FINLAND

How is Finland organised to get engaged in IPBES 

The Finnish Ministry of the Environment (MoE) coordinates the work related to IPBES in Finland. The MoE has established the Finnish national IPBES working group as an official body to facilitate co-operation between different organisations. The working group consists of the representatives of ministries, research institutions, universities, interest groups, and other stakeholders. The working group aims to promote the science-policy interface for biodiversity and ecosystem services and IPBES related work at national level, while contributing to the international IPBES deliverables, for instance through reviewing the assessments and disseminating IPBES products.

MoE has also established the Finnish Nature Panel as an independent scientific body to support and advice policy development at national level. The Finnish Nature Panel follows work related to IPBES and contributes to the work where considered relevant. The panel consists of researchers, and it produces and disseminates scientific knowledge for decision-makers, experts, and citizens alike, to support the policy processes.

Together the working group and the panel serve the purpose of raising awareness of IPBES and connecting the resident expert communities to IPBES. 

Nomination processes

The Finnish National IPBES working group

- The MoE sends requests to relevant stakeholders to nominate a member and a deputy member to the working group.

- The members and debuty members are selected based on nominations and in accordance with the Equality Act.  

The Finnish Nature Panel

- Call for experts is spread by the Nature Panel through the Panel’s website and various channels/mailinglists reaching out to a wide range of stakeholders.

- The following criterion must apply to nominees seeking endorsement:

• PhD from a relevant scientific field
• Active role in research
• Ability to work in multidisciplinary team
• Readiness to participate in public discussion
• Capacity to transmit information between science and decision-makers
• Readiness to allocate time for active Panel work

- The applications are scrutinised by the MoE and assisted by external reviewers if needed.

Contribution (type of activities) to the IPBES Work Programme 

The activities of the National IPBES Working Group consist of recruiting and selecting experts to activities in IPBES work programme, follow-up of (draft) reports and deliverables, preparing Finnish comments on IPBES reports and SPMs, preparing Finnish and EU positions for IPBES plenary meetings. The working Group also organises awareness raising activities, such as seminars and using various forms of communication such as publications, social media, webpages, etc.

Finland also supports IPBES work financially through contributions to the IPBES trust fund and supporting the engagement of Finnish experts on IPBES work, financing regional studies, etc. 

Specific projects: e.g. capacity building projects 

Type of engagement with stakeholders

The Nature panel organises meetings, seminars and workshops to inform stakeholders about IPBES deliverables.