Informe de la Comisión creada para analizar el modo de resolver el problema del quórum en las reuniones de la CoP 15

This report, authored by Louis B. Brown, President of the Standing Committee on Rules and Procedures, provides recommendations to amend the Rules of Procedure for the Conference of the Parties (CoP) of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI). The primary focus is resolving quorum issues to ensure the CoP can function effectively, alongside proposals to streamline delegation credentials, extend invitation timelines, and increase participation from smaller member countries with limited resources.

• The report recommends amending Article 24 of the CoP Rules to reduce the required quorum for establishing and conducting work in plenary and commission sessions from a majority to one-third of the Parties. Based on the current membership of 19 countries, this would lower the minimum quorum from ten to seven members and reduce the number of votes needed for a decision from six to four. However, the author notes this could allow a small block of countries to act against the wishes of the general majority if that majority is absent.
• To improve administrative efficiency and consistency, the report proposes rewriting Article 3 regarding delegation credentials. The goal is to align it with Article 2 so that members do not need to formally designate a representative for every single CoP; instead, the Executive Director would invite Permanent Representatives to confirm their participation and that of their advisors before each meeting.
• The report suggests amending Article 10 to extend the notice period for CoP invitations. Currently, the rules require invitations be sent at least 60 days in advance, but the Executive Director noted this is often insufficient for international diplomatic and logistical arrangements. The proposal suggests joint invitations from the Executive Director and the host country be sent one month after the previous Executive Committee (EC) meeting, and no less than four months before the CoP start date, including a list of key debate topics.
• To support smaller member countries with limited resources, the report recommends several measures to lower the barriers to participation: reducing the duration of CoP meetings by having the EC prepare syntheses and recommendations in advance; requiring host countries to select sites within one hour of a major international airport and offer special airline rates; and funding workshops to help scientists from resource-poor countries compete for IAI research grants.
• Louis B. Brown expresses a critical view of the current regulatory framework, stating that the Rules of Procedure for both the Executive Committee (EC) and the CoP are fundamentally flawed. He argues that they should be rewritten from scratch rather than receiving piecemeal amendments, warning that continuing with specific amendments will force every meeting to spend excessive time debating and approving new changes.

APA

B., B. L. (2008). Informe de la Comisión creada para analizar el modo de resolver el problema del quórum en las reuniones de la CoP 15. Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research. https://archive.iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/iai-ec-26-scrp-report-s.pdf

Chicago

B., Brown, Louis. Informe de la Comisión creada para analizar el modo de resolver el problema del quórum en las reuniones de la CoP 15. Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research, 2008. https://archive.iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/iai-ec-26-scrp-report-s.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=B. |first1=Brown, Louis |title=Informe de la Comisión creada para analizar el modo de resolver el problema del quórum en las reuniones de la CoP 15 |publisher=Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research |date=29 May 2008 |url=https://archive.iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/iai-ec-26-scrp-report-s.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{b2008informe, author = {B., Brown, Louis}, title = {{Informe de la Comisión creada para analizar el modo de resolver el problema del quórum en las reuniones de la CoP 15}}, institution = {Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}, year = {2008}, month = may, url = {https://archive.iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/iai-ec-26-scrp-report-s.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }