The major tasks of the eighth session of the IPCC included deciding on the future IPCC structure, and agreeing on work plans of working Groups and Subgroups. The panel discussed and adopted various draft reports.

The Panel at its tenth session called on partnerships and collaboration to address climate change, and stress the importance of involving experts from developing countries and countries with economies in transition in the activities of the Panel. The panel discussed and adopted various draft reports, and identified the following three areas on which IPCC needed to focus in its future work: Identification of gaps and uncertainties, preparations for the Third Assessment Report, and the development of methodologies on greenhouse gas inventories.