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Innovative knowledge-sharing with a range of stakeholders

Ketaki Kamat

The evaluation and dissemination of knowledge to key stakeholders and policymakers on the impact of action plans, governance arrangements, and practices for sustainable development to improve the science/policy interface for better governance, in both developing and developed parts of the world.

The pages below show ways to develop, test and assess different “bridging” approaches (e.g. new techniques, technologies and social media) and deliverables (e.g. policy briefs) with respect to their role in decision making, governance arrangements and the practice of sustainable development. The overall aim is to ensure that the knowledge is generated in forms that are accessible and useable for policy-makers and other stakeholders.

This guidance will continue to grow and evolve based on feedback. If you have new methods, tools or applications to add, please create a new article so it can be linked to the guidance pages.

What are you looking for?

Communities of practice

A community of practice is a group of people who share a concern, a set of problems, or a passion about a topic, and who deepen their knowledge and expertise in this area by interacting on an ongoing basis. SEA Change Community of Practice (CoP) “SEA Change CoP” is a free online Community of Practice on monitoring and evaluation of climate change interventions in South-East Asia. The SEA Change Community of Practice is funded by the Rockefeller Foundation and technically and logistically supported by Pact, regional office Asia Eurasia. Outcome Mapping Learning Community The Outcome Mapping Learning Community is an informal group of over a thousand members from around the world. It acts largely as a dynamic platform for sharing knowledge and experiences relating to Outcome Mapping. Members come together to solve problems, to showcase and trade their discoveries and good practices, and to support one another in applying OM. Asia Pacific Adaptation Network

APAN equips key actors in Asia and the Pacific Region with adequate knowledge for designing and implementing climate change adaptation measures, building capacity to access technologies and finance in support of climate change adaptation, integrating climate change adaptation into policies, strategies and plans.

Sumernet

The Sustainable Mekong Research Network is a programme intended to build a long-term research network that informs and influences policy development on sustainable development issues in the Mekong region. Launched in 2005 with support from the Swedish government through the Royal Embassy of Sweden and the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida), Sumernet grew to include 14 member institutes in the first phase and has successfully catalyzed research on a number of critical development challenges in the Mekong region.

Baltic Climate Toolkit

Provides local and regional level policy makers, spatial planners, and the business community with climate mitigation and adaptation support. The toolkit aims to play an important knowledge-transfer and capacity-building role in the Baltic region.

Knowledge Brokers

Climate Knowledge Brokers Group

It is widely recognised that access to reliable information and data, and the ability to share lessons and experience, are key ingredients in tackling climate change. This is a particular priority for developing countries.Over the past decade, numerous websites, portals and online platforms have been set up to provide such information, and more are being launched every year. But the ‘knowledge infrastructure’ within the climate and development sector is still weak. There are many data and information gaps, and many of the knowledge sharing initiatives that do exist operate in isolation from each other, risking duplication of effort.

To minimise these problems and to increase communicative and collaborative links between these climate knowledge brokers, this consortium, the Climate Knowledge Brokers group, funded by CDKN was founded, which meets annually to discuss new ways of working together.

The Knowledge Navigator

One of the products of the Climate Knowledge Brokers group has come from theInstitute of Development Studies who developed this widget tool to allow users to navigate to the most relevant portal or platform depending on ranked criteria.

weADAPT as a Knowledge Broker

weADAPT is a member of the Climate Knowledge Brokers Group, having attended meetings in Eschborn in 2012 and Bonn in 2013. We have fostered many cross-platform collaborations, most notably, our partnership with the Climate Systems Analysis Group (CSAG) and AfricaAdapt to integrate climate information with adaptation case studies.

Over this period we andour Knowledge Partners have invested time into its development, and have seen it evolve and grow in a variety of ways, some intended and some unexpected. In the process, we have learned many valuable lessons about sharing knowledge on climate adaptation. This note aims to synthesise some of what we have learned, in the hope it will be useful to others in the field.

Crowdsourcing data

Bangalore Urban Metabolism Project (BUMP)

BUMP is a prototype web-based geospatial application that has two main purposes: an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tool for water and energy related information; and (in 2012) an online interface for exploring participatory future scenarios for the city of Bangalore.

EMAPS (Electronic Maps To Assist Public Science)

Financed in by the 7th European Framework Program (“Science-Society interaction in the digital technologies era” call for project), EMAPS is a three-year controversy-mapping project drawing directly on the results of the project MACOSPOL. EMAPS aims at assessing the opportunities and risks of online communication for the public debate of techno-scientific issues.

Relevant projects and policy briefing notes

ClimateCost

The ClimateCost project, coordinated by SEI, has concentrated on preparing a series of sectoral technical policy briefs that looked at economic implications and adaptation requirements under different climate scenarios, including social tipping points.

Estonian Transport System and Mobility Trends

The Stockholm Environment Institute participates in policy-making processes and development plans and strategies at the national, regional and local levels. Evaluating Estonia’s transport system from the point of view of sustainable development has been a key component of this (Jüssi and Sarv, 2011).

Network of Excellence LIAISE (2009-2014)

This network aims to identify and bridge the existing operational gaps between research into Impact Assessment (IA) tools and practitioners in the policy making community. The aim is to improve the quality and application of IA tools to promote more effective and efficient decision making.

Mediation (2010-2013)

This project aims to support the implementation of the EU White Paper on Climate Change Adaptation through the development of a flexible, interactive common platform, called the Mediation Adaptation Pathfinder which links dynamically to decision-making tools on weADAPT. This platform provides structured guidance on applying appropriate methods and tools in a range of situations associated with impacts, vulnerability and adaptation. Outputs include a number of Technical Briefing Notes.

APRAISE (2011-2014)

Apraise is expected to improve understanding among policy-makers of:

  • the efficiency, effectiveness and efficacy of existing and potentially new environmental policies
  • how these policies might interact, and
  • what the impact of such policy interactions might be for achieving social, environmental and economic goals at both the European and Member State level.

Baltic Sea Region Programme, Baltic Compass (2009-2012)

The Baltic Compass contributed to better policy adaptation and governance for reducing eutrophication of the Baltic Sea. The policy recommendations to support the fulfilment of the EU Baltic Sea Region Strategy, HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan and National Rural Development Plans.

Photo ©Neil Palmer (CIAT)

Further reading

Shaxson, Louise with Alex T. Bielak, et al. 2012. Expanding our understanding of K*(KT, KE, KTT, KMb, KB, KM, etc.) A concept paper emerging from the K* conference held in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, April 2012. UNUINWEH, Hamilton, ON. 30pp + appendices

Smith, B., Bharwani, S., Taylor, A., Rastall, M., Coll Besa, M. and Devisscher, T. (2013) Learning across locales, organisations and networks – The weADAPT experience. weADAPT Briefing Note.

Fisher, C. (2011) Knowledge Brokering and Intermediary Concepts: Analysis of an e-discussion on the Knowledge Brokers’ Forum

Jost, C. 2013. Delivery models for climate information in East and West Africa. CCAFS Working Paper no. 41. CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS). Copenhagen, Denmark.

Barnard, G., 2011. Seeking a cure for Portal Proliferation Syndrome. Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN).

Hammill, A., Harvey, B., Echeverria, D., 2013. Understanding Needs, Meeting Demands: A user-oriented analysis of online knowledge brokering platforms for climate change and development. International Institute for Sustainable Development.

Fisher, C., Harvey, B., 2012. Behind the Scenes at a Climate Change Knowledge Sharing Network: IDS Insights from Phase One of AfricaAdapt. Institute of Development Studies.

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