INBO in the Belgian delegation at IPBES-11
From 10 to 16 December 2024, the 11th plenary meeting of IPBES took place in Windhoek, Namibia, the first on African soil. Sander Jacobs, Anna Heck (IPBES national focal point) and our Administrator-General Hilde Eggermont negotiated there for seven days, together with colleagues from federal and Walloon science policy, and with financial support from the Environment Department and the Belgian Biodiversity Platform.
During the negotiations in Namibia, the 147 IPBES members approved two landmark reports:
- the Nexus Assessment explores the interlinkages between biodiversity, water, food, health and climate, and provides policy options for integrated solutions
- the Transformative Change Assessment highlights the root causes of biodiversity loss and strategies for more effective nature policies. Together, they provide a powerful framework and mandate for policy and action, as well as for our research programmes
In addition, the scoping report was adopted for the second IPBES Global Assessment on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. This assessment follows up from the first Global Assessment from 2019, which warned of the extinction of one million species and its impact on human survival. The new assessment will analyse recent developments, knowledge gaps and the impacts of different policy options.
The impact of these assessments will be further explained during the Belgian IPBES Day on 19 March 2025 in Brussels. Together with IPBES authors, researchers, policy makers and local experts, we will discuss what these reports mean for Belgium. For more information on this event, contact Anna Heck.
(Photo Kiara Worth)
Anna Heck, Sander Jacobs and Hilde Eggermont