Media Release
Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on
Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES)
For Immediate Release. Issued by the IPBES Secretariat on 30 January 2026.
Governments, Scientists and Biodiversity Leaders Gather in Manchester, UK for #IPBES12 Plenary Session and Landmark Business & Biodiversity Report Launch
Manchester, UK – On Tuesday, a city that historically embodied the industrial revolution will play host to delegations representing the more than 150 IPBES member Governments, as well as many of the world’s leading biodiversity scientists and experts. One of the main topics for deliberation will be consideration of the landmark new IPBES Business & Biodiversity Report.
The twelfth session of the Plenary of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (#IPBES12) will be the first time that a Plenary session of the global biodiversity science-policy platform is being hosted by the United Kingdom of Great Britian and Northern Ireland.
“We are honoured and excited to hold #IPBES12 in Manchester, which is no stranger to revolutions in how business is conducted, making it a perfect city to mark a new chapter in transformative change in how businesses relate to biodiversity,” said IPBES Chair Dr. David Obura (Kenya). “This Plenary session is taking place at a critical moment for science and international cooperation, a moment when smart and collective decisions are needed to inform and shape the policy and actions that will support biodiversity and nature, as well as our own prosperity, security and good quality of life. I would like to thank the UK Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs’ Secretary of State, Emma Reynolds, MP and Minister for Nature, Mary Creagh, and all the people of the UK for their remarkable hospitality and generosity in hosting the IPBES Plenary. Manchester and the UK are now ground zero for the science that will inform global policy and action on business and nature.”
“The UK is proud to host #IPBES12 in Manchester, bringing together the world's leading scientists and policymakers to tackle one of the defining challenges of our time — halting the loss of nature,” said UK Nature Minister Mary Creagh. “Nature underpins our economy — from the food we eat to the air we breathe. This meeting is a vital opportunity to turn global ambition into impact, both here in the UK and around the world.”
Among the most important agenda items for the 12 th session of the IPBES Plenary will be the consideration by the member States of the landmark IPBES Business and Biodiversity Assessment Report .
For more details about the Report, including its scope, scale and significance, please see the ‘primer’ (available in 12 languages): https://www.ipbes.net/events/ipbes-12-plenary/primers
The Plenary will also consider requests, input and suggestions by Governments for the topic of the next IPBES assessments to be included in the work programme of the Platform up to 2030.
Although the Plenary session itself is closed to media, the opening ceremony on Tuesday, 3 February will be webcast live at 9.30 a.m. GMT (10.30 CET), and will be accessible online at: https://bit.ly/IPBES12OpeningCeremony . Please follow the #IPBES12 hashtag and @IPBES on social media.
The media launch for the new IPBES Business & Biodiversity Report is set to begin on Tuesday 9 February at 1 p.m. GMT (2 p.m. CET, 8 a.m. ET) and will be webcast live.
Media wishing to receive embargoed media materials ahead of the report launch are invited to apply for accreditation here: https://www.ipbes.net/bba-accreditation . Receiving in-person or online accreditation will also grant access to an invite-only Zoom call, where members of the media can ask questions directly to the three Report Co-chairs and the IPBES Chair and Executive Secretary during the 90-minute press conference.
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Note to Editors:
Often described as the “IPCC for biodiversity”, IPBES is an independent intergovernmental body comprising more than 150 member Governments. Established by Governments in 2012, it provides policymakers with objective scientific assessments about the state of knowledge regarding the planet’s biodiversity, ecosystems and the contributions they make to people, as well as the tools and methods to protect and sustainably use these vital natural assets. For more information about IPBES and its assessments visit www.ipbes.net