11 October 2010: The 32nd Session of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) opened on 11 October 2010, in Busan, Republic of Korea, and, as its first order of business, adopted the agenda and the report of IPCC 31.

The panel also commenced discussions on the IPCC programme and budget for the period 2010-2014, the scope of the Synthesis Report of the fifth Assessment Report (AR5), and the InterAcademy Council review of the processes and procedures of the IPCC. Addressing the opening plenary, IPCC Chair Rajendra Pachauri reported that the AR5 is underway and reflected on the challenges facing the IPCC over the past ten months. He highlighted that he will set up a process at the plenary to address the recommendations and observations of the InterAcademy Council review, noting it is both transparent and government-driven. In his statement, Achim Steiner, UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Executive Director, described the dual goals of assessing progress on AR5 and making decisions on the procedures and processes of the IPCC to bring the “best, impartial risk assessment of climate chance to policy-makers.” He stated that “this plenary is as much about leadership, restoring public confidence in the IPCC, and fitting it for a new century as much as it is about AR5.” [Pachauri Statement] [Steiner Statement] [IISD RS Coverage of IPCC 32]