11 December 2018 EM/2018/31
Call for nomination of fellows for the development of scenarios on nature and its contributions to people, by 15 January 2019
Dear IPBES members, observers and other interested stakeholders, I have the pleasure to invite nominations from Governments, relevant institutions and organizations for early career fellows, in the context of the IPBES Fellowship Programme, to support the IPBES expert group dedicated to scenarios and models of biodiversity and ecosystem services. The IPBES Fellowship Programme is part of a larger capacity-building portfolio of activities, and targets early career experts who wish to gain experience by participating in the work of IPBES (please see here for more information on IPBES capacity-building activities). The work would build on the IPBES methodological assessment of scenarios and models of biodiversity and ecosystem services approved by the IPBES Plenary in 2016 (please see here), and aims to catalyse further development of scenarios and models by the broader scientific community for future IPBES work (decision IPBES-5/1). The IPBES expert group on scenarios and models for biodiversity and ecosystem services has held several consultations over the course of 2017-18 to develop a new set of positive scenarios on the future of nature and its contributions to people. This process brings together a wide range of stakeholders at multiple scales, including representatives of the scientific community, international institutions, governments, the private sector, indigenous peoples and local communities, and non-governmental organisations. These stakeholders are invited to discuss alternative visions for the future of nature and its contributions to people, as well as possible pathways for these visions. The expert group will analyse these inputs in an iterative manner and at multiple scales, using a wide array of knowledge and evidence, from quantitative modelling to indigenous and local knowledge. The selected fellows will support the expert group on scenarios and models in this consultative process and in producing reports and scientific papers. Fellows will be given the opportunity to attend workshops, starting with the stakeholder consultation workshop scheduled in April 2019, and, depending on the capacity building programme for 2019, may receive training on the IPBES assessment processes. This fellowship will initially be until the end of 2019, with the possibility of an extension subject to the outcomes of the seventh session of the IPBES Plenary (#IPBES7). For an effective implementation of these deliverables, it is critical to include fellows from various natural and social scientific disciplines and from different knowledge systems, including indigenous and local knowledge systems, as well as policy and technical experts and practitioners. Nominations from a broad range of organizations/institutions are thus encouraged. More information on the nomination process is included in the annex below. Interested candidates (nominees) are requested to fill out their application form no later than 15 January 2019. Nominators (Governments/organisations/institutions) should submit nominations by 22 January 2019 at the latest. Earlier nominations are strongly encouraged. I thank you in advance for your nominations and your continued support to IPBES. Yours sincerely, 
Anne Larigauderie | Executive Secretary
Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services
Annex: Nomination procedure
Please follow this procedure to nominate fellows:
- Nominees are invited to fill out the application form and attach their curriculum vitae through the dedicated web portal (To access this page, you will need to log in with your IPBES web site login credentials or Nominees not yet registered on the IPBES web site will need to do so by clicking on the "Create new account")
- The nominating government or organization (Nominator) indicated by the Nominee will receive an email with a link to the nomination form and will be invited to approve and submit the nominations in the web portal.
- Nominators and Nominees will receive a confirmation via email once the nomination has been duly submitted.
Any relevant organization or institution is welcome to nominate. Self-nominations will not be accepted.
Interested candidates (nominees) are requested to fill out their application form no later than 15 January 2019. Nominators (organisations/institutions) should submit nominations by 22 January 2019 at the latest. Earlier nominations are strongly encouraged.
Candidates will be selected based on their merit and academic qualifications and in their individual capacity as experts, considering geographical balance, disciplinary and gender. All nominated candidates will be informed of the outcome of the selection process in due course, and no later than 27 February 2019.
All candidates (nominees) should ensure that they: - Are available on the indicated meeting dates provided below;
- Are able to make a commitment of up to 15 percent of their time during the fellowship;
- Have discussed the nomination and nomination procedure with their respective institutions before applying;
- Secured funding for participating, in the case of fellows for developed countries (see below).
Meeting dates - A one-week workshop tentatively scheduled in April 2019 (with an expected frequency of one meeting per year from then onwards, in case of extension of the fellowship).
Support
This is an unpaid fellowship scheme. Selected fellows are expected to work pro bono, as all other IPBES experts, with all work provided in fulfilment of the assigned tasks considered as in-kind contribution and not remunerated. Expenses for attending one meeting each year will be covered for selected fellows from developing countries and countries with economies in transition in accordance with UN rules. Selected fellows from developed countries are expected to cover their own expenses and are encouraged to seek support from their home institutions.
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