Summary
Highlights for Saturday, 4 May 2019
On Saturday morning, the working group on the Global Assessment recovened to review a table listing key knowledge gaps, which the group eventually agreed to add to the summary for policy makers (SPM) of the Global Assessment as an annex.Plenary convened at 11:00 am. Delegates approved the SPM and accepted the chapters of the Global Assessment report without further amendments. They applauded the Chapter Lead Authors, Experts, and the Technical Support Unit involved in preparing the assessment. Plenary then adopted IPBES’ Rolling Work Programme up to 2030 and the budget, and elected new members to the Multidisciplinary Expert Panel and the Bureau. Plenary elected Anna Maria Hernández (Colombia) as new IPBES Chair, and delegates accepted Morocco’s offer to host IPBES-8 in early 2021.CBD Executive Secretary Cristiana Pașca Palmer said biodiversity loss is destroying the “bedrock” of ecosystem services with dramatic economic and social consequences. She outlined forthcoming international biodiversity meetings towards the post-2020 biodiversity framework, noting they present an unprecedented opportunity to find a way forward.IPBES Executive Secretary Anne Larigauderie called the assessment “a landmark report,” stressing that current trends do not allow much optimism, and highlighting that biodiversity is also a development, economic, and security issue. She called on participants to work together to make most of the current momentum for biodiversity.In closing statements, Africa called for facilitating and monitoring the uptake of the Global Assessment’s outcomes. Asia and Pacific stressed the need for successful implementation of the adopted work programme. The Eastern European Region highlighted capacity building under the new work programme. Latin America and the Caribbean highlighted the technical paper on biodiversity and climate change. Western Europe and Others said that its members should use the Global Assessment to trigger decisions at all levels. The US said that IPBES’ efforts will serve and protect generations to come.The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), for the biodiversity-related conventions, underscored the importance of stronger alignment of IPBES with the biodiversity conventions, who in turn, should work to address synergies. The UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) said understanding conservation and connectivity are “crucial.” The International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IIFBES) stated that IPBES is strengthened by inclusion of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) in all programmes. The Open-ended Network of IPBES Stakeholders (ONet) asked members to integrate outcomes into national agendas, into discussions at the UN General Assembly, and into the Rio Conventions.In his farewell speech, outgoing IPBES Chair Robert Watson reminisced on his long history of involvement in environmental assessments, calling chairing IPBES his “most rewarding job.” He stated the Global Assessment gives the private sector and civil society the evidence they need for evidenced-based policy making.He then gaveled IPBES-7 to a close at 2:58 pm.Summary and Analysis: The Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) summary and analysis of IPBES-7 will be available on this site on Tuesday, 7 May 2019.
IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB Meeting Coverage, provided daily web coverage and daily reports from IPBES-7.
Photos by IISD/ENB | Diego Noguera
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