In accordance with the Organic Statute of the Pan American Institute of Geography and History (PAIGH), the 23rd General Assembly (October 25-28, 2022) was held in Quito, Ecuador. This working meeting was attended by the authorities of this specialized agency of the OAS and representatives of 17 Member States (out of 21), as well as one Permanent Observer State.
The following program was developed during these days:
1. WELCOME SPEECH
- Remarks by the President of the National Section of The PAIGH in Ecuador
- Remarks by the President of the IPGH
2. REPORTS FROM AUTHORITIES
- Report from the President of the PAIGH
- Report from the Vice President of the PAIGH
- Report of the del Secretary General an Estrategic Plan for Modernization of the PAIGH 2022-2025
Reports from the Presidents of the PAIGH Commissions, including the recommendation for approval of the Technical Assistance Program (PAT) and Publications Program for the year 2023.
3. WORKING COMMITTEES
The following Working Committees were created, voted on, and installed: Scientific Policy Committee, Administrative Policy Committee, Financial Policy Committee, and Assembly Coordination Committee.
In accordance with Article 29 of the General Assembly, the Working Committees are composed of a Chair, a Vice Chair, and a Rapporteur who will prepare the report.
3.1 The Scientific Policy Committee
Was responsible for studying all matters referred to it by the plenary session due to their nature. In particular, it reviewed and, where appropriate, proposed reforms to the rules and regulations for the preparation, evaluation, approval, and supervision of the Institute’s activities and projects.
| President: | Geog. Deirdre Bishop (Estados Unidos) |
| Vice President: | CNEL. Juan Croquis (Uruguay) |
| Speaker: | Dra. María Isabel Avendaño (Costa Rica) |
3.2 The Administrative Policy Committee
Responsible for studying all matters referred to it by the plenary session due to their nature. In particular, it shall review the Institute’s mechanisms of action and, where appropriate, propose reforms to the Organic Statute and the regulations of the General Assembly, the Board of Directors, the General Secretariat, the Commissions, staff, publications, etc., and shall seek to streamline the Institute’s working procedures.
| President: | Lic. Cenia Correa (República Dominicana) |
| Vice President: | Lic. Oscar Cruz (Guatemala) |
| Speaker: | Geog. Lida Rosa Domínguez (Paraguay) |
3.3 The Financial Policy Committee
Responsible for studying all matters referred to it by the plenary session due to their nature. In particular, it shall review the audit and financial reports and the draft program-budget and propose any necessary amendments to the Financial Regulations.
| President: | Agrim. Sergio Cimbaro (Argentina) |
| Vice President: | CNEL. Willy Espejo (Bolivia) |
| Speaker: | Ing. José Sierra (Honduras) |
3.4 The Coordinating Committee
Responsible for reviewing the decisions of the three Working Committees to avoid duplication or contradictions. The Coordinating Committee shall be composed of the President and Secretary of the Assembly, the Chairpersons of the Scientific, Administrative, and Financial Policy Committees, and the President and Secretary General of the PAIGH.
4. GUEST LECTURES
4.1 Integrated Geospatial Information Framework —IGIF
Thank you for the opportunity to share information about the United Nations Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management and our work. The Committee of Experts, or UN-GGIM, is composed of nearly 200 member countries that are working together to improve the use of geospatial information worldwide. Many of our colleagues around this table represent their countries as Heads of Delegation.
I am honored to serve in that role for the United States of America and was recently asked to serve as Co-Chair of the Committee’s highest subsidiary body, the High-Level Group on the Integrated Geospatial Information Framework.”
Geog. Deirdre Bishop (United States of America)
“…I would like to acknowledge the time and effort dedicated by distinguished colleagues from Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Colombia, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Paraguay, and, of course, the entire team of professionals from the Military Geographic Institute of Ecuador, who were responsible for compiling information from official sources in each of their countries, which now forms part of the prototype developed.
The objective of this project was to build a prototype of the web application: “GEOEDUCA DE LAS AMÉRICAS,” with the purpose of making available to students, teachers, parents, and the general public: geographic, cartographic, historical, and socio-natural risk information that facilitates the teaching of these topics in the different countries of Latin America…”
Dra. Rosa Cuesta (Ecuador)
“One of the symbols of Pan-Americanism, man’s desire to go beyond the horizon.”
MSc. Nelson Ortega (Ecuador)
4.4 UNIGIS Latin America. Training GIS leaders for Latin America with European excellence
“It is a global initiative for high-quality distance learning, focusing on training in diploma courses and master’s programs in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Information Science. It currently has 20 universities in 14 countries in Europe, the Americas, Asia, and South Africa, through which it focuses on improving the competence of GIS professionals.”
Dr. Pablo D. Ordoñez G. (Ecuador)
5. AWARDS, 2022 EDITION
In 2022, the Cartography and History Commissions of the PAIGH launched their calls for submissions for awards in their areas of interest. In general, nominations were submitted by the Member States of Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, and Peru. We are grateful for the interest shown by the participants in sharing the results of their research.
The winning professionals are presented below.
Cartography Commission
Best master’s thesis in the fields of Cartography, Geodesy, or Geographic Information
Mention:
- Maestra en Geografía Araceli Benítez Franco (México). Análisis Espaciotemporal del proceso de pérdida forestal en los municipios de Charo, Hidalgo, Indaparapeo, Queréndaro y Zinapécuaro. Michoacán, México
- Maestra en Geografía y Medio Ambiente, Sonia Morales Díaz (Colombia). Analyzing segregation in the periphery of Latin American cities using remote sensing
“Pedro Vicente Maldonado Award” for the best doctoral thesis in the fields of Cartography, Geodesy, or Geographic Information
Winner:
- Doctor en Estudios Urbanos Isaac Chaparro Hernández (México). Impacto de la estructura urbana en la movilidad cotidiana de Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua.
Mention:
- Doutora Breylla Campos Carvalho (Brasil). Variabilidade da reposta da linha de costa aos condicionantes hidrodinâmicos e às oscilações do nível do mar no litoral Sul Fluminense.
- Doctor en Ciencias Luis Cabrera Rivera (México). Integración semántica de fuentes heterogéneas de datos meteorológicos con base en datos vinculados.
- Doctora Sumaia Resegue Aboud Neta (Brasil). O uso do sensoriamento remoto para mitigação de riscos no sistema financeiro: uma aplicação para controle e acompanhamento de produção agrícola.
History Commission
Award for “Best Doctoral Thesis in Pan-American History”
Winner:
- Doctora Sofía Vindas Solano (Costa Rica). Hacer exportable a Centroamérica: activación de circuitos artísticos internacionales y su impacto en la consolidación de los museos de arte moderno y sus colecciones en Guatemala y Costa Rica, 1950-1996.
Mention:
- Doctor Federico Ramón Rayez (Argentina). Más allá del Consultorio. Redes internacionales, instituciones y actores en torno a la Escuela de la Salud Pública de Buenos Aires entre 1958-1976.
“Silvio Zavala” Award in Colonial History of America
Winner:
- Doctor Aníbal Herib Caballero Campos (Paraguay), por su ejemplar trayectoria profesional y sus aportaciones a la Historia Social y Colonial de América, reflejadas en su magna obra y su incansable labor académica.
SIGNING OF MEMORANDUMS OF UNDERSTANDING WITH THE PAIGH
Pan American Center for Geographic Studies and Research (CEPEIGE)
As part of CEPEIGE’s 50th anniversary (2023), a Memorandum of Understanding was signed with the PAIGH. The Cartography, Geography, and Geophysics Commissions of this organization will award CEPEIGE scholarships for high-level Pan-American courses for the development of professionals from any Member State of the Institute. The scholarships will be offered in virtual format, annually or biannually. At the end of the courses, the Center will inform the Commission Presidents of the results and performance of the participants. Another objective of this Memorandum is to create and strengthen specialized networks in science and technology in geography, to facilitate the production and dissemination of new knowledge, technology transfer, and exchange of experiences. It also aims to promote hemispheric and global cooperation and support the dissemination of geographical science in its various aspects.
UNIGIS Latin America
To support the positioning of the UNIGIS-PAIGHbrands and their services at the regional level, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the two institutions. Among other activities, participation in Foromundo, conferences, forums, fairs, etc., related to topics of common interest will be promoted: Geoinformation and GIS. Similarly, the PAIGH will encourage the development of lines of research among students and thesis writers in the UNIGIS Latin America programs, while also promoting scientific exchange. The PAIGH will also make its information available through corporate channels so that the UNIGIS community can learn about it, use it, and integrate it into academic work and research. This memorandum has a duration of four years, with automatic renewal if both parties agree.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND FAREWELL SPEECH
Remarks by the del Secretary General of PAIGH, MA. Antonio Campuzano Rosales
OTHER DOCUMENTS
National Section Reports