Report of the 2nd Science-Policy Workshop of the IAI

The report documents the proceedings of the 2nd Science-Policy Workshop of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI), held on 19 June 2018 in Antigua, Guatemala. The workshop focused on integrating scientific research into policy, discussing the IPBES Regional Assessment for the Americas, the IAI Open Data initiative, and the development of a new 25-year Strategic Plan.

• The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) Assessment Report for the Americas aims to provide governments, civil society, and the private sector with independent, scientifically credible assessments to support informed decision-making at international, regional, and local levels. It evaluates threats to biodiversity, nature's contributions to people, and potential management and policy responses.
• The IAI Open Data Catalog is currently hosted by Uruguay's National Agency for e-Government and Information Society. The initiative's preliminary three-year workplan includes phases for implementation, prototyping, and outreach, and involves collaboration with IBM, the University of Alberta, the United States National Science Foundation, and the IAI.
• The IAI is developing a new Strategic Plan to define its vision for the next 25 years, as the previous plan was only approved for one year. Proposed priorities for the new vision include serving as a regional capacity-building organization for science-policy integration, identifying shared priorities across the Americas to meet international frameworks like the Paris Agreement, and potentially establishing a Young Fellowship Program for transdisciplinary research.
• The IAI's Collaborative Research Network 3 (CRN3) has produced science-policy outcomes including the creation of a Spanish-language online climate-change capacity course, the assessment of Costa Rica's Payments for Environmental Services Program, and the informing of a court case regarding protected areas in Brazil.
• Participants emphasized that for scientific data to be useful to policy makers, there must be support for technicians to prepare the data and guidance on how to store and apply it. They also noted the necessity of obtaining prior and informed consent from indigenous people regarding the use of traditional and indigenous knowledge.
• The workshop highlighted the role of science-diplomacy in developing regional and national policies. Specific initiatives mentioned include a planned science-diplomacy workshop in Panama City for fall 2018 involving Central American countries, and Guatemala's efforts in risk reduction and collaboration with Mexico.

APA

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (2018). Report of the 2nd Science-Policy Workshop of the IAI. http://iai.int/pdf/en/iai-cop26-spw-fnrpt-e.pdf

Chicago

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research. Report of the 2nd Science-Policy Workshop of the IAI. 2018. http://iai.int/pdf/en/iai-cop26-spw-fnrpt-e.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research |title=Report of the 2nd Science-Policy Workshop of the IAI |date=19 June 2018 |url=http://iai.int/pdf/en/iai-cop26-spw-fnrpt-e.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{interamericaninstituteforglobalchangeresearch2018report, author = {{Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}}, title = {{Report of the 2nd Science-Policy Workshop of the IAI}}, institution = {Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}, year = {2018}, month = jun, url = {http://iai.int/pdf/en/iai-cop26-spw-fnrpt-e.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }