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The 55th meeting of the IAI Executive Council focused on financial sustainability, leadership transitions, and regional climate initiatives. The Council recommended that the Conference of the Parties (CoP) approve the FY 2023-2024 Core Budget and establish a working group to increase voluntary contributions and diversify funding sources, noting that the core budget has not increased since 1992. The meeting also introduced Dr. Anna Stewart-Ibarra as the new Executive Director and Dr. Edwin Castellanos as the incoming Science Director. Additionally, the Council discussed a Regional Assessment of global change policy priorities and an initiative to enhance national climate assessment capacities in Latin America and the Caribbean.

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 31st meeting of the IAI Conference of the Parties approved the 2023-2024 operating budget and established new research mandates focusing on the nexus of climate, health, and oceans. The meeting also authorized the creation of a Scientific Diplomacy Center, the establishment of an Advisory Committee for Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities, and the invitation of the University of the West Indies and the Global Change Research Center of the National University of Asunción to join the Institute.

This document is a list of participants for the 31st Meeting of the Executive Council to the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research, held on June 21, 2023, in Panama City and via videoconference.

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 Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) has announced the adoption of Declaration 3524 by the Province of Neuquén, Argentina. This declaration, resulting from a Regional Training Workshop on Climate, Environment and Health for the Americas, establishes a multi-sectoral approach to climate governance. Key objectives include the creation of a regional community of practice, the identification of funding sources to improve health sector resilience, the development of health and environment indicators to monitor climate-driven morbidity and mortality, and the promotion of information system interoperability across Latin America and the Caribbean based on 'One Health' principles. The declaration also emphasizes the transformation of health systems to incorporate interculturality and traditional indigenous medicines.

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.

The document analyzes the lithium supply chain for electric vehicle (EV) batteries, highlighting a distributive injustice where the 'Lithium Triangle' (Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile) suffers environmental degradation and water scarcity while North America gains from reduced urban pollution. It argues that science diplomacy—integrating scientific evidence into transnational policy—can establish sustainability thresholds and geochemical tracing methods to ensure responsible sourcing. The authors recommend using sustainability science to define mining standards and employing lithium isotope analysis to verify the origin of materials, drawing parallels from successful agricultural supply chain policies.

The report details a 2022 workshop organized by the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) and the Belmont Forum to promote transdisciplinary (TD) knowledge co-production. It analyzes three case studies—Jamaican Women in Coffee (JAWiC), NICH-Arctic, and FRACTAL—to identify common challenges such as power imbalances and conflicting priorities between funders and local communities. The document concludes with best practices for TD project implementation, emphasizing the need to center local timeframes and enhance communication, as well as pedagogical recommendations for future 'train the trainers' events.

The 'Information Document: IAI Gender and EDI Policy Draft Implementation Plan' outlines a strategic framework to operationalize the Gender, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Policy of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI). Developed by a dedicated committee, the plan translates high-level policy objectives into eight specific operational goals and a series of actionable items aimed at reducing biases in science, improving hiring and grant selection, and increasing the visibility of equity-seeking groups within the global environmental change space.

The document outlines a comprehensive framework to integrate Gender, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) into the IAI's operations. It defines eight operational goals, ranging from improving hiring and funding processes to increasing the visibility of equity-seeking groups in global environmental change research. The plan includes specific actions such as requiring EDI and mentoring plans for all funded research proposals after 2023, developing evaluation rubrics to mitigate bias, and establishing an Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities Advisory Committee.

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.

This document, prepared by the IAI Directorate, presents preliminary findings from a Regional Assessment of IAI Parties' priorities regarding global change policy. The assessment utilized surveys, listening sessions, and the analysis of 86 policy documents to map the domestic and international global change policy landscape, identifying current and emerging priorities as well as barriers to integrating scientific information into decision-making.

The report details a regional assessment conducted by the IAI to map national and international global change policies and decision-making landscapes. Using surveys, listening sessions, and policy document analysis, the assessment identifies 'Climate Action' as the top current policy priority for member parties, followed by 'Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services'. It also highlights emerging priorities related to social consequences, such as human health and poverty, and identifies intersectoral collaboration gaps as a primary barrier to integrating scientific information into policy decisions.

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.

This briefing document notifies the Conference of the Parties that Dr. Anna Stewart Ibarra was elected as the Executive Director of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) and will present her vision and priorities at the 31st meeting of the Conference of the Parties.

The document announces the appointment of Dr. Anna Stewart Ibarra as Executive Director of the IAI, effective June 1, 2023, and schedules her oral presentation on strategic priorities for the 31st meeting of the Conference of the Parties in Panama City.