NEW DELHI: TERI chief and member of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Council on Climate Change R K Pachauri, facing allegation of sexual harassment from a woman employee, on Tuesday resigned from his position as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ( IPCC ) chairman with immediate effect.

Pachauri, facing police investigation in the sexual harassment case here in Delhi, informed the IPCC about his decision. He has even proceeded on leave "for the time being" from the Delhi-based clean energy think tank TERI which later issued a statement, saying "adequate internal arrangements have been made to ensure the smooth operations of the organization".

Pachauri, facing police investigation in the sexual harassment case here in Delhi, informed the IPCC about his decision.

The IPCC, a panel of the United Nations, is the world body for assessing the science related to climate change. It was set up in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to provide policy-makers with regular assessment of the scientific basis of climate change, its impacts and future risks, and the options for adaptation and mitigation.

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Pachauri was elected to the first of two terms as Chair of the IPCC in April 2002 and had been scheduled to complete his second term in October.

Immediately after getting communication from Pachauri, the Bureau of the IPCC agreed, in accordance with its procedures, to designate Vice-Chair Ismail El Gizouli as acting IPCC Chair.

"The designation of Gizouli follows the decision by Rajendra K Pachauri, PhD, to step down as Chairman of the IPCC effective today. The decision to name Gizouli was taken at a Session of the Bureau ahead of the 41st Session of the IPCC, which is being held on 24-27 February 2015", said an official statement from the IPCC.

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“The actions taken today will ensure that the IPCC’s mission to assess climate change continues without interruption,” said Achim Steiner, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), who facilitated the Bureau meeting.

Elections for a new Bureau, including the IPCC Chair, for the next assessment cycle are already scheduled at the 42nd Session of the IPCC in October 2015.

