IAI Directorate Report to the Twenty Fourth Conference of the Parties

The IAI Directorate Report for June 2015 - May 2016 details the institute's efforts in capacity building, science-policy liaison, and global convention engagement. Key activities include the Training Institute Seed Grant Program, the development of Professional Development Seminars, and strategic partnerships with the UN, CBD, and Future Earth to integrate global change science with sustainable development goals.

• The Training Institute Seed Grant Program (November 2011 - March 2016), funded by the NSF, established 11 interdisciplinary networks comprising 67 professionals from 34 institutions across 15 countries. The IAI invested $218,000 in the program, which leveraged an additional $155,000 in financial and in-kind contributions from participating institutions.
• The IAI is implementing a new series of Professional Development Seminars (PDS) funded by a $400,000 NSF grant approved in August 2015. Planned activities for 2016-2019 include workshops on managing ecosystem services from tropical forests in Costa Rica and ECLAC, and a seminar on integrating policy and science for sustainability in the Dominican Republic and Canada.
• The IAI-MacArthur project on biodiversity in the Tropical Andes (2011-2015) achieved several milestones, including the creation of a 'Climate Wizard' for high-resolution risk information and vulnerability assessments for approximately 2,500 species and 22 ecosystems in the border regions of Colombia-Ecuador and Peru-Bolivia.
• To increase visibility and align with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the IAI partnered with the 'Project Everyone' campaign in September 2015. This initiative involved researchers creating short video messages to raise awareness of UN Sustainable Development Goals, resulting in a twofold increase in IAI website visits.
• The IAI is strengthening its role in global policy through collaborations with the UNFCCC and CBD, including a joint side-event at COP-21 in Paris and plans for a Science Forum at the CBD COP-13 in Cancun. Additionally, the UNFCCC has requested IAI assistance in collecting information regarding the potential impacts of the 1.5°C global temperature rise limit.
• The Science Policy Liaison Directorate (SPLD) in Buenos Aires, established in May 2015, is conducting an impact analysis of IAI science. Preliminary findings indicate that the United States, Canada, and Argentina are the primary producers of publications and the most effective at connecting researchers across the region, followed by Brazil.
• The IAI is transitioning from a primarily US-funded model toward greater member country ownership via the Inter-american Forum of Funding Agencies. This forum aims to help countries fund their own portions of international research; three countries had confirmed agreement with the legal text at the time of the report.

APA

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (n.d.). IAI Directorate Report to the Twenty Fourth Conference of the Parties. https://archive.iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/iai-cop-24-directorate-report-e.pdf

Chicago

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research. IAI Directorate Report to the Twenty Fourth Conference of the Parties. n.d. https://archive.iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/iai-cop-24-directorate-report-e.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research |title=IAI Directorate Report to the Twenty Fourth Conference of the Parties |url=https://archive.iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/iai-cop-24-directorate-report-e.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{interamericaninstituteforglobalchangeresearchndiai, author = {{Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}}, title = {{IAI Directorate Report to the Twenty Fourth Conference of the Parties}}, institution = {Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}, url = {https://archive.iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/iai-cop-24-directorate-report-e.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }