Wednesday, 5 October 2011

The first session of the plenary meeting on the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) reconvened for the third day of deliberations in Nairobi, Kenya. Delegates began reviewing the process and criteria for selecting possible host institution or institutions and the physical location of the secretariat. Many delegates supported the administrative function of the secretariat being hosted at one institution. On the criteria for selecting the physical location of the secretariat, the consideration of regional hubs was emphasized by many delegates.

The Friends of the Chair groups on membership to the platform and the rules of procedure met over lunch to resume their efforts to reach consensus, with discussions to resume on Thursday.

In the afternoon, the Secretariat introduced the documents concerning the legalities of establishing an IPBES, noting that the UN General Assembly Resolution 65/12 on establishing an IPBES, did not establish or operationalize the platform. Comments on the documents were held over for Thursday morning. Delegates then considered the possible work programme of the platform. During the evening, delegates resumed their negotiations on the possible functions and structures of bodies that may be established under the platform. Delegates stressed the importance of including all the functions of the platform in the work programme, while also others called for the inclusion of traditional knowledge considerations in the work programme.

Delegates discussed in great detail the functions of the plenary, emphasizing the importance of retaining aspects agreed upon in the Busan Outcomes regarding inputs from governments, UN bodies and other stakeholders and the process of prioritizing requests.

ENB Summary of the meeting in English and French will be available on Monday, 10 October (in HTML and in PDF format).

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Tuesday, 4 October 2011

The first session of the plenary meeting on the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) reconvened today 4 October 2011 in Nairobi, Kenya. Delegates resumed discussions on the possible functions and structures of bodies that might be established under the platform.

The morning session focused on issues of membership, the tasks of the chair and vice-chairs of IPBES and criteria for their selection. Delegates could not reach consensus on the issue of membership to IPBES and a Friends of the Chair group was established to elaborate further on this matter.

On the functions of an IPBES plenary, many delegates emphasized the need to prioritize actions, with some suggesting that this should be based on government requests. Delegates also discussed the appointment of plenary officers, with some calling for clearly defined term limits, and the functions of key officers, which many noted required further elaboration on the work programme before the functions could be defined.

The afternoon’s discussion considered the creation of subsidiary bodies of the plenary, with the possible functions of the subsidiary bodies and options for structure and composition being the main deliberation points. Delegates also started initial discussions on the rules of procedure for the platform’s plenary.

Delegates, during their discussions, agreed on the need for a minimal structure in order to avoid bureaucracy and provide flexibility to allow the structure to evolve as necessary. Others emphasized the need for some type of regional structure to operationalise the platform at different levels and further called for ensuring scientific credibility.

ENB Summary of the meeting in English and French will be available on Monday, 10 October (in HTML and in PDF format).

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Monday, 3 October 2011

The first session of the plenary meeting on the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) opened today in Nairobi, Kenya. Delegates were asked to observe a minute of silence at the start of the session for Wangari Maathai, Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

In the morning, delegates heard opening statements and began discussions on the meeting’s rules of procedure and the adoption of the agenda. In their statements, delegates called for the swift establishment of IPBES at this meeting, emphasizing that the Platform be a small entity that does not duplicate the work of other initiatives. Delegates further noted the importance of multidisciplinary approaches and capacity building efforts.

In the afternoon, delegates convened to consider: revision and adoption of the agenda, including on legal issues relating to establishing and operationalizing IPBES; the functions and operating principles of the platform; and functions and structures of bodies that might be established under IPBES. Delegates debated whether to postpone discussions on the legal issues relating to the establishment and operationalization of the platform, agreeing to confer on the matter once the original legal advice provided by the UN Office for Legal Affairs is made available. Consideration of composition of membership for the Platform was also taken up, with some members calling for universal membership while others suggested that only UN Member States be included. Deliberations on this were held over until Tuesday morning.

In the evening, delegates were invited to attend a reception hosted by the Government of Kenya.

ENB Summary of the meeting in English and French will be available on Monday, 10 October (in HTML and in PDF format).

Visit the full web daily coverage for Monday, 3 October 2011