The Second Ad hoc Intergovernmental and Multi-stakeholder Meeting on an Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) met from 5-9 October 2009, at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya. The meeting was attended by 225 delegates, representing 95 countries, 15 intergovernmental organizations and 15 non-governmental organizations. Over the five-day meeting, participants exchanged views on the major findings of the gap analysis, options to strengthen the science-policy interface, functions of an IPBES and possible governance structures.
Participants adopted a Chair’s Summary, which highlights areas of agreement and reflects differing views expressed during the meeting. Delegates agreed, inter alia, that: the UNEP Executive Director report at the 11th special session of the Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environment Forum in February 2010 on the meeting’s outcome, and that the UNEP Governing Council request to convene a third and final meeting to negotiate and decide whether to establish an IPBES.
Most delegates expressed support for a new mechanism that carries out assessments able to generate and disseminate policy-relevant advice and emphasized the importance of capacity building and equitable involvement from developing countries. Most agreed that a new mechanism should complement Multilateral Environmental Agreement (MEA) bodies, not replace them. Many countries also recognized  that a new mechanism should harness local and traditional knowledge as a tool for conservation.