Minutes of the Eighteenth of the IAI Executive Council (EC)

The minutes of the Eighteenth Meeting of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) Executive Council (EC), held December 4-5, 2003, in San José, Costa Rica, detail the institute's scientific progress, financial instability due to member state arrears, and strategic planning for future research programs and institutional governance.

• The IAI is facing severe financial instability because several member countries have failed to pay their core budget contributions, leading to an annual operation deficit of 20%. The Executive Council warned that the institute would be 'destabilized in two year’s time' if the situation is not corrected, potentially impacting the launch of the CRN-II program.
• The Executive Council approved 22 proposals for funding under the second round of the Small Grants Program (SGP II), with a total funding amount of US$ 612,701.
• The IAI is planning a second round of Core Research Networks (CRN II) to be launched in the first half of 2004. The proposed structure includes a maximum grant of US$ 200,000 per year for five years, requiring the participation of at least four IAI member countries.
• The IAI conducted three Summer Institutes in 2003 focusing on vulnerability in Central America and the Caribbean, land use and cover change in the Amazon, and global warming mitigation. These programs aimed to foster multidisciplinary collaboration and the science-policy interface.
• The Executive Council defined four primary functions for the EC Bureau: elevating considerations on scientific, technological, and financial policy to the EC; approving and evaluating the IAI Director's annual Performance Plan; approving the EC Chair's reports; and evaluating the work of Working Groups.
• To address the lack of member state commitment, the EC endorsed sending letters to high-level government representatives in all member countries. These letters will detail the specific benefits each country has received from IAI research, training, and capacity building to encourage the payment of outstanding contributions.
• The IAI Directorate reported difficulties with three specific CRN projects: CRN-038 is recommended for termination due to the resignation of all involved scientists; CRN-062 has faced significant reporting delays; and CRN-031 required a new Principal Investigator following the death of Dr. Eduardo Franco.
• The Standing Committee of Rules & Procedures (SCRP) is analyzing a proposal to reduce the frequency of CoP and EC meetings to improve efficiency, which would require amending the Agreement Establishing the IAI.

APA

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (2003). Minutes of the Eighteenth of the IAI Executive Council (EC). https://archive.iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/3_EC18.pdf

Chicago

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research. Minutes of the Eighteenth of the IAI Executive Council (EC). 2003. https://archive.iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/3_EC18.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research |title=Minutes of the Eighteenth of the IAI Executive Council (EC) |date=December 2003 |url=https://archive.iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/3_EC18.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{interamericaninstituteforglobalchangeresearch2003minutes, author = {{Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}}, title = {{Minutes of the Eighteenth of the IAI Executive Council (EC)}}, institution = {Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}, year = {2003}, month = dec, url = {https://archive.iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/3_EC18.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }