Background paper for the 20th Conference of the Parties IAI principles of operation on science synthesis and decision making

The document argues for the expansion of IAI's capacity for science synthesis and integration to better inform policy, while maintaining a non-hierarchical, flexible management structure. It references founding agreements, external reviews by the AAAS and OECD, and a Strategic Plan to justify the need for enhanced communication with stakeholders and the development of metrics to evaluate scientific effectiveness. The paper specifically warns against adopting a highly hierarchical directorate model, citing it as contrary to the IAI's consultative nature and previous operational successes.

• The IAI is mandated to synthesize and communicate scientific data to support government public policy and improve public awareness regarding the causes and impacts of global change.
• An external review by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) found that the IAI had failed to sufficiently translate scientific progress into policy-relevant action and lacked effective communication with decision-makers.
• The IAI lacks the necessary metrics to evaluate how effectively it is fulfilling its mission, necessitating the development of high-level analytical expertise within the directorate to monitor science output.
• The OECD review highlighted the IAI's challenge in presenting complex findings in an applicable way and recommended improvements in data integration, interconnectivity, and the development of visualization tools and an interdisciplinary thesaurus.
• The IAI's Strategic Plan promotes a dual approach to research: a top-down approach based on formulated research needs and science syntheses, and a bottom-up approach using open calls to encourage creativity.
• The document argues that a non-hierarchical, consultative, and flexible mode of operation is essential for the IAI's success in interdisciplinary science and capacity building.
• The paper explicitly rejects a Brazilian proposal for a new science director with sweeping responsibilities, stating it conflicts with the IAI's consensus-based operational mode and founding agreements.

APA

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (n.d.). Background paper for the 20th Conference of the Parties IAI principles of operation on science synthesis and decision making. https://archive.iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/iai-cop-20-iai-principles-of-operation-e.pdf

Chicago

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research. Background paper for the 20th Conference of the Parties IAI principles of operation on science synthesis and decision making. n.d. https://archive.iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/iai-cop-20-iai-principles-of-operation-e.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research |title=Background paper for the 20th Conference of the Parties IAI principles of operation on science synthesis and decision making |url=https://archive.iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/iai-cop-20-iai-principles-of-operation-e.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{interamericaninstituteforglobalchangeresearchndbackground, author = {{Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}}, title = {{Background paper for the 20th Conference of the Parties IAI principles of operation on science synthesis and decision making}}, institution = {Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}, url = {https://archive.iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/iai-cop-20-iai-principles-of-operation-e.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }