The InterAcademy Partnership (IAP) is a global network consisting of over 140 national and regional member

academies of science An academy of sciences is a type of learned society or academy (as special scientific institution) dedicated to sciences that may or may not be state funded. Some state funded academies are tuned into national or royal (in case of the Unit ...

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad range of more speciali ...

, and

medicine Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pr ...

. It was founded in 1993 as the InterAcademy Panel (IAP). In 2000, the IAP founded the ''InterAcademy Council'' (IAC) and the ''InterAcademy Medical Panel'' (IAMP). The partnership was established in 2016 when it merged the three inter-related networks into IAP for Health (formerly ''IAMP''), IAP for Science (formerly IAP), and IAP for Policy (formerly IAC). The mission of IAP is for the world's merit-based academies to play a vital role in ensuring that science serves society inclusively and equitably and underpins global sustainable development by advising the public on the

scientific Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence for ...

aspects of critical global issues. It has released official statements on socially important topics, including the 2015 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, food and nutrition security,

science education Science education is the teaching and learning of science to school children, college students, or adults within the general public. The field of science education includes work in science content, science process (the scientific method), som ...

biosecurity Biosecurity refers to measures aimed at preventing the introduction and/or spread of harmful organisms (e.g. viruses, bacteria, etc.) to animals and plants in order to minimize the risk of transmission of infectious disease. In agriculture, thes ...

water Water (chemical formula ) is an Inorganic compound, inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and Color of water, nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living ...

, science communication,

women in science The presence of women in science spans the earliest times of the history of science wherein they have made significant contributions. Historians with an interest in gender and science have researched the scientific endeavors and accomplishments ...

, human population growth,

global warming In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...

, human reproductive cloning, and

evolution Evolution is change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. These characteristics are the expressions of genes, which are passed on from parent to offspring during reproduction. Variation ...

. IAP has also advanced

science diplomacy Science diplomacy is the use of scientific collaborations among nations to address common problems and to build constructive international partnerships. Science diplomacy is a form of new diplomacy and has become an umbrella term to describe a n ...

by bringing regional networks together to address global problems.

Governance

The highest decisive body of IAP is the General Assembly, which meets every third year, and where each member organization has one vote on organizational decisions. At these meetings, member academies elect new leadership, approve new members, report on organizational activities over the last triennial period, and approve a

strategic plan Strategic planning is an organization's process of defining its strategy or direction, and making decisions on allocating its resources to attain strategic goals. It may also extend to control mechanisms for guiding the implementation of the s ...

for the next three years. In between the meetings, the work is directed by three executive committees, one for each pillar of the Partnership (or in the case of IAP Policy, a board), supported by a

secretariat Secretariat may refer to: * Secretariat (administrative office) * Secretariat (horse) Secretariat (March 30, 1970 – October 4, 1989), also known as Big Red, was a champion American thoroughbred racehorse who is the ninth winner of the Ame ...

from a host academy. Each executive committee/board convenes annually, with two co-chairs presiding. One of the co-chairs shall be nominated by an academy in a low or middle income country (LMIC); the other shall be nominated by a high income country (HIC). Similar rules of diversity in economic development hold for the executive committee member academies in order to represent a global view. The number of member academies composing the executive committee varies: 11 member academies in IAP for Science, 9 member academies in IAP for Health, and 15 member academies in IAP for Policy. A Steering Committee composed of the six executive committee/board co-chairs guides the InterAcademy Partnership. From these six Steering Committee members, two are selected to act as co-Presidents. The current co-Presidents are Richard Catlow (UK) and Depei Liu (China). A Board includes the Steering Committee along with one representative from each of four regional networks of academies: in

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

, the

Americas The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. Along with th ...

, the Asia/Pacific region, and Europe, for a total of ten representatives.

Current and former co-chairs

* Cherry A. Murray, US. IAP-Science, 2019–present *Masresha Fetene, Ethiopia. IAP-Policy, 2019–present * Margaret Hamburg, US. IAP-Health, 2016–present * Krishan Lal, India. IAP-Science, 2016–present *Liu Depei, China. IAP-Health, 2016–present * Richard Catlow, UK. IAP-Policy, 2016–present *Volker ter Meulen, Germany. IAP-Science, 2013–2019 * Detlev Ganten, Germany. IAP-Health, 2013–2019 * Daya Reddy, South Africa. IAP-Policy, 2012–2019 * Mohammed H.A. Hassan, Sudan. IAP-Science, 2010–2016 *Lai Meng Loi, Malaysia. IAP-Health, 2010–2016 *

Jo Ivey Boufford Jo Ivey Boufford is an American physician and Dean of the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at New York University, as well as a Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at the NYU Medical School. Education Boufford attended Wellesley ...

, US. IAP-Health, 2010–2013 *

Robbert Dijkgraaf Robertus Henricus "Robbert" Dijkgraaf FRSE (Dutch: born 24 January 1960) is a Dutch theoretical physicist, mathematician and string theorist, and the current Minister of Education, Culture and Science in the Netherlands. From July 2012 unti ...

, Netherlands. IAP-Policy, 2008–2016 * Lu Yongxiang, China. IAP-Policy, 2008–2012 * Howard Alper, Canada. IAP-Science, 2007–2013 *Anthony Mbewu, South Africa. IAP-Health, 2007–2010 *

Chen Zhu Chen Zhu (; born August 17, 1953) is a Chinese hematologist, molecular biologist, and politician. He is a vice-chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, and President of the Red Cross Society of China. He was also the c ...

, China. IAP-Science, 2003–2010 *Guy de Thé, France. IAP-Health, 2000–2010 *

Bruce Alberts Bruce Michael Alberts (born April 14, 1938, in Chicago, Illinois) is an American biochemist and the Chancellor’s Leadership Chair in Biochemistry and Biophysics for Science and Education, Emeritus at the University of California, San Francisc ...

, US. IAP-Policy, 2000–2008 *

Goverdhan Mehta Goverdhan Mehta FNA, FASc, FTWAS, FRS, FRSC (born 26 June 1943) is an Indian researcher and scientist. Career Mehta received his BSc and MSc from the BITS Pilani and PhD from Pune University. His post-doctoral research was at the Mich ...

, India. IAP-Policy, 2000–2008 * Yves Quéré, France. IAP-Science, 2000–2007 *David Challoner, US. IAP-Health, 2000–2006 * Eduardo Krieger, Brazil. IAP-Science, until 2003

IAP reports

IAP publishes reports and recommendations that utilize the expertise of member academies to address issues of interest to the global

and policy communities. IAP reports are not endorsed by academy members, but instead must have the consensus of an expert committee and undergo a rigorous

peer review Peer review is the evaluation of work by one or more people with similar competencies as the producers of the work ( peers). It functions as a form of self-regulation by qualified members of a profession within the relevant field. Peer revie ...

process. Examples of IAP reports include:
Health in the climate emergency: A global perspective
2022
Harnessing science, engineering, and medicine (SEM) to address Africa's challenges: The role of African national academies
2019
Improving scientific input to global policymaking with a focus on the UN Sustainable Development Goals
2019
Opportunities for future research and innovation on food and nutrition security and agriculture: The InterAcademy Partnership's global perspective
2018
Enhancing the capacity of African science academies
2015
Responsible conduct in the global research enterprise
2012
Lighting the way: Toward a sustainable energy future
2007
Realizing the promise and potential of African agriculture
2004

IAP statements

IAP also promotes its goals through "statements on issues of fundamental importance to humanity." Statements present the combined consensus of the world's academies to provide independent, evidence-based advice and recommendations to policymakers in governments, international organizations, or academies themselves. Often an IAP statement can be used to globalise an issue on which a

national academy A national academy is an organizational body, usually operating with State (polity), state financial support and approval, that co-ordinates scholarly research activities and standards for academic disciplines, most frequently in the sciences but ...

or regional network of academies has already done a significant amount of work. An IAP statement is developed following a specific procedure and released only when the majority of IAP member academies have endorsed its contents

p. 4. Thus, the statements are intended to represent the consensus of the

scientific community The scientific community is a diverse network of interacting scientists. It includes many " sub-communities" working on particular scientific fields, and within particular institutions; interdisciplinary and cross-institutional activities are als ...

rather than statements of IAP as an organisation in itself. As of 2021, IAP has issued twenty-five statements, as listed below.
IAP Statement on Implications of Urbanization in Low- and- Middle- Income Countries
Signed by 72 IAP member academies, this IAP Statement highlights policy measures aimed at improving urban living .
Climate Change and Biodiversity: Interlinkages and policy options
Signed by 81 IAP member academies, this IAP Statement highlights that climate and biodiversity policies are currently insufficiently connected and addressing

climate change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to ...

and

biodiversity Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic (''genetic variability''), species (''species diversity''), and ecosystem (''ecosystem diversity'') l ...

decline together is central to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
IAP Statement on Regenerative Medicine
Signed by 74 IAP member academies. This IAP Statement highlights medical opportunities in addressing the causes of disease and warns against the misuse of

regenerative medicine Regenerative medicine deals with the "process of replacing, engineering or regenerating human or animal cells, tissues or organs to restore or establish normal function". This field holds the promise of engineering damaged tissues and organs by st ...

technologies – also when it comes to the proposed use of stem cells to tackle

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...

.
IAP Statement on Protection of Marine Environments
2021. Signed by 75 IAP member academies. This statement urges world leaders to improve

ocean The ocean (also the sea or the world ocean) is the body of salt water that covers approximately 70.8% of the surface of Earth and contains 97% of Earth's water. An ocean can also refer to any of the large bodies of water into which the wo ...

health by stopping habitat destruction and the spread of environmental contaminants, fighting

and overexploitation, and adopting evidence-based policies.
A Call to Action: Furthering the fight against falsified and substandard medical products
2020. Signed by 78 member academies. This statement urges political decision-makers at all levels, in concert with regional and international organisations, to work with medical product regulatory authorities, national and international law enforcement agencies, manufacturers, importers, distributors, health professionals and patients to solve this issue.
IAP call for action to declare trauma as a disease
2019. Signed by 46 of IAP for Health's 78 member academies.
IAP call for action to tackle the growing burden of dementia
2018. Signed by 53 of IAP for Health's 78 member academies.
IAP statement on climate change and education
2017. Signed by the majority of IAP for Science's 113 member academies.
IAP statement on science and technology for disaster risk reduction
2017. Signed by the majority of IAP for Science's 113 member academies.
IAP call for action to improve the reproducibility of biomedical research
2016. Signed by 46 members.
IAMP call for action to strengthen health research capacity
2013. Signed by 42 members.
IAP statement on population and consumption
2012. Signed by 105 members.
IAMP statement on the health co-benefits of policies to tackle climate change
2010. Signed by 43 members.
IAP statement on tropical forests and climate change
2009. Signed by 54 members.
IAP statement on ocean acidification
2009. Signed by 70 members. The academies state that ocean water acidity has risen due to increased

carbon dioxide Carbon dioxide ( chemical formula ) is a chemical compound made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in the gas state at room temperature. In the air, carbon dioxide is trans ...

(CO₂) caused by human activities, and that it probably will rise further with severe effects on

marine ecosystem Marine ecosystems are the largest of Earth's aquatic ecosystems and exist in waters that have a high salt content. These systems contrast with freshwater ecosystems, which have a lower salt content. Marine waters cover more than 70% of the sur ...

s if the emission of CO₂ does not decrease considerably. They urge the issue be recognized among the problems addressed by the

United Nations Climate Change Conference 2009 The 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference, commonly known as the Copenhagen Summit, was held at the Bella Center in Copenhagen, Denmark, between 7 and 18 December. The conference included the 15th session of the Conference of the Partie ...

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

. #IAP statement on the teaching of

, 2006
Signed by 70 members
#IAP statement on

, 2005
signed by 71 members

IAP statement on access to scientific information
2003, signed by 68 members. #IAP statement on science and the

media Media may refer to: Communication * Media (communication), tools used to deliver information or data ** Advertising media, various media, content, buying and placement for advertising ** Broadcast media, communications delivered over mass e ...

, 2003
signed by 68 members
#IAP statement on scientific

capacity building Capacity building (or capacity development, capacity strengthening) is the improvement in an individual's or organization's facility (or capability) "to produce, perform or deploy". The terms ''capacity building'' and ''capacity development'' ha ...

, 2003
signed by 68 members

IAP statement on science education of children
2003, signed by 68 members.
IAP statement on health of mother and child in developing countries
2003, signed by 67 members. #IAP statement on

human cloning Human cloning is the creation of a genetically identical copy (or clone) of a human. The term is generally used to refer to artificial human cloning, which is the reproduction of human cells and tissue. It does not refer to the natural concepti ...

, 2003
signed by 67 members
The academies support "a worldwide ban on the reproductive cloning of human beings", but at the same time call for "cloning to obtain

embryonic stem cells Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are pluripotent stem cells derived from the inner cell mass of a blastocyst, an early-stage pre- implantation embryo. Human embryos reach the blastocyst stage 4–5 days post fertilization, at which time they consist ...

for both research and therapeutic purposes to be excluded from this ban". #IAP statement on transition to sustainability, 2000
signed by 63 members

IAP statement on science and technology and the future of cities
1996, signed by 71 members. The academies note that there is an ongoing rapid worldwide

urbanization Urbanization (or urbanisation) refers to the population shift from rural to urban areas, the corresponding decrease in the proportion of people living in rural areas, and the ways in which societies adapt to this change. It is predominantly t ...

. They state that this in itself is not necessarily a bad development, but that it may have rather negative effects, if appropriate measures are not taken in order to ensure the new city dwellers e.g. access to water and adequate housing. Therefore, active city planning is necessary, and so is further research on urbanization. # IAP statement on population growth, proposed 1993, ratified 1994
signed by 58 members
The academies state that "the world is undergoing an unprecedented population expansion", and that it is necessary to stop it. They noted that the amount of food produced (both on land and sea) per person was decreasing, and stated that many

environmental problems Environmental issues are effects of human activity on the biophysical environment, most often of which are harmful effects that cause environmental degradation. Environmental protection is the practice of protecting the natural environment on t ...

were aggravated by the

population expansion Population growth is the increase in the number of people in a population or dispersed group. Actual global human population growth amounts to around 83 million annually, or 1.1% per year. The global population has grown from 1 billion in 1800 to ...

. The academies state that we must reach "zero population growth within the lifetime of our children". They enumerate means which should be taken to achieve this, and also to counteract the effects of the population growth on environment and food production, inter alia. This includes furthering equal opportunities for women, easy access to cheap and safe contraceptives, broad primary health care, governmental policies recognizing longer-term environmental responsibilities, and increased research on cultural, religious, and other factors, which "affect reproductive behavior".

Role in reviewing the IPCC process

In 2010, the council board recommended changes in the

IPCC The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is an intergovernmental body of the United Nations. Its job is to advance scientific knowledge about climate change caused by human activities. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) ...

, such as having an executive committee with "individuals from outside the IPCC or even outside the

climate science Climatology (from Greek , ''klima'', "place, zone"; and , '' -logia'') or climate science is the scientific study of Earth's climate, typically defined as weather conditions averaged over a period of at least 30 years. This modern field of stu ...

community."InterAcademy Council Report Recommends Fundamental Reform of IPCC Management Structure
/ref> Major changes from then within the IPCC approach include a stronger focus on the treatment of uncertainty (since the IAC 2010 IPCC review) and the involvement of risk management deliberations (based on fundamental conclusions in the AR4 Synthesis Report).

References

External links

InterAcademy Partnership
{{DEFAULTSORT:Interacademy Panel on International Issues InterAcademy Panel International science academies cooperation organizations