IICA presented its Annual Report for 2013 to the Permanent Council of the OAS and pledged to continue to offer verifiable results of its technical cooperation actions.
Washington, May 15, 2014 (IICA). The Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS) has acknowledged the contributions made by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) to the efforts to strengthen family farming, spur climate change adaptation in agriculture, promote food security, advance integrated water management and raise awareness of the important role that women and young people play in rural areas.
On May 14, at the headquarters of the OAS in Washington, the Director General of IICA, Víctor M. Villalobos, presented the Institute’s Annual Report for 2013 to the Ambassadors who make up the Council. The document describes the results of the nearly 500 projects and cooperation actions implemented since 2010.
The Ambassador of Ecuador, Marco Vinicio Albuja, asked the General Assembly of the OAS (scheduled to meet in Asunción, Paraguay from June 3-5) to issue a resolution underscoring the importance of family agriculture in the countries of the region, a proposal that several delegations to the Permanent Council endorsed.
“We value and appreciate the cooperation provided to agriculture, which creates wealth. We must not neglect this sector, which is not a problem but rather a world of opportunities,” observed the Ambassador of El Salvador, Joaquín Alexánder Maza.
“The importance of IICA’s support for the agricultural sector is quite clear. I reiterate our commitment to continuing to support its work, especially in family agriculture,” remarked the Ambassador of Chile, Juan Pablo Lira.
The IICA Director General also gave the Ambassadors a report setting out the principal results achieved in each country. In his presentation, he affirmed that “The fact that cooperation must be effective is a given for an agency like IICA. Our relevance is measured by results that you can confirm. That is my pledge to our member countries.”
Lawrence Gumbiner, Alternate Representative of the United States to the OAS Permanent Council, pointed out that his nation supported results-based management, a model promoted by IICA in recent years.
“We urge Dr. Villalobos to take advantage of the next meeting of IICA’s Executive Committee to address the issue of the strengthening of institutional processes,” Gumbiner said. The meeting in question is due to be held at IICA Headquarters in San Jose, Costa Rica, from May 21-22.
The Caribbean countries highlighted the Institute’s work in the areas of agribusiness and rural development. “IICA has demonstrated its capacity for innovation and support, which ranges from smallholder farming to boosting the export capacity of the entire sector,” noted the Ambassador of Dominica, Hubert J. Charles.
“In Haiti, IICA has helped to strengthen the capabilities of various structures of the Ministry of Agriculture and is also working to develop agrotourism with the respective ministry,” observed the Ambassador of that country, Bocchit Edmond.
The Ambassador of Bolivia, Diego Pary Rodríguez, also underscored this style of technical support to agricultural institutions. “The way in which the Institute works with Bolivian entities makes it part of the team, rather than an external agent,” he affirmed.
“We thank IICA for its support for an activity that is having a direct impact on poverty reduction and social inclusion,” remarked the Alternate Representative of Peru to the Permanent Council of the OAS, Raúl Salazar.
For further information:
miguel.garcia@iica.int
2013 Annual Report of IICA: Summary and complete report.
