Wednesday 25 April 2012

The Birth of IPBES

IPBES stands for ‘Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services’ and it is expected to become the new interface between the scientific community and policy makers. 

 

The aim of the Platform is to build capacity for and strengthen the use of science in decision making within a range of policy fora, such as the global environmental conventions and development policy dialogues.  

 

The second session of the IPBES plenary meeting was held in Panama City, Panama during April 15-21, 2012. More than 90 countries were represented including four (4) CARICOM Member States. Trinidad and Tobago was represented by Dr Floyd Homer, Biodiversity Specialist at the Multilateral Environmental Agreements Unit of the Ministry of Housing and the Environment.

The meeting focused mainly on the modalities and institutional arrangements for establishing an IPBES, which led to the election of Germany as the host country for headquarters for the IPBES Secretariat. Several issues, however, remained outstanding at the end of the meeting including the budget, legal framework for the IPBES and some rules of procedures. UNEP will serve as the interim Secretariat to organize the first official IPBES meeting.

Further information on IPBES is available at http://www.ipbes.net.

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