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The 31st meeting of the IAI Conference of the Parties (CoP-31), held in Panama City in June 2023, resulted in the adoption of 23 decisions. Key outcomes include the creation of the IAI Science Diplomacy Center, the establishment of an Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities Advisory Committee, and the mandate to develop research programs on the nexus of climate, environment, and health, as well as oceans and coastal systems. The meeting also addressed financial sustainability, noting that voluntary contributions have not increased in over 30 years, and approved the core budget for FY 2023-2024.

The United Nations (via DCO LAC) and the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAD) signed a non-binding Declaration of Intent on 6 July 2023 to cooperate on sustainable development in Latin America and the Caribbean. The partnership focuses on the co-production of transdisciplinary science regarding global change, specifically the links between climate, environment, and health, to support the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The signatories intend to collaborate on data analysis, innovation, digital transformation, strategic foresight, and behavioral science, with specific activities to be negotiated in future legally binding agreements.

The Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) has received nominations for the Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) and Science Policy Committee (SPAC). For the SAC, nominations were received from Argentina (Pedro Laterra) and Chile (Laura Ramajo), while no nominations were received from IAI Associates. For the SPAC, nominations were received from Ecuador (Inty Arcos), Colombia (Gilma Mantilla), and Brazil (Carlos Joly). Because the number of nominees equals the number of vacancies, parties may accept all qualified candidates. Additionally, an ad-hoc committee will be established on 21 June 2023 during CoP-31 to evaluate candidates and recommend which SAC candidate should fill the alternate member vacancy.

The Regional Workshop on Climate, Environment, and Health, held in March 2023 in San Martín de los Andes, Argentina, focused on strengthening public institutional capacity to address environmental determinants of health (EDHs) in the Americas. The event convened nearly 100 experts from 20 countries to promote transdisciplinary and intersectoral collaboration. Key outcomes included the development of 13 seed grant proposals addressing issues such as dengue, heatwaves, and zoonoses, and the announcement of the Belmont Forum Collaborative Research Action (CRA2) funding call. The workshop also highlighted local climate and health initiatives in Neuquén Province, including GHG inventory efforts in San Martín de los Andes and vector-borne disease control in Neuquén Capital.

Friends of the Earth International argues that the current global crises—climate, biodiversity, and social inequality—are rooted in a capitalist model, industrial agriculture, and patriarchal relations. The organization advocates for a transition toward a 'new economy' based on solidarity, food sovereignty, and community-led energy and forest management. It emphasizes the necessity of dismantling corporate power and oppression to create a world where human rights and planetary boundaries are central to governance.

Friends of the Earth International proposes a framework for 'system change' to address the interconnected crises of climate change, biodiversity loss, and social inequality. The document identifies five primary pathways for transformation: gender justice, energy sovereignty, food sovereignty, community forest management, and a regenerative economy. It critiques 'false solutions'—such as carbon markets and geoengineering—that allow corporations to profit while maintaining harmful structures. The report emphasizes the role of grassroots movements, the reclamation of the state for the common good, and internationalist solidarity to dismantle corporate power and patriarchy.

Friends of the Earth International argues that systemic change requires dismantling the capitalist economic model, industrial agriculture, fossil-fuel-based energy, and patriarchal relations. The organization advocates for a transition toward food sovereignty, climate justice, and community-led biodiversity management, emphasizing the need to replace corporate power with popular sovereignty and solidarity. The guide provides specific examples of these pathways in action, including legal victories against Shell in the Netherlands, community forest management in Indonesia, and renewable energy initiatives in Palestine and Africa.

The report argues that current global crises—including climate change, biodiversity loss, and extreme inequality—are symptoms of a systemic failure driven by neoliberal capitalism and corporate power. It proposes five interconnected 'pathways' for systemic change: gender justice, a transition to democratically controlled renewable energy, food sovereignty through agroecology, community forest management, and a redistributive economy that prioritizes people and the planet over profit. The document emphasizes the need to dismantle the patriarchy, challenge corporate impunity through binding international treaties, and support the rights of Indigenous peoples and local communities to manage their territories.

The document argues that current global systems—specifically capitalism, industrial agriculture, fossil-fuel energy, and patriarchy—are based on oppression and exploitation. It proposes a transition toward a world based on solidarity, people's sovereignty, and harmony with nature. The framework focuses on several key pathways: transforming the energy system toward 100% renewables, establishing food sovereignty through agroecology, implementing community-led forest management, and dismantling the power of large corporations to prioritize people and the planet. The guide provides case studies from Palestine, Indonesia, Africa, the Netherlands, Uruguay, Brazil, and Colombia to illustrate these systemic shifts in action.

The report by Friends of the Earth International outlines a framework for systemic change to address the interconnected crises of climate change, biodiversity loss, and social inequality. It identifies neoliberal capitalism, patriarchy, and colonialism as the root causes of these crises and proposes 'people's solutions' centered on gender justice, democratic energy systems, food sovereignty, community forest management, and a distributive economy. The document emphasizes the need to dismantle corporate power and reclaim political agency to ensure a future based on social, environmental, and gender justice.

The IAI and the Degrees Initiative have entered into a cooperation agreement effective until December 31, 2025, focusing on solar radiation modification (SRM). The partnership aims to enhance institutional capacities in the Americas through joint scientific programs, information dissemination, and the empowerment of Global South scientists to evaluate SRM. The agreement outlines mechanisms for bilateral meetings, fundraising, and intellectual property management, while specifying that any specific projects involving fund transfers will require separate legal instruments.

The SAC and SPAC conducted joint monthly meetings to coordinate on several regional initiatives, including the development of a Gender and EDI Policy, the establishment of the Science Diplomacy Center, and the creation of IPCC policy briefs for the Latin American and Caribbean region. Key activities included a training program on transdisciplinary research for climate, environment, and health responders, and participation in the Americas Conference on Solar Radiation Modification. The committees recommend that the IAI Directorate establish a formal research and training program on the climate-environment-health nexus and participate in the Hydro-Climate Research Program of the Andes (ANDEX).

The IAI's STeP Fellowship program, designed to train early-career scientists in the science-policy interface, has seen significant growth with 64 total fellows from 13 countries. In November 2022, 30 fellows participated in a Science Diplomacy Leadership Workshop in Uruguay, resulting in a leadership declaration. This declaration commits the fellows to transdisciplinary approaches, inclusive decision-making, and the pursuit of transformative change to address urgent challenges in the Americas.

The IAI Directorate reported progress in integrating gender and equity into scientific projects, enhancing the science-policy interface through the Science Diplomacy Center (SDC) and STeP fellowships, and implementing regional climate and health initiatives. Key achievements include the launch of a climate and health responder course for Latin America, the publication of a compendium on climate impacts in the LAC region, and the development of a drought information system for Southern South America. The Directorate also expanded its collaborative research actions with the Belmont Forum and established partnerships with organizations like the WMO and PAHO to improve climate risk assessments and early warning systems.

The IAI Executive Direction reports progress across science, capacity building, and strategic implementation between 2022 and 2023. Key achievements include the establishment of a Gender, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (GEDI) committee, the launch of the Science Diplomacy Center (SDC), and the expansion of the Science, Technology, and Policy (STeP) Fellowship program to 64 fellows from 13 countries. The IAI also advanced regional initiatives on the climate-health nexus, drought information systems in South America, and collaborative research through the Belmont Forum. Strategic partnerships were strengthened with organizations such as the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) to enhance climate risk assessment and science-policy interfaces in the Americas.

The policy brief examines the challenges of sustainable finance, noting that a lack of standardized information and an over-reliance on green bonds for clean energy generation limit the flow of capital. It highlights international examples, such as the European Union's taxonomy and reporting directives, and suggests Canada adopt similar frameworks for transition finance and sustainability-linked finance to support high-emitting sectors and aggregated project investments.

This briefing provides an update on the Initiative for enhancing capacity for climate risk assessment and catalyzing partnerships to inform decisions in Latin America and the Caribbean (LACI). It details the initiative's progress from a scoping and partnership building phase involving 14 countries to a pilot co-design phase featuring four specific projects aimed at strengthening climate risk assessments and data interoperability in the region.

This briefing provides an update on the Initiative for Conducting a National Climate Assessment in Support of Adaptation and Mitigation (LACI), an effort led by the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) to strengthen climate risk assessments and decision-making in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The IAI Executive Directorate has expanded its digital outreach to better communicate global change research. In 2022, the IAI website saw nearly 39,000 users, a 21% increase over the previous year. The organization experienced significant growth across social media platforms, particularly on Instagram (353% increase in accounts reached) and Facebook (278% increase in page reach). Twitter remains the most active platform with 2,380 followers and a 40% increase in impressions compared to 2021. Additionally, the IAI newsletter's contact list has nearly tripled, and mass emails sent between March 2022 and January 2023 showed an 80% performance improvement with 25,515 views.

The STeP Fellowship Program aims to build human and institutional capacities in IAI member states to provide expert scientific advice for public policy on global change. Between 2022 and 2023, the program expanded its cohort to 64 fellows from 13 countries, providing training in science diplomacy, communication, and leadership. Key achievements include the graduation of the first cohort of 17 alumni in February 2023 and the development of science diplomacy projects covering topics such as the lithium supply chain, circular economy, and climate justice. The program is currently seeking financial support from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.