8 October 2015: The 42nd session of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC-42) convened from 5-8 October 2015, in Dubrovnik, Croatia, bringing together 424 delegates from 136 countries. The meeting focused on the election of members of the IPCC Bureau and the Task Force Bureau (TFB), including the IPCC Chair, IPCC Vice-Chairs, Co-Chairs of the Working Groups (WGs) and TFB, Vice-Chairs of the WGs and TFB members. An informal session, hosted by the Croatian Government, provided the candidates for IPCC Chair with a forum to present themselves to delegates.

The session was chaired by Acting IPCC Chair Ismail El Gizouli, Sudan, who was appointed following the resignation of IPCC Chair Rajendra Pachauri just prior to IPCC-41, and pending elections during this session. Following an initial vote and a run off vote between the top two candidates, the Panel elected Hoesung Lee, Republic of Korea, as IPCC Chair for the sixth assessment cycle. Ko Barrett, US, Youba Sokona, Mali, and Thelma Krug, Brazil, were elected IPCC Vice-Chairs. In his remarks, incoming IPCC Chair Lee said the new Bureau would work as a team, adding that he would do his best to uphold the principles and practices of the IPCC, building on “the tremendous accomplishments of the AR5.”

IPCC-42 also had on its agenda: approval of the draft report of IPCC-41; the IPCC programme and budget; reports on IPCC activities and intersessional meetings, workshops and clinics; procedural matters relating to the election; implementation of the IPCC Error Protocol; matters related to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC); and special reports (SRs). [IPCC Website] [IISD RS Coverage of IPCC-42] [IISD RS Story on the Election of IPCC Chair Hoesung Lee]