LAXENBURG, Austria, 16 January 2025 (IICA) – The Director General of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), Manuel Otero, visited Austria to meet with one of the world’s most important scientific institutions dedicated to identifying solutions to reduce the environmental footprint of production systems.
This institution is the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), whose Director General, Hans Joachim “John” Schellnhuber, considered one of the leading international experts on climate change, welcomed Otero at the institution’s headquarters in Laxenburg, just a few kilometers from Vienna.
The renowned scientist highlighted the importance of designing a joint work agenda, as IICA is a leading institution in the Americas in promoting the use of new frontiers in science and technology to address sustainability and resilience challenges faced by food production.
IIASA produces scientific knowledge in systems analysis to collaborate with governments in building actions and policies aimed at achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, reducing the environmental impact of human activities, and improving the resilience of natural and socioeconomic systems.
Governed by a Council made up of representatives from its Member States, IIASA has strengthened ties in recent years with Latin American countries, having incorporated Brazil in 2011 and Mexico in 2014 among its members. IIASA scientists collaborate with national research institutions to contribute to decision-making processes based on rigorous scientific criteria.
Working Groups
During the meeting, IIASA scientists presented various research projects to Otero and Jorge Werthein, Advisor to the IICA Director General, in areas such as soil carbon sequestration and the application of new technologies to adapt production systems to climate change.
In the last five years, IIASA has produced 125 research papers focused on Latin America, with the goal of supporting national institutions in achieving the SDGs.
At Otero’s proposal, the Directors General of IIASA and IICA explored the possibility of establishing working groups comprised of scientists from both institutions to conduct research in areas such as sustainable agriculture, innovation and new technologies in food production, the development of public policies for agriculture, the bioeconomy, and systems to improve resilience to climate change.
“Strategic partnerships are essential for us, and IICA is significant since, in recent years, land use and soil management have become critical components in any equation related to climate change and biodiversity conservation”, said Schellnhuber, who is a member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and has been honored by various governments for his research on the sustainability of production systems.
Professor Schellnhuber explained that IIASA is a multidisciplinary institution that maintains ongoing dialogue with policymakers worldwide, providing recommendations and advice to governments and international organizations.
“IIASA was founded in 1972, during the Cold War, as a bridge to bring together people from different philosophies and ideologies who could use science and scientific truth as a universal language. Today, we have fantastic collaboration with Latin American countries, although only two are members of the institution. That must change because the American continent is key in the fight against climate change due to the potential of its arable lands and forests as carbon sinks, as well as its wealth of biodiversity”, said Schellnhuber, who was accompanied at the meeting by IIASA Deputy Director Karen Lips.
“IICA believes in the need to forge strategic partnerships because no organization can solve sustainability challenges alone. We are very interested in what IIASA is doing and in strengthening ties with the institution”, said Otero.
The IICA Director General noted that the exchange of experiences through IIASA with scientific systems developed in the European Union could be a mutually beneficial opportunity.
Scientists from IIASA shared their presentations with Otero and Jorge Werthein, Advisor to the IICA Director General.
More information:
Institutional Communication Division.
comunicacion.institucional@iica.int
