Gender, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Policy for IAI Scientific Projects and Capacity Building Activities

The IAI's 2022 Gender, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Policy aims to increase the participation and leadership of underrepresented groups—including women, Indigenous Peoples, persons with disabilities, racialized groups, and LGBTQ+ communities—in science and capacity building. The policy outlines five primary objectives: promoting EDI in science, mainstreaming EDI in IAI activities, reducing biases in project selection, establishing inclusive research environments, and increasing regional capacities to improve EDI. It introduces requirements for EDI clauses in grant agreements, EDI training for peer-review panels to combat unconscious bias, and the promotion of work-life balance. The policy is grounded in the need for diverse perspectives to solve global environmental change challenges and aligns with the UN Sustainable Development Goal 5.

• The IAI identifies a significant gender gap in leadership within its scientific projects; between 2002 and 2021, women served as Principal Investigators in only 29% of projects (22 out of 75) under Collaborative Research Networks and Small Grants Projects, while women in all roles accounted for 36% (194 out of 527).
• The policy defines underrepresented groups to include women, Indigenous Peoples, persons with disabilities, members of visible minority/racialized groups, and members of LGBTQ+ communities.
• To reduce imbalances in project selection, the IAI will require that peer-review panels of experts receive EDI training to address issues such as unconscious bias.
• The IAI will integrate EDI requirements into its legal and financial frameworks by including clauses in contracts and grant agreements that mandate the achievement of EDI among participants and the inclusion of EDI dimension analyses.
• The policy aims to foster an inclusive research environment by promoting work-life balance and providing flexibility in grant agreements, such as potential grant period extensions or extra funding for researchers requiring medical or family leave.
• The IAI notes that Latin America and the Caribbean is the world's most economically unequal region, with inequalities rooted in colonial history and prejudice against racial/ethnic minorities, including people of African ancestry and indigenous peoples.
• The policy establishes a zero-tolerance stance toward aggression, racism, sexual harassment, or bullying based on protected characteristics, stating that such violations may lead to the termination of financial support or the contract.

APA

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (2022). Gender, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Policy for IAI Scientific Projects and Capacity Building Activities. https://archive.iai.int/administrador/assets/images/ckfinder/files/IAI-Policy-EDI.pdf

Chicago

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research. Gender, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Policy for IAI Scientific Projects and Capacity Building Activities. 2022. https://archive.iai.int/administrador/assets/images/ckfinder/files/IAI-Policy-EDI.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research |title=Gender, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Policy for IAI Scientific Projects and Capacity Building Activities |date=June 2022 |url=https://archive.iai.int/administrador/assets/images/ckfinder/files/IAI-Policy-EDI.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{interamericaninstituteforglobalchangeresearch2022gender, author = {{Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}}, title = {{Gender, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Policy for IAI Scientific Projects and Capacity Building Activities}}, institution = {Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}, year = {2022}, month = jun, url = {https://archive.iai.int/administrador/assets/images/ckfinder/files/IAI-Policy-EDI.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }