member countries of the United Nations and WMO. Currently 195 countries are members of the IPCC. Governments participate in the review process and the plenary Sessions, where main decisions about the IPCC work program are taken and reports are accepted, adopted, and approved. The IPCC bureau members are also elected during these plenary sessions. Due to its scientific and intergovernmental nature, the IPCC embodies an opportunity to provide rigorous and balanced scientific information to decision makers. By endorsing the IPCC reports, governments acknowledge the authority of their scientific content.

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 so the organization aims to reflect a range of views and expertise. It is supported by WMO and UNEP, and hosted at WMO headquarters in Geneva.

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change was founded by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in 1988 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 impact in 1988 and is based in Geneva, Switzerland.