ED Search Committee Report

The Executive Director Search Committee of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) issued a progress report recommending the suspension of the current director search to establish a clear, transparent, and open procedure for future nominations. The committee highlighted ambiguities in the IAI Agreement regarding term limits and eligibility, specifically concerning the current director, Holm Tiessen, and proposed a standardized process including open advertisements and defined qualifications to be endorsed by the Conference of the Parties (CoP).

• The Search Committee recommended suspending the current search for the Executive Director to develop a concise and clear search procedure for presentation to the Conference of the Parties (CoP) in Santiago.
• The search process was delayed because the IAI Agreement and the Rules that Govern the IAI lack clear guidance on how the search should be conducted and contain ambiguous terms regarding the Director's term limits.
• There was a dispute regarding the eligibility of the current Director, Holm Tiessen; while some sought guidance, the US State Department concluded that the current director was not eligible.
• The committee proposed a new, open nomination process to increase transparency and attract a wider pool of candidates, moving away from a system where names are simply forwarded by members.
• The committee recommended that the CoP establish specific desired qualifications for the Director at each search process to ensure the expertise matches the IAI's current goals.
• Proposed qualifications for the Executive Director include 5-10 years of experience in managing scientific research grant allocations, expertise in the Latin America and Caribbean region, and proficiency in English and either Spanish or Portuguese.
• The committee suggested researching term limits of other international organizations as a reference, noting that UN legislative bodies use a 5+5 limit, while the FAO adopted a 6+4 limit in 2002.

APA

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (2016). ED Search Committee Report. https://archive.iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/iai-cop-24-director-selection-comm-report-e.pdf

Chicago

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research. ED Search Committee Report. 2016. https://archive.iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/iai-cop-24-director-selection-comm-report-e.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research |title=ED Search Committee Report |date=6 June 2016 |url=https://archive.iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/iai-cop-24-director-selection-comm-report-e.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{interamericaninstituteforglobalchangeresearch2016search, author = {{Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}}, title = {{ED Search Committee Report}}, institution = {Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}, year = {2016}, month = jun, url = {https://archive.iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/iai-cop-24-director-selection-comm-report-e.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }