IPBES - 6th Plenary session of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES)

On Saturday, 17 March 2018, regional consultations and the IPBES Stakeholder Day will be held. The opening ceremony of the sixth session of the IPBES Plenary will also take place on Saturday, 17 March 2018, in the late afternoon, followed by an official reception. The session is scheduled to close on Saturday, 24 March 2018. An invitation has also been sent to all Ministers for Environment of all States Members of the United Nations or Members of specialized agencies or of the International Atomic Energy Agency, to all Permanent Representatives to UN Environment, as well as to the Permanent missions to the United Nations.

The provisional agenda for the sixth session of the Plenary is available on the IPBES website. At this session, the Plenary will have a very full agenda, as it will consider five assessment reports. The Bureau has recommended holding the opening ceremony, including opening statements, in the late afternoon of Saturday, 17 March 2018. This will allow the consideration of the four regional and subregional assessments of biodiversity and ecosystem services, to commence on Sunday, 18 March 2018. At its sixth session, the Plenary will also consider undertaking the pending assessments (thematic assessment of the sustainable use of wild species; methodological assessment regarding the diverse conceptualization of multiple values of nature and its benefits; and thematic assessment of invasive alien species), receive the report of the internal review team on the review of IPBES and consider initial draft elements of a framework for a rolling second work programme. It will also consider financial and budgetary arrangements. An information note concerning logistical arrangements, along with the other official documents of the meeting, will be posted on the IPBES website (https://www.ipbes.net/event/ipbes-6-plenary) as they become available.