On behalf of the Institute of the Americas (IOA), I am pleased to share our 2025 Annual Report highlighting our key accomplishments over the past year.  The programmatic research, publications and convenings profiled in this year’s report underscore the vital importance of IOA’s mission to be a catalyst in promoting economic development and integration to improve the economic and social well-being of the people across the Americas.

Highlights

• Urban Resilience Across Borders & Climate Equity In partnership with CAF, the Institute hosted the Urban Resilience Across Borders Forum, connecting municipal leaders from 11 Latin American cities with Southern California experts. The event, supported by Scripps Institution of Oceanography, focused on sharing actionable strategies for climate adaptation, risk mitigation, and equitable urban planning.
• Pioneering “Marine Prosperity Areas” (MPPAs) The Institute launched the Marine Prosperity Areas (MPPAs) framework, a transformative model published in Frontiers of Marine Science. By aligning ecological restoration with economic opportunity, this initiative moves beyond traditional conservation to support community well-being and the global 30×30 protection goals.
• The Intersection of AI, Data Centers, and Energy Addressing the digital economy’s rise, the Institute published The March of AI and hosted its inaugural Data Centers & Energy Forum in Santiago. These initiatives explored the critical intersection of data center expansion and energy demand, identifying investment models to turn these challenges into economic drivers for Latin America.
• Decarbonizing Maritime Transport & Green Shipping Leading on the blue economy, the Institute released the Navigating the Regulatory Seas white paper and convened the 2nd Binational Forum on Sustainable Maritime Transport. These efforts addressed financial and regulatory hurdles to decarbonizing shipping, fostering U.S.-Mexico collaboration to reduce the maritime sector’s environmental footprint.
• North American Economic Integration & Security The 2025 North American Forum convened leaders from the U.S., Mexico, and Canada to strengthen the region’s integrated supply chains, which support 15 million U.S. jobs. Discussions prioritized safeguarding regional competitiveness and preparing for the upcoming USMCA review amidst evolving geopolitical challenges.

We are deeply grateful to our donors, partners, and friends whose confidence, generosity, and engagement make this work possible. We invite you to learn more about the IOA’s programmatic priorities in the areas of energy, environment, and economic competitiveness and to explore ways that you can support our work, as the Institute’s mission remains as vital as ever in today’s rapidly changing geopolitical landscape.

Sincerely,

Richard Kiy

President & CEO