About ICSU ROLAC
The Regional Committee for Latin America and the Caribbean, composed of distinguished scientists of the region, was appointed by ICSU in 2006 to provide scientific guidance to the work of the Regional Office. The Regional Committee held its first meeting in Panama in October 2006 and since then gathered twice a year to define scientific priorities in the region and to exchange information with the Regional Office and with ICSU headquarters in Paris. The current and past members of the ICSU ROLAC Regional Committee can be found here.
The ICSU Regional Office is currently in the second phase of its existence. In April 2007, the first Regional Office for Latin America and Caribbean was formally inaugurated in Rio de Janeiro, hosted by the Brazilian Academy of Sciences, and supported by the Brazilian Government, ICSU, and CONACYT, Mexico. Under the coordination of the former Director Alice Abreu, the major achievements of the Regional Office include the completion of the science plans of the four ICSU ROLAC priority areas biodiversity, natural hazards, sustainable energy, and mathematics education. All four science plans are available as hard copies in English and in Spanish and can be downloaded at the publications section.
After the agreement with the Brazilian Academy of Sciences had ended, the new Regional Office was opened in early 2011 in Mexico City and was formally inaugurated on 1st March 2011 at the Mexican Academy of Sciences. Under the leadership of the new Director Manuel Limonta, the work priorities of the Regional Office are the implementation of the science plans of the ICSU ROLAC priority areas, the strengthening of existing networks, and the development of new partnerships between scientists in the region and within the ICSU family. Another work priority in 2011 was the organization of the ICSU-UNESCO Rio +20 Regional Science and Technology Workshop for Latin America and the Caribbean.
ICSU ROLAC Mission
The mission of the ICSU Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean is to ensure that the regional priorities are reflected in the ICSU Strategic Plan and to develop sound regional scientific programs. In detail, its objectives are:
- To assist ICSU and its members in their strategic planning for activities in Latin America and the Caribbean and to ensure that their plans and activities are well linked to the science community and to relevant networks and organizations in the region;
- To identify and elaborate science and policy priorities in the region, to enhance ICSU’s knowledge about these priorities and to facilitate the collaboration between ICSU and scientists and policy makers in the region to address these priorities;
- To promote and facilitate capacity building in Latin America and the Caribbean;
- To implement the science plans of the four ICSU ROLAC scientific priority areas biodiversity, natural hazards, sustainable energy, and mathematics education. The Regional Office coordinates the activities proposed and executed by the Regional Committee members concerning the ICSU ROLAC priority areas;
- To strengthen the links between ICSU and its National Members and Regional Contacts of Scientific Union members in Latin America and the Caribbean;
- To facilitate the expansion and active membership of ICSU to institutions in Latin American and Caribbean countries, which are not yet members of ICSU;
- To assist in the integration of key regional scientists and institutions into existing ICSU programs and initiatives. Of special relevance is the integration of ICSU ROLAC’s scientific priority areas biodiversity and natural hazards into the respective global ICSU initiatives;
- To collaborate with the ICSU Regional Offices for Africa (ROA) and Asia Pacific (ROAP) as well as with ICSU headquarters in Paris to assure the integration of ICSU ROLAC’s work into the global agenda of ICSU.
