As in previous occasions it is an honor for me to write this introduction to our last Newsletter for 2016 in which you will find a brief summary of some of the many activities carried out by IICA and its Delegation in the United States, during the period September-December 2016.
As in previous occasions it is an honor for me to write this introduction to our last Newsletter for 2016 in which you will find a brief summary of some of the many activities carried out by IICA and its Delegation in the United States, during the period September-December 2016. Across all of them you will find some common characteristics that reflects IICA’s philosophy and principles: transparency, accountability, working together and our relentless commitment to work for the countries, with the countries and in the countries that conform our membership.
The period of September to December 2016 has been a very exciting period in the life and work of all of us who live in the USA. We have been witnesses of one of the most interesting elections in the history of this country, and now we are preparing for a change of Government that will bring new challenges and opportunities for all of us that work in the agricultural sector and in international cooperation. We at IICA are sure that our history and commitment to work with our country members will continue to be a cornerstone for international cooperation. We are excited to continue to work together with the new administration to advance the USA public policy in agriculture.
2017 promises to be more exciting than 2016, and three events will characterize it. First, 2017 will mark the 75th Anniversary of the establishment of IICA in Costa Rica, thanks to the efforts and leadership of Henry A. Wallace. Second, 2017 will be a year when the Inter-American Board of Agriculture (IABA) will come together to discuss and propose actions for hemispheric collaboration in agriculture. Third, toward the end of the year the IABA should have elected IICA’s new Director General for the period 2018-2022. While this is taking place we at IICA will continue to implement our flagship projects and other initiatives with more dedication and enthusiasm than before, convinced that we will deliver clear results as has been promised by our current Director General and defined in our Medium Term Plan.
With a new and unchartered future in sight, this time of the year give us the opportunity to reflect on all the blessings that we have received in the past. As the Representative of this Delegation and the head of CAESPA, I would like to start by expressing my thanks to all my collaborators and friends at IICA; without them nothing of what we have accomplished could be possible. Also I would like to thank to all our partners and friends in the U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of State, as well as our friends in the International community, NGOs and Private sector. I sincerely hope we can continue to work together to help those who produce our food to improve their living conditions and to make our world a better place for our children and the children of our children. The challenges are so amazing that we can only hope to continue working in agriculture and to attract the best minds to help us with this task.
As we pause for our Christmas break, I want to wish to all our partners, collaborators, friends and colleagues a very Happy Christmas, a wonderful 2017.
Dr. Miguel García-Winder, IICA Representative in the USA, Head of CAESPA
*The opinions expressed in this newsletter are those of the authors and they do not reflect the position of the Institute on the topics presented.
*This post appears in the IICA Delegation in the USA Newsletter – September – December 2016
