Minutes of the Twentieth IAI Conference of the Parties (CoP)

The minutes of the Twentieth IAI Conference of the Parties (CoP), held from June 27-29, 2012, in Arlington, VA, USA, detail the approval of a new tripartite governance structure for the IAI Directorate, the selection of eight research projects for the Third Round of the Collaborative Research Network Program (CRN 3), and updates to the institute's standing rules and financial budget for FY 2012-2013.

• The CoP approved a tripartite governance structure to distribute the IAI Directorate across three countries to increase capacity for science-policy liaison and science development. The Integrated Operations and Finance Directorate will be based in Montevideo, Uruguay; the Science Development Directorate in São José dos Campos, Brazil; and the Science-Policy Liaison Directorate in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
• The IAI approved eight projects for funding under the Third Round of the Collaborative Research Network Program (CRN 3). These projects involve 16 countries, 75 institutions, and 117 researchers, focusing on topics such as nitrogen cycling, water supplies in Andean Basins, and freshwater ecosystem risk.
• The CoP approved the Core Budget and Country Contributions for FY 2012-2013, maintaining the same level of contributions as the previous year. The budget for the new tripartite structure is intended to be cost-neutral, with an estimated net saving of US$103,444 compared to the existing structure.
• The IAI faces significant financial challenges due to unpaid member contributions, totaling approximately US$1.3 million. Mexico and Venezuela account for 50-60% of these unpaid dues, with Mexico owing US$294,000 and Venezuela owing US$295,000.
• A Science-Policy Dialogue identified a critical need to enhance the links between IAI scientific production and decision-making sectors. Key recommendations include presenting results in a way that is applicable to decision-makers and expanding funding sources to develop the science-policy interface.
• The CoP established an Implementation Committee for the Tripartite IAI Directorate, chaired by the USA and vice-chaired by Ecuador. This committee is tasked with overseeing the transition, reviewing legal agreements, and developing indicators to evaluate the success of the new structure.
• The CoP approved amendments to the Standing Rules of the Conference of the Parties and the Executive Council. Notable changes include updating references from "the Director" to "the Executive Director" and clarifying the process for establishing sessional and advisory committees.
• The IAI reported that the Collaborative Research Network II (CRN II), which was 100% funded by the NSF, closed in 2012 with high productivity, including hundreds of publications.

APA

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (2013). Minutes of the Twentieth IAI Conference of the Parties (CoP). http://iai.int/pdf/all/iai-cop-20-report-e.pdf

Chicago

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research. Minutes of the Twentieth IAI Conference of the Parties (CoP). 2013. http://iai.int/pdf/all/iai-cop-20-report-e.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research |title=Minutes of the Twentieth IAI Conference of the Parties (CoP) |date=13 March 2013 |url=http://iai.int/pdf/all/iai-cop-20-report-e.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{interamericaninstituteforglobalchangeresearch2013minutes, author = {{Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}}, title = {{Minutes of the Twentieth IAI Conference of the Parties (CoP)}}, institution = {Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}, year = {2013}, month = mar, url = {http://iai.int/pdf/all/iai-cop-20-report-e.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }