The Inter-american Institute for global change research: a resource for the Americas

When founded by intergovernmental agreement on May 13, 1992, in Montevideo, Uruguay, the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI; www.iai.int) was envisaged as an instrument by which scientists and decision makers of countries throughout the Americas might jointly address the critical cross-border issues associated with global change. Presently, the IAI is supported by 19 countries in the Americas and continues its commitment to the pursuit of scientific excellence, international cooperation and the open exchange of scientific information to increase the understanding of global change phenomena and their socio-economic implications. Specifically, the stated mission of the IAI is 1) to develop the capacity of understanding the integrated impact of present and future global change on regional and continental environments in the Americas, and 2) to promote collaborative research and informed action at all levels.

Structurally, IAI consists of four major institutional organs to implement its mission: 1) the Conference of the Parties (CoP), the principal policymaking organ of the Institute, which includes representatives from each of the member countries; 2) the Executive Council (EC), the executive organ of the Institute comprised by a subset of elected representatives of the CoP; 3) the Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC), the principal scientific advisory organ of the Institute, appointed by the CoP; and 4) the Directorate (DIR), the primary administrative organ of the Institute, which is hosted by the Brazilian government in São Jose dos Campos, Brazil.

During the period of July 2006 - July 2007, an External Review Committee (ERC) comprised of a panel of internationally respected global change scientists from the Americas, was appointed by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) to review the IAI’s achievements in the past 15 years relative to its charter, looking specifically at five themes: science and research, capacity building, funding, operations and governance, and communications and dialogue (see the ERC report at www.aaas.org/ programs/centers/sd/aaas_IAI report_0607.pdf). Over the course of the review, it became clear the IAI had largely proven its worth, made notable scientific achievements, overcome some operational difficulties and was now on a positive trajectory organizationally. The IAI’s current research program, which at the time of study had funded 140 projects, is widely perceived as producing high-quality science, especially in the natural sciences.

The Institute’s greatest regional contribution has been in successfully building scientific capacity throughout the Americas through its numerous training institutes, workshops and small grants and incubator project support. At the time of the review, approximately 300 scientists and researchers from 26 countries in the Americas had been trained. However, over much of its lifetime, the IAI, in many ways, had remained perhaps the best kept secret of the Americas. One reason for this perception may be that progress in science and scientific capacity building had been insufficiently translated into policy-relevant discourse and action. Strong science can and should underpin national and regional policies and support the region’s contribution to the global change research agenda. IAI’s recent efforts to couple natural and social sciences and dialogue with decision makers are critical to these endeavors, though further development is still needed on these fronts.

There is little debate that global change is impacting shared natural resources. A special opportunity exists for the IAI to emerge as a leader in global change research by communicating its scientific results through the regional assessment of the findings of the recently released report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). However, realizing this opportunity will require renewed commitment of the CoP and additional resources for the Institute. The IAI administration and infrastructure depend on the sustained efforts of countries to meet their commitments, and the flow of adequate resources is critical to the future success of the IAI. By improving its means of communicating with regional scientists and decision makers at multiple levels, and enhancing research on the human dimensions of global change research, the IAI will become more relevant, as it should be, to the development and policy needs of the Americas.

Robert J. Swap, University of Virginia, USA