The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the International Council for Science (ICSU) have issued the Summary of Discussions from the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) Stakeholder Day, which was held prior to the first session of a plenary meeting on IPBES, and which focused on opportunities for NGO engagement and operationalization of the Platform.
October 2011: The Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) Stakeholder Day addressed the operationalisation of the platform and the involvement of non-governmental stakeholders. Held prior to the first session of a plenary meeting on IPBES, the meeting allowed representatives of civil society and the scientific community to learn about the platform and exchange views on issues under consideration in the plenary process.
Organized by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) in collaboration with the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) and the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the meeting was held in Nairobi, Kenya, on 2 October 2011, and chaired by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the International Council for Science (ICSU).
According to the summary released by ICSU and IUCN, participants agreed that an informal liaison, coordinated by IUCN, will be maintained by email among the organizations in attendance and that they would work intersessionally by email to prepare for the second session. In particular, they planned to: discuss the organization of stakeholder participation in IPBES; work with the interim IPBES Secretariat to develop best practices for stakeholder involvement, including the option of the nine Major Groups; and work with the Secretariat to develop options for consideration by the second session of a plenary, to be held in early 2012. [Publication: Summary of Discussions]