Italian Special Envoy for the Caribbean visits IAP

On 6 December 2023, the InterAcademy Partnership (IAP) took part to a meeting with Italian Min. Plen. Uberto Vanni d'Archirafi, Special Envoy of Farnesina for the Caribbean and Diplomatic Advisor to the Minister of Culture. His visit, which took place at the TWAS headquarters in Trieste, Italy, aimed to deepen his understanding of the initiatives undertaken by various organizations in the Trieste region, including The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) - the host academy of IAP's Trieste-based secretariat, IAP itself, and the Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD).

Min. Plen. Uberto Vanni d'Archirafi met with the representtaive of the interim TWAS Executive Director, Prof. Randjbar Daemi, plus the programme coordinators of TWAS, IAP and OWSD. The discussions centered around the shared commitment to fostering scientific and developmental initiatives in the Caribbean. The Special Envoy articulated his interest in specific countries, including Antigua e Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Kitts e Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent e Grenadines, Suriname and Trinidad e Tobago.

IAP, TWAS and OWSD representatives shared some ideas and insights on how Scientific and Technological collaboration with Caribbean nations can be developed and enhanced. Min. Plen. Uberto Vanni d'Archirafi expressed genuine interest in the proposed initiatives and plans to engage the Caribbean scientific community during his next visit to the region. Given IAP's longstanding commitment to these countries, the meeting provided a platform for fruitful discussions on the ways in which science and technology collaboration can be further developed and enhanced.

The topics under consideration during the meeting included:

• Climate Change: Exploring collaborative efforts to address the challenges posed by climate change in the Caribbean.
• Defense of Cultural Heritage: Discussing strategies to protect cultural heritage from the impacts of climate events.
• Education and Opportunities for Scientists: Identifying ways to enhance educational opportunities and support for scientists in the mentioned regions.