; North America and Europe; and Sub-Saharan Africa), which will be completed in late 2007 and approved at an inter-governmental plenary meeting in early 2008.
Each report will critically assess how AKST has contributed positively or negatively to the development and sustainability goals to date, project how AKST could impact on these goals in the future, and then assess what technology, capacity development, policy and funding options could contribute to attaining these goals in the future.
A Synthesis Report will synthesize the key findings from all of the reports and address eight thematic issues:
- bioenergy,
- climate change,
- transgenics,
- human health,
- women in agriculture,
- traditional and local knowledge innovation,
- availability and management of nature resources, and
- markets and trade.
A critical factor in producing a world-class robust assessment is a rigorous and extensive peer review process involving all key stakeholder groups, including Governments, private sector, CSOs, international organisations, and the scientific community.
To make the review task manageable, the IAASTD team will be providing an index for all the reports – thereby permitting the reviewer to scan the reports for his/her topic of interest. Of course, if the reviewer wishes to provide comments on the overall broader aspects of each chapter (global or sub-global) the IAASTD team would be delighted.
Starting on April 2, 2007 the chapters will be made available on the following webpage:
 www.agassessment.org/index.cfm?Page=Review&ItemID=2713
For the reviewer's information, he/she can download the  Instructions for Reviewers, as well as the Template for Providing Comments as referred to in the instructions.
The assessment process has now reached a critical review stage. It is very important that the IAASTD team gets a thorough, frank but constructive review of the assessment chapters.
That is why we need the reviewers' expertise and experience. The review period runs from April 2 until May 21.
Please note, that every peer reviewer is providing his/her comments as an individual, i.e. they do not represent the official view of the respective organisation.
Please send your review comments directly to IAASTD Secretariat email:
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Your help is greatly appreciated , says Robert Watson, Director of IAASTD. The IAASTD Assessment is a unique opportunity to highlight the critical importance of Agricultural Science, Technology and Knowledge in the development process. The assessment and the messages based on it are as strong as the technical and professional foundation they are built on. The review you are contributing to is one of the critical quality assurance steps to reach a technically sound assessment generating compelling messages and options for the future.
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