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The World Meteorological Organization
Headquarters in Geneva. IPCC Secretariat
is hosted by WMO
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the leading international body for the
assessment of climate change. It was established by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and
the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) to provide the world with a clear scientific view on the
current state of knowledge in climate change and its potential environmental and socio-economic impacts. The UN
General Assembly endorsed the action by WMO and UNEP in jointly establishing the IPCC.
The IPCC is a scientific body. It reviews and assesses the most recent scientific, technical
and socio-economic information produced worldwide relevant to the understanding of climate change. It does not
conduct any research nor does it monitor climate related data or parameters.
Thousands of scientists from all over the world contribute to the work of the IPCC on a
voluntary basis. Review is an essential part of the IPCC process, to ensure an objective and complete
assessment of current information. IPCC aims to reflect a range of views and expertise. The
Secretariat coordinates all the IPCC work and
liaises with Governments. It is supported by WMO and UNEP
and hosted at WMO headquarters in Geneva.
The IPCC is an intergovernmental body. It is open to all member countries of the United Nations (UN) and WMO. Currently 194 countries are members of the IPCC. Governments participate in the review process and the plenary Sessions, where main decisions about the IPCC work programme are taken and reports are accepted, adopted and approved. The IPCC Bureau Members, including the Chair, are also elected during the plenary Sessions.
Because of its scientific and intergovernmental nature, the IPCC embodies a
unique opportunity to provide rigorous and balanced scientific information to
decision makers. By endorsing the IPCC reports, governments acknowledge the authority of
their scientific content. The work of the organization is therefore policy-relevant and
yet policy-neutral, never policy-prescriptive. |
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