Ambassadors to the OAS give ringing endorsement to IICA’s technical support for agriculture

Washington, May, 2013 (IICA). The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) presented its annual report to the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS), which commended the Institute on the support it provides to the efforts of its member countries to improve agriculture and boost the development of rural areas.

IICA’s Director General, Víctor M. Villalobos, presented the ambassadors who make up the Permanent Council with copies of the 2012 report, and stressed the need for the countries of the hemisphere to work together to achieve a more sustainable type of agriculture that combines higher production with more efficient use of natural resources.

In his presentation, Villalobos invited the countries to participate in the Meeting of Ministers of Agriculture of the Americas 2013, to be held in September in Buenos Aires. The theme of the event will be “Water to feed the earth,” and the discussions will focus on the efficient use of water in agriculture.

In Washington, the members of the Permanent Council recognized IICA’s technical strengths in the fields of area-based management, the promotion of food security, efforts to encourage agricultural innovation, agribusiness, natural resource management, and agricultural health and food safety. Furthermore, they expressed satisfaction with the transparency and results-oriented approach that characterizes the Institute’s work.

“We endorse IICA’s important contribution to agriculture in the hemisphere, and we know that the other member countries are also satisfied with its work,” remarked the Deputy U.S. Permanent Representative to the OAS, Lawrence Gumbiner.

He added that the backing of international donors and the private sector would be key for IICA’s efforts to tackle the major challenges facing agriculture in the hemisphere.

“The healthy state of IICA’s finances is a clear reflection of the confidence that the member countries have in the organization. The Institute has helped Mexico establish closer ties of cooperation with the other nations,” observed Ambassador Joel Hernández, that country’s Permanent Representative to the OAS.

“We value the transparency of IICA’s management and appreciate the focus on results as a way to demonstrate the achievements of its technical assistance,” said Canada’s Ambassador, Allan Culham.

Costa Rica’s Deputy Representative, Cinthia Solís, remarked that, “the fact that IICA administers more than 300 technical cooperation projects in a transparent and efficient manner speaks highly of its financial management platform.”

On behalf of the Caribbean community, Haiti’s Ambassador, Duly Brutus, thanked the Institute for its efforts to increase agricultural productivity and trade, and to promote greater social inclusion of women and young people in the countryside.

Colombia’s Ambassador to the Permanent Council, Andrés González, underlined agriculture’s role in contributing to inclusion in rural areas as part of the peace process in that country. “Colombia finds IICA to be very accommodating, and we wish to thank the organization for its support to the country,” he remarked.

“IICA collaborated in the creation of a working group to implement good manufacturing practices, risk analysis, and control points in production chains, which will contribute to food security and public health,” noted Venezuela’s Deputy Representative to the Permanent Council of the OAS, Carmen Luisa Velásquez.

Nicaragua’s Ambassador, Denis Moncada, underlined the role that IICA was playing, in coordination with the Central American Integration System (SICA), in the efforts to provide the member countries with a general picture of issues such as institutional development and agricultural innovation.

The Ambassador of the Dominican Republic, Roberto Saladín, acknowledged the support that IICA is providing to several of the binational programs that his country is implementing with Haiti. He also suggested the management of cross-border aquifers as a topic for discussion at the next Ministerial Meeting.

Finally, Uruguay’s Ambassador, Milton Romani, recognized IICA’s support for his country’s agricultural sector, citing as an example the recent signing of an agreement with the Technological Laboratory of Uruguay, under which a project will be implemented, aimed at curbing desertification and land degradation processes, as well as mitigating the effects of drought.

IICA-OAS Agreement

In Washington, the Director General of IICA and the Secretary General of the OAS, José Miguel Insulza, signed an agreement for the implementation of joint cooperation activities in the Americas in the areas of technological innovation for agriculture, agribusiness and marketing, rural development, climate change, and food security.

“This agreement will enable us to strengthen our already close and complementary relationship with the OAS, and reaffirm our commitment to continue to work in support of the development of agriculture, the source of most food,” observed IICA Director General Víctor M. Villalobos.

“Agriculture in Latin America and the Caribbean plays a strategic role, and is at the heart of our actions as international organizations,” Insulza noted.

For more information, contact: 
david.hatch@iica.int