Adopted by the plenary meeting to determine the modalities and institutional arrangements for IPBES at its second session, held from 16 – 21 April 2012 in Panama City, PanamaWe, the representatives of the Governments listed hereunder, assembled on the occasion of the second session of the plenary meeting to determine modalities and institutional arrangements for an intergovernmental science-policy platform on biodiversity and ecosystem services, convened in Panama City, Panama, from 16 to 21 April 2012,Recalling the Busan outcome, adopted at the third ad hoc intergovernmental and multi-stakeholder meeting on an intergovernmental science-policy platform on biodiversity and ecosystem services, convened in Busan, Republic of Korea, from 7 to 11 June 2010,Recalling also General Assembly resolution 65/162 of 20 December 2010 and decision 26/4 of 24 February 2011 of the Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Programme,Recalling further the work of the first session of the plenary meeting to determine modalities and institutional arrangements for an intergovernmental science-policy platform on biodiversity and ecosystem services, convened in Nairobi from 3 to 7 October 2011,

1. Recalling the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development,¹ Agenda 21,² the Programme for Further Implementation of Agenda 21,³ the Johannesburg Declaration on Sustainable Development⁴ and the Plan of Implementation of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (“Johannesburg Plan of Implementation”),⁵2. Decide to establish an independent intergovernmental body to be known as the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosys\tem Services;3. Also decide that the first session of the Plenary of the Platform will decide on the link between the Platform and the United Nations system;¹ Report of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, Rio de Janeiro,3–14 June 1992, vol. I, Resolutions Adopted by the Conference (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.93.I.8 and corrigendum), resolution 1, annex I. ↑² Ibid., annex II. ↑³ General Assembly resolution S-19/2, annex. ↑⁴ Report of the World Summit on Sustainable Development, Johannesburg, South Africa, 26 August–4 September 2002 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.03.II.A.1 and corrigendum), chap. I, resolution 1, annex. ↑⁵ Ibid., resolution 2, annex. ↑Further decide, in order to fully operationalize the Platform:(a)That the functions, operating principles and institutional arrangements of the Platform are to be those set out in appendix I to the present resolution;(b)To request the secretariat of the United Nations Environment Programme to facilitate the Platform until the secretariat of the Platform is established, with a view to its being administered by one or more of the following: the United Nations Environment Programme, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the United Nations Development Programme;(c)That the seat of the secretariat of the Platform is to be located in Bonn, Germany;(d)That the rules of procedure, as contained in appendix II to the present resolution, are to be used by the Platform and may be modified by the Plenary of the Platform;(e)That the present resolution and any future decisions of the Platform have a legally non‑binding nature.Consenting Governments:Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Guatemala, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Iraq, Israel, Japan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Liberia, Libya, Malawi, Mexico, Monaco, Montenegro, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Russian Federation, Saint Lucia, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, United Republic of Tanzania, United States of America, Uruguay, Yemen, Zimbabwe.Adopted on 21 April 2012