Leveraging citizen science in water and climate information services to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals

The International Hydrological Programme of UNESCO (IHP) and UNESCO Liaison Office in Addis Ababa office co-organize a policy event on "Leveraging citizen science in water and climate information services to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)" in cooperation with Mountain Environmental Virtual Observatories (Mountain EVO).

This workshop will bring together scientists and policy makers with an interest in citizen science, grassroots data collection, and other participatory and inclusive approaches to knowledge creation in the context of water management and climate change adaptation. It will explore how new technologies, methods, and approaches to citizen science can be leveraged for knowledge creation and data validation to support ecosystem services management in the context of achieving the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The workshop will provide a platform where partners will present and discuss case studies using a variety of participatory approaches, based on knowledge generated by different projects with relevant target groups in appropriate and usable forms/formats, using best practices of knowledge management.

The workshop will provide key messages/recommendations on how to best promote citizen science as an integral element to achieving the SDGs. The discussions will focus on how citizen science can play important role in monitoring progress on the SDGs, adding local observations, participation and transparency to the state-led assessments.