In 2008, the United Nations has established the International Resource Panel (IRP). This Panel consists of renowned scientists from all over the world. IRP's mission is to establish a body of knowledge that can be used to support policies on sustainable resource use. As a member of IRP since 2011, Ester van der Voet contributed to various workstreams, especially in the area of global metal flows and stocks. She is co-author of the ground breaking Global Resource Outlook report and is presently involved in the IRP's work on developing global scenarios for resource use.