Much like at every session in the seventh assessment cycle, positions remained fixed at the 64th session of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC-64). The Panel was unable to find common ground on a timeline for the production of the Seventh Assessment Report (AR7). During the meeting, many delegates expressed their appreciation for, and good wishes to, IPCC Secretary Abdalah Mokssit who is due to retire later this year.

According to the Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) summary report of the meeting, many saw the agenda for the 64th session of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC-64) as a business meeting, yet contentious debates ensued. Friction further “bled into consideration” of many topics, including the IPCC’s Principles and Procedures, progress reports from the Secretariat, past IPCC sessions, and activities associated with the UNFCCC.

ENB notes that since the timeline was not included on the provisional agenda for the meeting, “some members with limited resources didn’t attend and others didn’t have a mandate to negotiate.” Therefore, the Panel “focused on trying to identify a way forward that would allow this question to be resolved at IPCC-65” – a critical moment, given that the next budget, scheduled for approval at IPCC-65, “will need to incorporate information about anticipated workload and related requirements.”

The Panel also considered a review of its Principles and Procedures – a mandatory exercise, which is supposed to take place every five years. While there was general agreement that the Principles and Procedures have been working well for the IPCC, “suggestions for targeted tweaks and enhancements gave way to calls for a comprehensive review that was not timebound,” ENB reports. The Panel agreed to consider the review of its Principles and Procedures at future sessions.

The state of the IPCC Trust Fund also raised concerns, with, as UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Executive Director Inger Andersen noted in her address to the Panel, expenditures exceeding contributions. The ENB analysis of the meeting notes that “without new and larger financial contributions, expenditure cuts, or both,” the Trust Fund is likely to run out of money soon. The timing is particularly challenging, “as the IPCC moves into the busiest and most difficult part of an assessment cycle,” and the pattern of contentious meetings gives rise to the possibility of increased costs, where late night sessions or extended days might be required to conclude work.

IPCC-64 convened from 24-27 March 2026 in Bangkok, Thailand. [ENB Coverage of IPCC-64] [SDG Knowledge Hub Stories on IPCC Meetings of Seventh Assessment Cycle: IPCC-63, IPCC-62, IPCC-61, IPCC-60, and IPCC-59]