IISD RS @ First Session of the Plenary Meeting on IPBES, Highlights for Friday, 7 October 2011, Nairobi, Kenya

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10 Oct.

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10 Oct.

First Session of the Plenary Meeting on the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES)

3-7 October 2011 | Nairobi, Kenya

Summary Highlights of the Meeting

DAILY WEB COVERAGE

IPBES Chair Robert Watson gavelled the meeting the a close at 6:30pm.

Friday, 7 October 2011

Delegates reconvened in Nairobi, Kenya for the final day of deliberations in the first session of the plenary meeting on the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). During the morning, discussions on the functions and structures of bodies that might be formed under the platform resumed. The structure of the secretariat was debated, with some parties favoring the option of having a single secretariat with an administrative function. Delegates emphasized the role of regional hubs, some highlighted bottom-up approaches and the possibility of secretariats working “virtually.”

During the afternoon, delegates convened for the final session, and considered the draft report of the first session of the plenary meeting and the draft resolutions. The draft report summarized the proceedings of the week, with the resolution outlining intersessional activities to be undertaken before the second session of the plenary resumes early next year. The session was closed at 6:30 PM.

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PLENARY SESSION:

L-R: Dais during the morning plenary session includes; IPBES Chair Robert Watson; Neville Ash, UNEP; Ibrahim Thiaw, UNEP; and Masa Nagai, UNEP.

Delegates from Austria and Australia

Delegates from Australia and Argentina

L-R: Delegates from small island states in informal consultations with Tumutalie Foliga, Samoa; Rahul Arvind Chand , Fiji; Samu Alivereti Saumatua, Minister of Local Government, Urban, Development, Housing and Environment, Fiji; and John Fugui, Solomon Islands.

Robert Lamb, Switzerland

Anne Larigauderie, International Council for Science

Tonatiuth Romero-Reyes, Mexico

L-R: Alice Vadrot, Austria and Gabriele Obermayr, Austria

L-R: Leng Guan Saw, Malaysia and Betty Gathuita, Malaysia

L-R: IPCC Secretary Renate Christ, in a conversation with IPBES Chair Robert Watson.

Thursday, 6 October 2011

The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) reconvened for the fourth day of deliberations in Nairobi, Kenya. The morning’s discussions focused on legal issues relating to the establishment of the platform as well as the functions and structure of possible bodies to be created. The Friends of the Chair groups on membership to the platform and the rules of procedure resumed their work during lunchtime. Much of the discussion on legal issues focused on whether the UN General Assembly had established the IPBES in its resolution 65/162, or if the current session has to decide to establish the plenary.

In the afternoon, delegates resumed discussions on the functions and structure of bodies to be created as well as deliberating on the process and elements that might be considered in selecting the host institution and the physical location of the secretariat. During the evening, delegates revisited the legal issues of establishing an IPBES, with the Secretariat providing answers to questions posed earlier in the day.

The discussions on process and criteria for selecting the host institution and physical location of the secretariat dealt with the procedures and formats for proposal submission and review to the Bureau, with some delegates highlighting issues of safety as a prejudicial criterion. The discussion on the functions and structures of bodies that could be established centered on gender and disciplinarity concerns, as well as possible functions of the chair.

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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Delegates from Colombia consulting.

Delegates from Brazil confering.

L-R: Ibrahim Thiaw, UNEP, in a conversation with Achim Steiner, Executive Director, UNEP.

L-R: John Matuszak, US in a discussion with Jamil Ahmad, UNEP.

Guozhi Liu, China

Trine Hay Setsaas, Norway

Rosemary Mukasa, Uganda

L-R:Fetoumata Keita and Nalini Sharma, UNEP

Laurent Gaberell, Bolivia, in a discussion with Pat Roy Mooney, ETC Group, and Ricarda Steinbrecher, ECONEXUS

L-R: Riandro Sembiring, Indonesia; Pio Tejada, the Philippines, and Athit Prasartkul, Thailand

View of the plenary in session.

L-R: Heather MacKay, RAMSAR Convention; Mohammad Koba, Indonesia; Marci Yeater, Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) of Wild Flora and Fauna

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).

Visit the full web daily coverage for Tuesday, 4 October 2011

L-R: Guozhi Liu, China confers with Fu Changhua, China.

Mohammad Koba, Indonesia consulting with Dian Triansyah Djani, Indonesia.

Laurent Gaberell, Bolivia

Daniel Nicer, the Philippines

Javier Mendoza, Colombia

IPBES participants observed a minute of silence in honor of Wangari Maathai, Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

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

Stephene Kalonzo Musyoka, Vice President of the Republic of Kenya.

Achim Steiner, Executive Director, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

L-R: Dais during the opening plenary with Ramadhan Seif Kajembe, Assistant Minister, Ministry of Environment and Mineral Resources, Kenya; Amina Mohamed, Deputy Executive Director, UNEP; Stephene Kalonzo Musyoka, Vice President of the Republic of Kenya; and Achim Steiner, Executive Director, UNEP.