The Council of the Inter-American Biodiversity Information Network (IABIN) reviewed the state of the Network and planned for its next phase.
It also elected a new Chair and Vice-Chair of the Executive Committee.
30 September 2011: The Seventh Council Meeting of the Inter-American Biodiversity Information Network (IABIN) met to review IABIN’s accomplishments to date, and develop a vision statement and work plan for the next phase of the project.
Held in Washington, DC, US, from 28-30 September 2011, the meeting was attended by focal points from over 16 Organization of American States (OAS) member countries, civil society organizations and experts in areas related to bioinformatics, conservation and sustainable development.
In addition to reviewing tools and data IABIN has developed and planning its next steps, the Council elected Brigitte Baptiste, Director of the Alexander Von Humboldt Research Institute, Colombia, as Chair of the IABIN Executive Committee; and Karin Molt, Environment Ministry, Chile, as Vice-Chair.
IABIN is an Internet-based forum for technical and scientific cooperation between the 34 OAS member countries, aiming to improve biodiversity databases in terms of accessibility, completeness and interoperability. Phase I of IABIN, launched in 2004 and ending in September 2011, was funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the World Bank, with the OAS serving as executing agency. Phase I focused on building the network, and awarded over 120 seed fund grants to over 100 museums, universities, herbaria, government research institutes and civil society organizations across the region to digitize biodiversity data following internationally accepted standards. Phase II will cover the period 2012-2015. [OAS Press Release]