In September, the GYA’s Science Leadership Programme in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC-SLP) launched the Leticia Declaration, a key milestone in strengthening the connection between science, society, and government in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The Declaration of Leticia is the main deliverable of the first LAC-SLP, and is the product of interactive discussions with different scientific actors from LAC and the assessment of best solutions to improve research systems in the region, solutions that can be replicated in other parts of the world.
The LAC-SLP is funded primarily by the Inter Academy Partnership (IAP) and the GYA, and is led by alumna Paulina Carmona-Mora (University of California, Davis), GYA member Nadia De Leon (INDICASAT-AIP, Panama), alumna Sandra Lopez-Verges (Gorgas Memorial Institute for Health Studies), and GYA member Luciana Balboa (Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y Sida, Argentina).
Declaration of Leticia partners include the LAC-SLP, the National University of Colombia (UNAL), Young Academy of Argentina (AJA), Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World-Colombian chapter (OWSD Colombia), Mexican Association for the Advancement of Science (AMEXAC), and Ciencia in Panama (CEP).
The event was held in Spanish with simultaneous translation in English, Portuguese and French.
The SLP may have formally ended, but the LAC-SLP fellows continue advocating for science in the region. In December 2024, some of the fellows will be discussing the Declaration of Leticia at CILAC 2024, the open Latin America and the Caribbean science forum and a key science policy event. Read more about the event in Spanish here.