Monday, April 18, 2016

New Secretary for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

 
Nairobi, 13 April 2016 - Current Vice-President of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Mr. Abdalah Mokssit, from Morocco, has been offered and accepted the position of new Secretary of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).    The announcement was made at the forty-third session of the IPCC, convening in Nairobi this week.   Dr. Petteri Taalas, Secretary-General of WMO said, "I have had the pleasure to collaborate with Mr. Mokssit for more than a decade as a colleague, WMO Director and as an Executive Council member. He has special organizational and diplomatic skills; these will be needed to engage more developing country experts and governments in the IPCC's work. I am convinced that he will be a very useful asset for IPCC."   UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Achim Steiner said, "I welcome the selection of Mr. Mokssit as the New IPCC Secretary. He brings to the position years of experience at the national, regional and global levels and UNEP looks forward to continuing to support the vital work of the IPCC, especially through the joint efforts of the UNEP-WMO Secretariat."     Mr. Mokssit has extensive experience with the IPCC, WMO and at the national level. Under his leadership, the Meteorological Service of Morocco became one of the leading meteorological agencies in Africa, meeting high international standards.   The final selection for the position was made by WMO Secretary General, the UNEP Executive Director and the IPCC Chair, following UN procedures.   About the IPCC The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is the world body for assessing the science related to climate change. The IPCC was set up in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), endorsed by the United Nations General Assembly, to provide policymakers with regular assessments of the scientific basis of climate change, its impacts and future risks, and options for adaptation and mitigation.   The IPCC does not do its own research, conduct climate measurements or produce its own climate models; it assesses the thousands of scientific papers published each year to tell policymakers what we know and don't know about the risks related to climate change. The IPCC identifies where there is agreement in the scientific community, where there are differences of opinion, and where further research is needed.     Thus the IPCC offers policymakers a snapshot of what the scientific community understands about climate change rather than promoting a particular view. IPCC reports are policy-relevant without being policy-prescriptive. The IPCC may set out options for policymakers to choose from in pursuit of goals decided by policymakers, but it does not tell governments what to do.   To produce its reports, the IPCC mobilizes hundreds of scientists who work as volunteers. These scientists and officials are drawn from diverse backgrounds. Only fourteen permanent staff work in the IPCC's Secretariat.   The members of the IPCC, comprising the Panel, are the195 member states of the UN and WMO. They work by consensus to endorse the reports of the IPCC and set its procedures and budget in plenary meetings of the Panel. The word "Intergovernmental" in the organization's name reflects this.   IPCC reports are requested by the member governments and developed by authors drawn from the scientific community in an extensive process of repeated drafting and review. Scientists and other experts participate in this review process through a self-declaration of expertise. The Panel endorses these reports in a process of dialogue between the governments that request the reports and will work with them and the scientists that write them. In this discussion the scientists have the last word on any additions or changes, although the Panel may agree by consensus to change something in the summaries for policymakers of the reports.   The IPCC produces comprehensive assessment reports on climate change every six years or so. Among its other products it also issues special reports on particular topics requested by its members, and methodology reports and software to help members report their greenhouse gas inventories (emissions minus removals).   The IPCC completed the Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) with the release of the Synthesis Report on 2 November 2014. AR5 is the most comprehensive assessment of climate change ever undertaken. Over 830 scientists from over 80 countries were selected to form the author teams producing the report. They in turn drew on the work of over 1,000 contributing authors and over 1,000 expert reviewers. AR5 assessed over 30,000 scientific papers.  

Further Resources

For more information, please contact   Shereen Zorba, Head of News & Media, UNEP, +254788526000, unepnewsdesk@unep.org