ED Search Committee Report

This report from the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) details the findings of the Executive Director (ED) Search Committee as of June 6, 2016. It addresses a dispute regarding the eligibility of the incumbent director, Holm Tiessen, and proposes a new, more transparent and open process for selecting the ED to be presented to the Conference of the Parties (CoP) in Santiago.

• The Search Committee identified a conflict regarding the eligibility of the current Executive Director, Holm Tiessen. While the IAI Agreement states the ED is elected for three years renewable once, and cannot be a citizen or permanent resident of the host country, the U.S. Department of State provided an official view that the current director is not eligible.
• The search process for the Executive Director was delayed because of the absence of a clear procedure and a definitive interpretation of the term limits for the Director. The committee noted that different interpretations of Article VIII, paragraph 6, had been used over the years without consensus.
• The committee recommends that the CoP adopt an open nomination process that is not restricted to nominations from CoP members. This is intended to increase transparency, which the document notes has been a point of criticism in the past, and ensure the IAI attracts the best candidates regardless of their country of origin.
• The proposed selection strategy includes the creation of a clear hiring procedure and a CoP agreement on the Director's Term of Service. The committee suggests researching the nomination procedures of other international organizations, specifically mentioning the IPCC as a potential model.
• The committee suggests that the new Executive Director's term should be aligned with scientific program deadlines and funding cycles to avoid disruptions in the middle of a cycle. As reference, the report notes that UN bodies often have a 5+5 year limit, while the FAO adopted a 6+4 year term in 2002.
• The requirements for the Executive Director position include 5-10 years of professional experience in managing scientific research grants and peer review, knowledge of Latin America and the Caribbean, and fluency in English and either Spanish or Portuguese.

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-s.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-s.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-s.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-s.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }