Report of the External Review Committee Assessment of the Inter American Institute for Global Change Research

This report presents the findings of an external review conducted by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) on the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI). The review evaluates the IAI's performance across its first 13 years, focusing on its scientific research, capacity building, funding, governance, and communication strategies.

• The IAI's research program is recognized for producing high-quality science, particularly in the natural sciences, with some projects achieving international recognition and catalyzing larger-scale research efforts.
• The Institute has successfully shifted its science agenda from individual programs to groups of projects that are regionally relevant, complementary, and possess international appeal.
• There has been a steady increase in leadership by Latin American scientists in IAI projects, moving away from the initial dominance of North American principal investigators.
• The IAI's Data and Information System (DIS) is currently ineffective in serving science and society or informing action, partly due to a lack of awareness and insufficient guidance from the Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC).
• While research projects have become more interdisciplinary, there remains a deficiency in projects that analyze the reciprocal links between human activities and environmental change.
• Capacity building is considered the IAI's most valuable regional contribution, having trained hundreds of scientists through workshops and institutes, though the Institute lacks mechanisms to track long-term outcomes.
• The IAI faces significant funding vulnerabilities due to a narrow donor base, with the United States providing a disproportionate amount of funding (approximately 87% of core operational and research funding from 1996 to 2003).
• Many member states have failed to meet their voluntary contribution commitments, and the Institute has not yet initiated the establishment of an endowment as mandated by its original Charter.
• The IAI lacks formal metrics to evaluate its effectiveness in fulfilling its mission and does not have a long-range strategic plan, which may cause difficulties in the future.
• Governance is hindered by irregular attendance of member states at annual Conference of the Parties (CoP) meetings and the underutilization of the Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) as a strategic driver.
• There is a significant lack of awareness of the IAI within the science and policy communities, and policymakers have struggled to translate the Institute's scientific results into informed action.

APA

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (2007). Report of the External Review Committee Assessment of the Inter American Institute for Global Change Research. http://iai.int/pdf/es/aaas_IAIreport_0607.pdf

Chicago

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research. Report of the External Review Committee Assessment of the Inter American Institute for Global Change Research. 2007. http://iai.int/pdf/es/aaas_IAIreport_0607.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research |title=Report of the External Review Committee Assessment of the Inter American Institute for Global Change Research |date=June 2007 |url=http://iai.int/pdf/es/aaas_IAIreport_0607.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{interamericaninstituteforglobalchangeresearch2007report, author = {{Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}}, title = {{Report of the External Review Committee Assessment of the Inter American Institute for Global Change Research}}, institution = {Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}, year = {2007}, month = jun, url = {http://iai.int/pdf/es/aaas_IAIreport_0607.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }