Report of the 31th meeting of the Conference to the Parties to the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI)

The report documents the 31st meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP-31) to the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI), held in Panama City from 21-22 June 2023. The meeting focused on financial sustainability, the establishment of new science-policy initiatives, and the strengthening of equity and diversity within the organization's research and training frameworks.

• The IAI is facing financial challenges because voluntary contributions from member Parties have not increased in over 30 years, which the Executive Director stated is "compromising the organization's financial health". To address this, a financial working group was established to develop a plan to increase annual voluntary contributions over the next 1-3 years and define other forms of in-kind or secondment contributions.
• The Conference of the Parties approved the creation of the IAI Science Diplomacy Center and its initial three-year work plan. The Center aims to facilitate dialogue on emerging technologies like AI, Quantum, and Block-Chain to solve environmental issues, and to train government officials in science diplomacy tools to support regional collaboration and national strategies.
• A regional assessment conducted by the IAI Directorate identified that "climate action is the most important current global change policy priority for Parties", followed by biodiversity, ecosystem services, and water security. Emerging policy priorities include poverty, inequality, and human health and well-being.
• The IAI is expanding its research and training focus to include the nexus of climate, environment, and health, as well as oceans, islands, and coastal systems. Specifically, the IAI is partnering with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) to support decision-making regarding human health and all life systems.
• To improve inclusivity and representation, the CoP-31 adopted decisions to establish a standing Gender, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) committee and an Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities Advisory Committee (IP&LC-AC). The latter is tasked with making recommendations on the IAI Strategic Plan and Scientific Agenda to facilitate the "equitable participation and contributions of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities".
• The IAI is increasing its engagement with international multilateral science-policy forums, such as the UNFCCC and the Convention on Biological Diversity. Additionally, the IAI will participate in the HydroClimate Research Program of the Andes (ANDEX) under the World Climate Research Programme to link regional and global platforms.

APA

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (2023). Report of the 31th meeting of the Conference to the Parties to the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI). https://iai.int/administrador/assets/images/ckfinder/files/CoP-31-report-en.pdf

Chicago

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research. Report of the 31th meeting of the Conference to the Parties to the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI). 2023. https://iai.int/administrador/assets/images/ckfinder/files/CoP-31-report-en.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research |title=Report of the 31th meeting of the Conference to the Parties to the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) |date=14 July 2023 |url=https://iai.int/administrador/assets/images/ckfinder/files/CoP-31-report-en.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{interamericaninstituteforglobalchangeresearch2023report, author = {{Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}}, title = {{Report of the 31th meeting of the Conference to the Parties to the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI)}}, institution = {Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}, year = {2023}, month = jul, url = {https://iai.int/administrador/assets/images/ckfinder/files/CoP-31-report-en.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }