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.