The UN High-Level Advisory Board on Effective Multilateralism (HLAB) has recommended that UNEP and its governing body, the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA), be resourced to support a Science-Policy-Action Network (SPAN) as a forum for information exchange and consolidation, connecting to a policy clearinghouse.
SPAN could also track climate and progress, “in real time,” and issue country-specific reports designed to improve policy decision making, connecting to other scientific bodies assessing the condition of Planetary Boundaries.
SPAN could suggest science-driven policies on how best to ensure that these boundaries are restored, maintained and not further compromised. It could work with the proposed rapporteur group with mandates to investigate compliance with obligations under MEAs, and it should also support a global hub to preserve and transfer Indigenous knowledge.
SPAN could also establish semi-autonomous, small, and more nimble Earth system risk task forces/working groups which could address gaps not addressed by existing bodies, and emerging or tipping elements requiring a high degree of technical expertise