About

Who we are

The International Resource Panel (IRP) was launched by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in 2007 to build and share the knowledge needed to improve our use of resources worldwide.

The Panel consists of eminent scientists with expertise in resource management issues. It studies key questions around global resource use and produces assessment reports that distill the latest scientific, technical and socio-economic findings to inform decision-making.

The Panel provides advice and connections between policymakers, industry and the community on ways to improve global and local resource management. The Panel includes scientists and governments from both developed and developing regions, civil society, industrial and international organizations.

Its goal is to steer us away from overconsumption, waste and ecological harm to a more prosperous and sustainable future.

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Our mission

With a forecast human population of 9.2 billion by 2050 accompanied by continuing world economic growth, the International Resource Panel has the urgent task of helping to transform how we use, and re-use, resources.

The IRP’s work proves that it is possible to move to a new paradigm of resource use that is socially equitable, economically efficient, and environmentally healthy.

The Panel’s specific mission is to:

  • provide independent, coherent and authoritative scientific assessments of policy relevance on the sustainable use of natural resources and, in particular, their environmental impacts over the full life cycle; and

  • contribute to a better understanding of how to decouple economic growth from environmental degradation.

Structure

The International Resource Panel has more than 35 expert members drawn from a wide range of academic institutions and scientific disciplines, supported by a small Secretariat hosted by UNEP. It is co-chaired by Janez Potočnik, former European Commissioner for the Environment, and Izabella Teixeira, former Environment Minister of Brazil. 

Its Steering Committee has 28 governments, the European Commission, and UNEP. The Steering Committee is co-chaired by Sarah Nelen, Acting Director for Green Diplomacy & Multilateralism in the European Commission's Directorate-General for Environment, and Elisa Tonda, Head of UNEP's Resources and Markets Branch, Industry and Economy Division.

The Panel also has a number of strategic partners.

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Principles

The Panel upholds the following principles:

  • Objectivity – critical, unbiased reviews of the best available science.

  • Integrity – Panel members uphold the integrity of the scientific process and identify any conflicts of interest.

  • Independence – Panel members yield to no political pressure and carry out independent and impartial scientific assessments.

  • Balance – the Panel includes a diversity of expertise, gender and cultural background.

  • Scientific Rigour – the Panel uses only robust, credible data and methodologies, and the best available science and technology.

  • Systemic and Holistic – the Panel addresses complex interactive risks.

  • Inclusive – the Panel is sensitive to prevailing global views on resource management and environmental sustainability.

The IRP reports are founded on three qualities:

  • Relevance: the Panel responds in a timely way to demands for scientific information and policy options to manage resources sustainably and avoid scarcities. Its work covers the entire process of assessment from identifying critical resource issues to analyzing and articulating their status, drivers and effective responses, and communicating them to the right audiences.

  • Credibility: the Panel bases its assessments and advice on the latest and most reliable peer-reviewed science available internationally, from trusted institutions.

  • Legitimacy: the Panel’s advice takes into account issues of perceived fairness, balance, transparency, political acceptability, accessibility and trust.