Summary
The sixth session of the Plenary of the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES-6) opened on Sunday with opening statements and reports on progress. Members then initiated discussions on the summaries for policy makers (SPMs) of four regional assessments of biodiversity and ecosystem services and the assessment on land degradation and restoration. Plenary also opened all other items on the agenda and referred substantive items to contact groups that will meet during the week.
Highlights of the day included:
- Regional groups praised the work IPBES has done to date, with several stressing the need to launch three pending assessments to complete the Platform’s first work programme.
- In her report on progress in implementing the IPBES work programme, Executive Secretary Anne Larigauderie highlighted progress in:
- strengthening national and regional capacities;
- implementation of the participatory approach to integrate indigenous and local knowledge;
- indicators for IPBES assessments; and
- improvements in stakeholder engagement and outreach.
- Luca Montanarella, Co-Chair of the assessment on land degradation and restoration, highlighted that the efforts made to include different world views resulted in “a first ever comprehensive assessment on this important cross-cutting topic.”
- Several members pledged to make additional contributions to the 2018 budget and beyond, while calling for a sustainable funding strategy.
In the evening, four contact groups began discussing the SPMs of the four regional assessments.
For more about the day’s events, read the Earth Negotiations Bulletin daily report.
IISD Reporting Services, through its Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) Meeting Coverage, provided daily digital coverage and daily reports from IPBES-6. In addition, IISD Reporting Services has produced a summary and analysis report of IPBES-6, which is now available in HTML and PDF.
Photos by IISD/ENB | Diego Noguera
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Plenary
L-R: Thomas Koetz, IPBES Secretariat; Simone Schiele, IPBES Secretariat; IPBES Executive Secretary Anne Larigauderie; IPBES Chair Robert Watson; Maria Manguiat, Legal Advisor; Sebsebe Demissew Woodmatas, Co-Chair of the IPBES Multidisciplinary Expert Panel (MEP); Marie Stenseke, IPBES MEP Co-Chair; Meriem Bouamrane, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO); and Rashad Zabid Oglu Allahverdiyev, IPBES-6 Rapporteur
IPBES Chair Robert Watson
Simone Schiele, IPBES Secretariat
Kiruben Naicker, South Africa
Keiichi Nakazawa, Japan (center)
Senka Barudanovic, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Nikolay Tzvetkov, Bulgaria
Ana María Hernández Salgar, Colombia
Christine Dawson, US
Adriana Flores, Opend-ended Network of IPBES Stakeholders
Joji Cariño, the International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services
Nina Vik, Norway
Elsa Nickel, Germany
A view of the room during plenary
IPBES Executive Secretary Anne Larigauderie
Sandra Myrna Díaz, Co-Chair of the Global Assessment
IPBES Secretariat presented the Co-Chairs of the four Regional Assessments
Africa Assessment Co-Chair Jo Mulongoy, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)
Americas Assessment Co-Chair Cristiana Simão Seixas, Argentina
Asia Pacific Assessment Co-Chair Madhav Karki, Nepal
Europe and Central Asia Assessment Co-Chair Markus Fischer, Switzerland
Thomas Koetz, IPBES Secretariat
Luca Montanarella, Co-Chair of the thematic assessment on land degradation and restoration
The Mexican delegation
IPBES stakeholder group
Delegates at the Africa Regional Assessment contact group
A view of the room during the Americas Regional Assessment contact group
Delegates during the Europe and Central Asia Regional Assessment contact group
Around the Venue
