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.
