Held from 5-9 October 2009, in Nairobi, Kenya, the second Ad Hoc Intergovernmental and Multi-stakeholder Meeting on an Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES-II) discussed the findings of a gap analysis on the existing science-policy interface on biodiversity and ecosystem services, options to strengthen such interface, and possible functions and governance structures of an intergovernmental science-policy platform.

Most delegates expressed support for a new mechanism that carries out assessments able to generate and disseminate policy-relevant advice, and agreed that a new mechanism should complement multilateral environmental agreement bodies, not replace them. Many countries also recognized that a new mechanism should harness local and traditional knowledge as a tool for conservation. Delegates agreed that the UNEP Executive Director should report at the 11th special session of the Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environment Forum (GC-11/GMEF) in February 2010 on the meeting’s outcome, and that the UNEP GC should request to convene a third and final meeting to negotiate and decide whether to establish an IPBES.
Link to further information
IISD RS coverage