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The STeP Fellowship Program, implemented by the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI), is a two-year professional development initiative for scientists and policymakers in the Americas. The program focuses on three training pillars: science diplomacy, communication, and leadership, aiming to improve the science-policy dialogue and the uptake of scientific knowledge in policy processes. Fellows are placed in government agencies or private organizations within IAI member countries to work on national and regional agendas related to global environmental change.

The assessment identifies climate action, biodiversity conservation, and water security as primary regional policy priorities, while noting that health, poverty, and inequality are emerging concerns. It highlights that science communication to non-technical audiences is a significant barrier to evidence-based policymaking and recommends strengthening cross-sectoral and multi-country scientific cooperation, incorporating science diplomacy training, and leveraging international platforms and funding, particularly for small countries.

The study analyzes the governance network of the Galapagos small-scale fishing sector, identifying 43 organizations and 257 links. It finds that the public sector plays a dominant role in sending organizational links and that reciprocity and popularity are significant network features. The authors argue that identifying central and bridging nodes is critical for improving the sector's adaptive capacity to face crises like climate change and pandemics.