Decision XXIX/8: Recommendation by the Parties to continue to revise the Gender policy on IAI scientific projects and activities

This document is a report and draft decision from the 30th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI), proposing the adoption of a revised Gender, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Policy for scientific projects and capacity-building activities.

• The IAI Directorate developed a revised Gender, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Policy following instructions from Decision XXIX/8. The revisions incorporated feedback from the Executive Council, Parties, and the Science Advisory Committee (SAC) and Science-Policy Advisory Committee (SPAC), adding explicit mentions of intersectionality, intergenerational balance, and detailed concepts of equity, diversity, and inclusion.
• The proposed EDI Policy aims to mainstream equity, diversity, and inclusion—including gender considerations—into IAI science projects and capacity-building activities. It specifically seeks to facilitate the participation of underrepresented groups, which the document defines as including women, Indigenous Peoples, persons with disabilities, members of visible minority/racialized groups, and members of LGBTQ+ communities.
• The document provides a rationale for the policy based on regional inequalities in the Americas. It notes that in the US, women comprise 27.5% of the STEM workforce, while in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), women researchers are underrepresented in STEM fields at 36%, despite a higher overall rate of women researchers (45.8%) than the global average (30%).
• Analysis of IAI-supported projects from 2002 to 2021 reveals a gender gap in leadership: only 22 out of 75 (29%) Principal Investigators were women. However, women represented 36% of all researchers in those projects. In contrast, IAI capacity-building activities show higher female participation, with women making up 51.5% of participants in 24 training events between 2012 and 2019.
• The policy outlines five primary objectives: promoting EDI in science; mainstreaming EDI in IAI activities (including grant agreements and fellowship selection); reducing imbalances in project selection through EDI training for peer-review panels; establishing an inclusive research environment (including work-life balance and flexible grant periods); and increasing regional capacities through mentoring and education materials.
• The document proposes the establishment of a Gender and Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee. This committee, supported by the IAI Directorate and in collaboration with the SAC, SPAC, and Associates, would be responsible for implementing the policy and reporting achievements at the 31st meeting of the Conference of the Parties.
• Implementation of the policy is contingent upon the availability of external financial resources, which the IAI Directorate intends to seek from foundations, development banks, and donor Parties.

APA

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (2022). Decision XXIX/8: Recommendation by the Parties to continue to revise the Gender policy on IAI scientific projects and activities. https://archive.iai.int/administrador/assets/images/ckfinder/files/IAI-CoP-30-9-en.pdf

Chicago

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research. Decision XXIX/8: Recommendation by the Parties to continue to revise the Gender policy on IAI scientific projects and activities. 2022. https://archive.iai.int/administrador/assets/images/ckfinder/files/IAI-CoP-30-9-en.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research |title=Decision XXIX/8: Recommendation by the Parties to continue to revise the Gender policy on IAI scientific projects and activities |date=9 May 2022 |url=https://archive.iai.int/administrador/assets/images/ckfinder/files/IAI-CoP-30-9-en.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{interamericaninstituteforglobalchangeresearch2022decision, author = {{Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}}, title = {{Decision XXIX/8: Recommendation by the Parties to continue to revise the Gender policy on IAI scientific projects and activities}}, institution = {Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}, year = {2022}, month = may, url = {https://archive.iai.int/administrador/assets/images/ckfinder/files/IAI-CoP-30-9-en.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }