About IPBES

 

IPBES BELGIAN FOCAL POINT

The Belgian Biodiversity Platform acts as IPBES Belgian Focal Point. Our activities consist in involving Belgian experts and stakeholders in IPBES work programme, and ensuring uptake by policy makers. In this regard, we:

  • Advertise and follow up on notifications issued by IPBES Secretariat
  • Mobilise, and participate in the selection of Belgian experts to be involved in IPBES deliverables
  • Organise consultations with Belgian experts involved in IPBES deliverables to review and improve engagement in the IPBES Work Programme
  • Raise awareness on IPBES' work, organize information sessions and uptake events
  • Exchange good practices with other IPBES national focal points (see also www.ipbes.eu)
  • Ensure linkage with other relevant initiatives (IPCC, GBIF, IUCN, BiodivERsA etc.)

As pilot of the IPBES Belgian delegation, we also have a political role. In this regard, we:

  • Prepare, in collaboration with several Belgian administrations, the Belgian position to be negotiated with EU counterparts and/or during IPBES Plenary meetings*
  • Prepare, in collaboration with European member States of IPBES, the European positions to be negotiated during IPBES Plenary meetings.

 *IPBES Plenary is the governing body of IPBES made up of the representatives of IPBES member States.

 

ABOUT IPBES

The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) is a global mechanism engaging both the scientific and policy communities. IPBES facilitates the analysis and synthesis of existing scientific information on biodiversity and ecosystem services for decision-making purposes. Among other services, IPBES produces assessments that feed into the work of several international conventions, including the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), as well as other international, European, and national initiatives. IPBES is therefore a crucial structure that provides scientific evidence approved at intergovernmental level. Evidence-based knowledge endorsed by IPBES is recurrently used as the basis for legally binding decisions implemented through governing bodies of international conventions, and is often used by national governments to support their policy work. 

For more information, please consult the IPBES website.