Institute of the Americas

Due to the COVID-19, the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean are experiencing the biggest economic crisis in their modern history. Without pro-active steps to curb the region’s growing poverty, unemployment and emerging debt crisis, the socio-economic impacts of the pandemic will be felt for many years to come.

Here, the Institute of the Americas is working to catalyze public policies and regulatory reforms that spur expanded investment in the region’s energy sector while also responding to emerging challenges in the areas of the environment and climate change. The Institute seeks to impartially assist governments to make educated policy decisions drawing upon lessons learned from global best practices.

The Institute of the Americas is a non-partisan, independent nonprofit organization whose mission is to be a catalyst for promoting economic development and integration,
emphasizing the role of the private sector, as a means to improve the economic and social well-being of the people of the Americas.

Founded in 1981 by Ambassador Theodore E. Gildred II and co located on the campus of the University of California, San Diego, the Institute of the Americas was established to encourage economic and social reforms across the Americas, enhancing private sector collaboration and strengthening political and economic relations between Latin America, the
Caribbean, the United States and Canada.

The Institute creates content – white papers, reports, policy papers and opinion pieces – and we convene high-level roundtables and conferences focused on these issues and the broader goals and objectives of informing and shaping public policy.

The Institute of the Americas is governed by a diverse Board of Directors that includes respected business and civic leaders with on-going professional and personal ties across Latin America and the Caribbean. The Institute’s staff members have proven expertise on policy and regulatory issues in the areas of energy, the environment, and regional economic competitiveness to further the organization’s mission. The Institute’s staff is complimented by non-resident fellows from throughout the Americas that include former energy related policymakers, regulators and experts.

The Institute of the Americas assets currently total over $15 million. These charitable asserts are professionally managed to safeguard principal with endowment assets providing annual distributions to for operations and programs of the Institute. Oversight of the Institute’s assets is provided by a volunteer Endowment & Finance Committee of the board, which includes financial and investment experts, as well as the Board's Audit Committee.

Institute of Americas has made the following progress with its key programs and initiatives during 2021:

ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE (EC2):
In 2021, through its Environment & Climate Change program the Institute led an effort to a) publish an analysis of the Nationally Determined Contributions pledged by countries across the Americas in support of the Paris Agreement on climate change; b) integrate the UC-MEXUS’ Gulf of California Marine program into its organization; c) partner with UC San Diego’s Center for US-Mexico Studies on the US-Mexico Climate Change Working Group, and d) analyzed opportunities for cross-border cooperation in the Californias, focused on blue carbon.

ENERGY & SUSTAINABILITY PROGRAM:
In 2021, the Energy & Sustainability Program continued to shape and inform the public
policy and investment discourse across our hemisphere. Our team based in La Jolla, CA and
non-resident fellows in Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Canada and England strives to
enhance the debate of critical energy and sustainability issues through timely events and
panels, thought leadership pieces including reports, op-eds and policy briefs as well as
direct engagement with governments. Our efforts this year also counted videos, interviews
and infographics. Our work and programs would not be possible without the financial
and intellectual support of our Steering Committee and sponsors.

In May, we marked the 30th anniversary of the La Jolla Energy Conference. We celebrated by
hosting several programs throughout the month, as well as several “Deep Dive” inter
views. Invite-only Virtual Roundtables each Wednesday provided the occasion for debate
and discussion of four scenarios: 1) Elections and Energy; 2) Future of Transport; 3) Electrifying Everything; 4) Future of Hydrocarbons. These sessions formed the basis for policy
briefs published in June, July and August. Our additional research and thought-leader
ship pieces included rethinking the energy matrix in Trinidad & Tobago, discussion of
changes in power generation dispatch criterion in Mexico, Brazil’s new gas law, Uruguay’s
energy sector, how the region’s utilities can chart a new path post-COVID, and what a just transition should look like particularly as the world descends on Glasgow for COP-26.

We plan to develop additional relationships with in-country partners to deliver in-person programming in more countries across the Americas.

The Institute of Americas plans to continue strengthening and expanding the above mentioned programs and initiatives in 2022.