European Union

Highlights for Thursday, 2 May 2019 IPBES Fellows give presents to the IPBES Secretariat. On Thursday, delegates continued negotiating the draft summary for policy makers (SPM) of the Global Assessment on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in a working group which met throughout the day and into the night. Another working group met throughout the day and in the evening to finalize the Platform’s second work programme.The working group on the Global Assessment discussed key messages on simultaneously achieving nature conservation and other societal goals, such as food security, climate change mitigation, and sustainable economic development. In the afternoon, delegates completed the key messages section, except for several outstanding issues, and began considering the background section. Highlights of these discussions included: Extended debate on referencing the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLCs) as a way to enhance nature conservation and restoration, while recognizing that indigenous peoples have different rights than local communities and that such rights are recognized in international law, but must be implemented through national law in most countries; Deliberations on whether to reference specific activities that can support nature conservation in key messages on food security, fisheries, and climate change mitigation; and A discussion on sustainable pathways and global financial and economic systems during which delegates debated whether economic systems must “evolve,” “reform,” or “transform” to conserve nature. The second working group on the work programme up to 2030 resumed discussions on the objectives, making textual changes to the sections on capacity building, strengthening knowledge foundations, policy support, communicating and engaging, and reviewing effectiveness. With many noting that specific deliverables should be tailored to the priority topics and possibly be prepared by the task forces for consideration by IPBES-8, delegates agreed to remove references to “deliverables” and consider the elements in the draft work programme as objectives. Coming back to the issue of which topics to consider and what reports to prepare, they also debated: how to consider the topic of connectivity, which many Multilateral Environmental Agreements raised in the first call for inputs, and the need for follow-ups to the Global and Regional Assessments.For extensive details on the day’s negotiations and to hear what delegates said in the corridors, see our daily Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB). IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB Meeting Coverage, provided daily web coverage and daily reports from IPBES-7. In addition, IISD Reporting Services, will publish a summary and analysis report of IPBES-7 on Tuesday, 7 May 2019. Photos by IISD/ENB | Diego Noguera For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page Working Group I Ingrid Visseren-Hamakers and Kai Chan, IPBES Experts Yasuo Takahashi and Hirohide Matsushima, Japan Georgina Catacora-Vargas, Bolivia Daniel Alvarez, Chile Nicola Toki and Anne-Gaelle Ausseil, New Zealand Sara Carlson and Christine Dawson, US A Friends of the Chair group meets over lunch break to finalize amendments to a section of the summary for policy makers of the Global Assessment report. Working Group II Eiji Tanaka and Ryo Kohsaka, Japan Anne Teller and Marco Fritz, EU Sofía Treviño Heres, Mexico, and Nina Vik, Norway Mary Rowen, US The French delegation discusses additions to the text. The delegation from the Republic of Korea during the session Bureau Meeting The IPBES Bureau meets over dinner break Around the Venue Nikolay Tzvetkov, Bulgaria, and Ioana Hotea, Romania A participant reviews Thursday’s schedule. Participants discuss informally between working groups. Participants share a laugh at the end of the day. A view of the Eiffel Tower from UNESCO Headquarters

Highlights for Tuesday, 30 April 2019 A Friends of the Chair group meets at lunch time. On Tuesday, IPBES-7 participants engaged in the discussions on the summary for policy makers (SPM) of the Global Assessment on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services and discussed the response to the External Review of IPBES. In general comments on the Global Assessment, delegates asked for clear and concrete messages as well as targets that are easily understood. They also suggested including regional messages and discussed ways to streamline and clarify the use of key concepts such as ecosystem services and nature’s contributions to people. Other comments focused on ensuring that large ecosystems, such as boreal forests and freshwater ecosystems, are appropriately referenced in the SPM. Following these general exchanges, the Working Group engaged in extensive discussions on how to characterize the extent and rate of decline of specific ecosystems and how to describe the state of domesticated animals and plants. In the afternoon, a second Working Group considered how IPBES should respond to the comments received through the External Review of the Platform. Delegates debated based on a draft decision and a note prepared by IPBES Chair Robert Watson. The group initially agreed to consider a number of specific follow-up activities proposed in the Chair’s note, and began discussing the proposed development of an IPBES “vision, mission, and strategy,” but then reverted to considering only the elements contained in the draft decision. Much of the discussion focused on a perceived mismatch between the mandates of the Multidisciplinary Expert Panel (MEP), the Bureau, and the Secretariat, and the proposed requests addressed to them. Delegates eventually converged on an approach for taking the recommendations made by the Review Panel into account in implementing the work programme, including by identifying solutions for consideration by IPBES. They also converged on encouraging members and observers to use the findings and recommendations contained in the report to inform their decisions and other interactions with the Platform, and in supporting the implementation of its work programme. The Secretariat will prepare a revised draft decision on this agenda item for consideration by Plenary.For extensive details on the day’s negotiations and to hear what delegates said in the corridors, see our daily Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB). IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB Meeting Coverage, provided daily web coverage and daily reports from IPBES-7. In addition, IISD Reporting Services, will publish a summary and analysis report of IPBES-7 on Tuesday, 7 May 2019. Photos by IISD/ENB | Diego Noguera For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page Working Group I Delegates during the meeting of Working Group I Kate Brauman, Coordinating Lead Author of the Global Assessment Steve Polasky, Coordinating Lead Author of the Global Assessment Andrew Purvis, Coordinating Lead Author of the Global Assessment José Romero, Switzerland Karin Zaunberger, European Union (EU) Cyrie Sendashonga, International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Shonisani Munzhedzi, South Africa Georgina Catacora-Vargas, Plurinational State of Bolivia The dais addresses comments on the summary for policy makers of the Global Assessment. Working Group II Working Group II addresses the response to the External Review of the Platform Spencer Thomas, Grenada Kiruben Naicker and Carmel Mbizvo, South Africa L-R: IPBES Executive Secretary Anne Larigauderie; Simone Schiele, IPBES Secretariat; and Stadler Trengrove, IPBES Legal Advisor Delegates from Germany, the US, and the EU, discuss the draft decision. Around the Venue African delegates in discussions between sessions. Participants consult informallly at the info desk. Noam Obermeister, University of Cambridge, and Thomas Brooks, International Union for Conservation of Nature Claudia Friedrich, ENB, distributes the latest ENB daily report. A view of the Symbolic Globe and the UNESCO Reclining Figure sculpture

Highlights for Monday, 29 April 2019 Delegates gather for the start of the BRS COPs The fourteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the Basel Convention (BC COP14), the ninth meeting of the COP to the Rotterdam Convention (RC COP9), and the ninth meeting of the COP to the Stockholm Convention (SC COP9) opened in Geneva, Switzerland. Meeting jointly in plenary in the morning and early afternoon, the Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm (BRS) COPs adopted the agendas and organization of work for each COP, and initiated discussions on technical assistance and financial resources under the Basel and Rotterdam Conventions, and financial resources and mechanisms under the Stockholm Convention.Regional groups used their opening statements to call for urgent action on emerging issues, such as marine plastic litter and microplastics, as well as longstanding challenges ranging from management of legacy persistent organic pollutants (POPs) to the establishment of compliance mechanisms under the Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions. In the discussion of technical assistance, many delegates underscored the importance of regional centres in supporting parties’ implementation of the Basel and Stockholm Conventions through capacity building. Several called for additional resources to deal with issues such as existing and new POPs, marine litter, and plastic waste, and noted that technical assistance is closely linked to compliance.In the afternoon, the Stockholm Convention COP convened to begin discussions of listing of chemicals in Annex A (elimination), B (reduction) and/or C (unintentional releases). After brief discussions, delegates decided to list the pesticide dicofol in Annex A of the Convention with no exemptions for continued production or use. Delegates then considered the POPs Review Committee’s recommendation to list perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) in Annex A or B, and agreed to establish a contact group for further work on this issue.As the first day of the Triple COPs drew to a close, delegates celebrated what many characterized as an unexpectedly quick decision on dicofol, but also noted issues that were likely to be more challenging. Several pointed to the Rotterdam Convention's compliance mechanism and listing PFOA in the Stockholm Convention as particularly tricky, with several highlighting the need for technical assistance and financial resources to support parties’ work to implement the Conventions.For more details on the day's events and to hear what delegates said in the corridors, see our Earth Negotiations Bulletin. IISD Reporting Services, through its Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) Meeting Coverage, provided daily web coverage, daily reports, and a summary and analysis report from the 2019 Meetings of the Conferences of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions. The summary and analysis report is available in HTML and PDF. Photos by IISD/ENB | Kiara Worth For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page. Opening Plenary The BRS COPs opened with a traditional Swiss performance Marc Chardonnens, Director, Federal Office for the Environment, Switzerland Mohammed Khashashneh, Stockholm Convention COP9 President Hans Dreyer, Executive Secretary, Rotterdam Convention, Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) Rolph Payet, Executive Secretary, BRS Conventions Morning Plenary Mohammed Khashashneh, Stockholm Convention COP9 President; Osvaldo Álvarez-Pérez, Rotterdam Convention COP9 President; and Abraham Zivayi Matiza, Basel Convention COP14 President, open the discussions Natalia Rodriguez Pacheco, Bolivia, speaking on behalf of the Latin American and Caribbean Group (GRULAC) Serge Molly Allo'o Allo'o, Gabon, speaking on behalf of the African Group Heidar Ali Balouji, Iran, speaking on behalf of Asia-Pacific Flavius Ardelean Motoc, EU Rolando Pinzon, Panama Pralong Dumrongthai, Thailand Elham Refaat Abdel Aziz, Egypt Keima Gardiner, Trinidad and Tobago Ana Berejiani, Georgia Zaigham Abbas, Pakistan Chizuru Aoki, the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Afternoon Plenary View of the dais during the afternoon plenary Roxanne Blesam, Palau Luis Vayas, Ecuador Yaser Khalil Abu Shanab, Palestine S L Dhammika Wijayasinghe, Sri Lanka Charles Ikeah, Nigeria Nazem Thlaj, Syria Xuezhi Xiao, China María Florencia Grimalt, Argentina Obed Baloyi, South Africa Mariann Lloyd-Smith, International POPs Elimination Network (IPEN) Siqiniq Maupin, speaking on behalf of Alaska Community Action on Toxics, International Indian Treaty Council, and Native Movement Mick Tisbury, speaking on behalf of Australian, New Zealand, and North American firefighters Delegates applaud the decision to list dicofol in Annex A of the SC without exemption Evening Reception hosted by Switzerland View of the dais during the opening session Felix Wertli, Switzerland Hans Dreyer, Executive Secretary, Rotterdam Convention, FAO Around the Venue (L-R): Hans Dreyer, Executive Secretary, Rotterdam Convention, FAO; Rolph Payet, Executive Secretary, BRS Conventions; Mohammed Khashashneh, Stockholm Convention COP9 President; Marc Chardonnens, Director, Federal Office for the Environment, Switzerland; Felix Wertli, Switzerland; and Carlos Martin-Novella, BRS Deputy Executive Secretary Delegates from Uganda Delegates from Costa Rica Rolph Payet, Executive Secretary, BRS Conventions, speaks with Mohammed Khashashneh, Stockholm Convention COP9 President Delegates from the Pacific region David Ogden, BRS Secretariat Delegates speak informally Delegates between sessions Materials on display