6. SETTING UP AN AD HOC INTERNATIONAL TECHNICAL ADVISORY GROUP

CICI 2003 recommended that this forum should consider the “merits of forming an ad hoc international technical advisory group to address technical issues related to the development and implementation of criteria and indicators”.

Some international forest-related bodies have technical advisory groups on various issues, related to their work. Such organizations include the UNFF, CBD and FAO. For example, CBD’s subsidiary body on scientific, technical and technological advice (SBSTTA) reports regularly to COP on all aspects of its work. Its functions include: providing assessments of the status of biological diversity; assessments of the types of measures taken in accordance with the provisions of the Convention; and respond to questions that COP may put to the body. UNFF has also commissioned expert groups to provide advice on monitoring, assessment and reporting; finance and transfer of environmentally sound technologies; and on the issue of a possible legal framework on forests. FAO, as an implementing and technical agency, also has a number of technical groups and networks. For example, in producing its global FRA, FAO regularly seeks broad guidance from a large number of national and international experts and agencies.

Table 1: Possible approaches to enhanced co-ordination and collaboration

Approach to co-ordination/ collaboration	Mechanisms	Examples
Information sharing	Published sources	Websites of C&I processes, publications of processes and international organizations, reports, etc.
Active exchange of information and experience	Continuous exchange: E-mail networks, meetings. Periodic exchange: seminars, workshops, conferences, incl. Internet conferences, etc.	FAO/ITTO/UNEP expert consultations, CICI 2003, IUFRO conferences, active participation in each other's meetings, etc.
Coordination of the further develop- ment of C&I sets	Expert groups, joint working groups, joint ad hoc panels, specified workshops, etc.	FAO/ITTO expert consultation 2001
Collaboration on the development of common C&I sets (including core sets)	Expert groups, working groups, ad hoc panels, etc.	Not yet taken place
Collaboration on data collection protocols, data collection tools, assessment methods, international data compilation from national data sources, etc. or Coordination of data collection between different data collection or data compilation institutions.	Expert groups, working groups, ad hoc panels, etc.	FAO meetings of FRA experts-Kotka I-IV; FAO collaboration on national inventory systems. Inter-secretariat working group on forest statistics ITTO/FAO/ UNECE/EUROSTAT - joint questionnaire.
Use of the data, including making international data widely available, reporting to international policy fora, etc.	Regular reporting	IUFRO task force on GFIS. FAO forest resources assessment, UNFF reports on MAR, ITTO annual review of the world timber situation and many other existing forest-related databases
Coordinate training, promote awareness, capacity building activities etc.	Training courses, field visits, expert panels, etc.	Yet to be undertaken

Among the C&I processes it is only that of Montreal that has a technical advisory committee (TAC) at present. It provides technical advice to the working group, which is the policy making body. Although it was initially set up in 1996 as an ad hoc group it soon became a permanent body working between the meetings of the working group. All member countries are represented in TAC and the working group sets the main tasks. Since its establishment TAC has dealt with many issues ranging from definition of terms to preparing the outline of its 2003 first forest overview report. With C&I still being in the developmental stage there are many outstanding technical issues in most C&I processes. In relation to that TAC has proved to be an extremely useful tool for MPCI. It is seen as a major factor in its progress so far.

Discussed above are four different models of technical advisory groups used in different forest-related fora. Is there a need for the C&I processes to have an ad hoc international technical advisory group and, if so, how should it be formed?

The C&I processes that we surveyed were unanimous in supporting the establishment of a technical advisory group. In particular they noted the sharing of improved scientific knowledge, harmonization of objectives and facilitating increased information flow between processes. But they were also quick to add a number of caveats. They are listed below:

• need some responsible body to determine its tasks and priorities;

• not high priority until all processors have considered it;

• as long as their recommendations can be made operational by processes;

• should compose of experts from all processes;

• based on experience gained in regions;

• goals (TOR) should be identified clearly;

• composition should change with issues to be addressed perhaps including a core group to ensure continuity.

In summary the processes support the establishment of an ad hoc technical advisory group with clearly defined objectives, and the composition to be representative of different processes and changing according to the tasks assigned. These are important issues that need to be addressed through closer coordination among the processes and involving FAO, ITTO and other international and national bodies.