South Africa is set to participate and negotiate at the eighth session of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) Plenary, to take place online from 14 to 24 June 2021.

Event date: 2021-06-14 00:15 to 2021-06-24 23:45

Introduction and background

Biodiversity and nature’s benefits to people underpin almost every aspect of human development and are key to the success of the new sustainable development goals. They help to produce food, clean water, regulate climate and even control disease. Yet they are being depleted and degraded faster than at any other point in human history. The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) is an independent intergovernmental body established by states to strengthen the science-policy interface for biodiversity and ecosystem services for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, long-term human well-being and sustainable development.

The IPBES work programme includes building capacity as one of its six objectives. IPBES capacity-building works to enhance knowledge and skills of institutions and individuals to enable and facilitate engagement in the production and use of IPBES products. The IPBES Capacity-building Rolling Plan describes strategies for addressing capacity-building needs and approaches for working with partners. Collaboration with partners is a key element in the implementation of the rolling plan, and crucial for the success of the work on capacity-building under IPBES. All contributions to the implementation of the rolling plan are presented to the IPBES Plenary

Purpose of this communication / IPBES Plenary session

South Africa has been invited to participate in the eighth (8th) session of the IPBES Plenary, taking place online from 14 to 24 June 2021.

At this important session, the plenary will be invited to consider for approval the scoping report for a thematic assessment of the interlinkages among biodiversity, water, food and health in the context of climate change (nexus assessment) and a thematic assessment of the underlying causes of biodiversity loss and the determinants of transformative change and options for achieving the 2050 vision for biodiversity (transformative change assessment). The plenary will also consider for approval interim work plans of IPBES task forces for the intersessional period 2021–2022. It will also consider financial and budgetary arrangements.

A national stakeholder engagement meeting was held on 31 March 2021 with the aim of informing stakeholders on the issues to be covered at IPBES 8. The session was a two-hour session, held online with the aim to develop South Africa’s national negotiating position.

Programme / event schedule

The IPBES secretariat has convened stakeholder days held between 3 and 9 June 2021 to accommodate the virtual format and different time zones. The eighth session of the plenary will be opened on Monday, 14 June 2021, at 1 p.m. Central European Time (CET). The session is scheduled to close on Thursday, 24 June 2021. South Africa has compiled a national delegation to participate in the negotiations at the IPBES 8 Plenary.

IPBS-8 daily schedule.

Official documents of the meeting

Further information concerning all the necessary arrangements, along with the other official documents of the meeting, have been posted on the IPBES website as they become available.

Stakeholder participation and registration

Participation by observers (anybody, organisation or agency, whether national or international, governmental, intergovernmental or non-governmental, including organisations of and representatives of indigenous peoples and local communities, which is qualified in matters covered by the platform) in the session of the plenary requires their admission by the plenary. Observers admitted to a previous session of the plenary (https://ipbes.net/accredited-organisations) will be admitted to the eighth session of the plenary.

The plenary will decide on the admission of new observers in accordance with the interim procedure described in paragraph 22 of the report of the first session of the plenary (IPBES/1/12). To apply for admission as an observer, a body, organisation or agency, which is qualified in matters covered by IPBES, is required to submit a formal letter, signed by the head of the organisation, informing the IPBES secretariat of its wish to be represented at the eighth session of the Plenary, and provide further information through the online accreditation form by 6 p.m. Central European Time on 2 April 2021.

To obtain a link to the online form, representatives from organisations that are not yet admitted are invited to complete the online registration form.