ICSU Regional Office for Latin
America and the Caribbean
Manuel Limonta
Director
What is ICSU
A non-governmental organization
representing a global membership that
includes both national scientific bodies
and international scientific unions
Mission
 Identify and address major issues of importance to
science and society
 Facilitate interaction amongst scientists across all
disciplines and from all countries
 Promote the participation of all scientists in the
international scientific endeavor, regardless of race,
citizenship, language, political stance or gender
 Provide independent, authoritative advice to
stimulate constructive dialogue between the
scientific community and governments, civil society,
and the private sector.
What ICSU does
 ICSU mobilises knowledge and resources
of the international scientific community
to strengthen international science for
the benefit of society.
ICSU in Latin America & the Caribbean
Established in 2007 as part of a new
worldwide strategy of ICSU. Following its
Strategic
Plan
2006-2010,
ICSU
established Regional Offices for Africa
and Asia-Pacific, and is negotiating a
Regional Office for the Arab Region.
Goals of Regional Offices
 Firstly, they help to ensure that the regional
priorities are reflected in the international ICSU
strategic development
 Secondly, they enhance the participation of
scientists and scientific organizations from the
region in ICSU's research and policy activities, and
enable ICSU to play a more effective role in
strengthening science within the context of regional
priorities
and
building
capacity
through
collaboration.
The ICSU Regional Committee
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José Antonio de la Peña(Chairman), México
Patricio Felmer, Chile;
Tara Dasgupta, Jamaica;
Arturo Martinez, Argentina;
Mahabir Gupta, Panama;
Enrique P. Lessa, Uruguay;
Carmen Samayoa, Guatemala;
Elena Vigil, Cuba.
Deliang Chen (ex-oficio member)
Sergio Pastrana (ex-oficio member)
Patricia Ocampo (staff member)
Manuel Limonta (staff member)
Staff of Regional Office - Mexico
 Manuel Limonta. Regional Director
 Kerstin Schmidt. Scientific officer
 Maria Teresa Viramonte. Assistant
4 work programs in ICSU-ROLAC
 Renewable energy
 Natural hazards
 Biodiversity
 Mathematic teaching
Priorities work program 2011
1. Next meetings to be organized by ICSU-ROLAC.
Rio +20. 3,4, and 5 August Mexico. ICSU General
Assembly and ICSU-LAC 10, Rome 27-30 September.
2. Increase visibility of ICSU –ROLAC among institutions
and scientist. Exchange with Cinvestad, Institute of
Geography UNAM, Colombian Sciences Academy, Central
University of Ecuador.
3. Increase the amount of countries as members of ICSU.
Ecuador, Central America
Priorities work program 2011
4. Increase interactions and exchange with Asia Pacific and
Africa offices. Program already established with Skype
communication
5. Workshops organization.
Already implemented
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Mathematic teaching in Chile to be held in January 2012.
On discussion for implementation
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Workshop on ABS for Latin America
Workshop on Sustainable Energy for Caribbean countries
Priorities work program 2011
6. Data base with financial support agencies Program
already established.
7. Data base with scientist of the 4 programs of the ICSU-
ROLAC Region.
Program already established, need to be refined
Main results obtained in the ICSUROLAC Office during this year
Inauguration ICSU ROLAC Mexico City
On 1st March 2011, the ICSU Regional Office for
Latin America and the Caribbean (ROLAC) was
officially inaugurated in Mexico City at the
Mexican Academy of Sciences (AMC).
First Meeting for the Sustainable Energy Project
 On 8th and 9th February 2011, the First Meeting for
the Sustainable Energy Project of the Interamerican
Development Bank was held at the Academy of
Sciences in Mexico City.
 Décio Gazzoni and Isaías Macedo from Brazil, Arturo
Morales from Mexico, Gabriel Blanco from Argentina,
and the Director of the ICSU-LAC Regional Office,
Manuel Limonta, attended the meeting.
Regional Committee Meeting in Mexico
 On 1st and 2nd March 2011 the Regional Committee for ICSU
Latin America and the Caribbean held their 9th meeting at the
Mexican Academy of Sciences in Mexico City.
 The agenda included the identification of future actions and
work priorities for the new office in Mexico after the
relocation from Brazil, as well as strategies for the
implementation of the four scientific priorities:
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Sustainable energy
Biodiversity
Natural hazards
mathematics education
 Furthermore, the organization of the Regional Workshop for the
Rio+20 Initiative was discussed and considered a work priority
by the Regional Committee
ICSU ROLAC at CSPR meeting in Paris
 From 30th to 31st March 2011, Mahabir Gupta and Kerstin
Schmidt-Verkerk attended the 21st meeting of ICSU's
Committee on Scientific Planning and Review (CSPR) in
Paris, France.
 The meeting was followed by a Foresight Workshop on 1st
April 2011, in which ideas about the future role of ICSU
and science in general for society was discussed.
Second Meeting for the Sustainable Energy Project
of the Interamerican Development Bank in Bogotá,
Colombia
Between 25th and 27th April 2011, the
Second Meeting for the Sustainable Energy
Project of the Interamerican Development
Bank was held in Bogotá, Colombia.
Other Activities
1- Visit for strategic alliance with Cinvestav, Mexico City
2- Meeting and further analysis with the Geography
Institute from UNAM seeking for the development of
worshops in the region.
3- Follow up the publications:
• Sustainable Energy (already published)
• Natural Disasters (already published)
• Mathematic Teaching (already published)
• Biodiversity (will be published end of May)
4- Proper installation and maintenance of the web page of ICSU
ROLAC (already established and published since 2 weeks ago)
How can USNCs work with ICSU-
ROLAC on these activities?
 Are there ICSU-ROLAC activities that
USNCs might want to become
involved in?
Thank you very much!!!
Thank you very much!!!
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