The IANAS “Women for Science Symposium” was hosted by the Mexican Academy of Sciences in Mexico City on April 20-21, 2009. The symposium was organized with the support of the InterAcademy Panel on International Issues (IAP), the Mexican National Council on Science and Technology (CONACYT) and the ICSU Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean (ICSU-LAC).

Understanding that regional low representation of women in science and engineering is a major hindrance to regional capacity building in science and technology, discussions focused on the analysis - through a regional perspective - of political, legislative and cultural factors limiting and/or encouraging the access of women to science and technology; successful experiences favoring gender equity in research and development; and the elaboration of a set of actionable recommendations to be addressed to the Science and Engineering Academies in the region aiming inclusion and gender mainstreaming in the Americas.

The symposium assembled 31 participants from 16 countries, covering North America, Central America, South America and the Caribbean region. The rich mix of participants coming from academia, government, international organizations and the private sector contributed to the successful achievements of the proposed objectives. Representatives from the Third World Organization for Women in Science (TWOWS) and the Gender Advisory Board (GAB), as well as the two co-chairs of the IAC Women for Science Advisory Report – Johanna (Anneke) Levelt Sengers (USA) and Manju Sharma (India) – also attended the workshop.

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