The agenda will focus on health and safety, the bioeconomy, rural development and gene editing, as agreed upon by an IDB delegation led by Pedro Martel, Chief of the credit institution’s Environment, Rural Development and Disaster Risk Management Division, and a team led by Manuel Otero, Director General of IICA.
San Jose, 27 March 2019 (IICA) – Senior officials of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) met in Costa Rica to discuss the launch of a joint work agenda for the agriculture sector, which will focus on health and safety, the bioeconomy, rural development and gene editing.
The work agenda was agreed upon by an IDB delegation led by Pedro Martel, Chief of the credit institution’s Environment, Rural Development and Disaster Risk Management Division, and a team led by Manuel Otero, Director General of IICA.
“We have defined a future work agenda to delve deeper into various issues such as the development of rurality, the bioeconomy (which is key for the region), the management of natural resources and environmental sustainability, in addition to agricultural health and other topics such as rural development and climate change. As a bank, we consider these to be crucial issues that are aligned with IICA’s work and technical cooperation agenda in the region. This was an extremely productive meeting,” stated Martel at the end of the meeting.
During the meeting, IICA personnel presented the Institute’s projects and work programs to the IDB delegation, whose members included Fidel Jaramillo, Representative in Costa Rica, and Juan Manuel Murguía, Senior Specialist in Natural Resources.
The IDB’s current portfolio of projects for the agriculture sector involves resources totaling more than 1.3 billion dollars in 15 countries across the Americas.
With respect to agriculture and livestock farming, the multilateral agency focuses on supporting family farming, driving productivity, strengthening disaster risk management, and managing natural resources.
“The IDB and IICA form part of the inter-American system and are sister institutions with specific, complementary mandates. On the one hand, IICA provides technical cooperation for agriculture, while the IDB, on the other hand, funds actions to boost sustainable development. Based on this affinity, we have worked together to identify a joint roadmap that describes cooperation topics and modalities,” remarked the Director General of IICA.
“Actions at the hemispheric level, as well as regional issues and actions that form part of national agendas, must serve as the foundation for building an IDB-IICA relationship,” added Otero.
Martel agreed with Otero, noting that “IICA is a sister institution in matters related to our region’s agricultural development. Our key areas of focus coincide with IICA’s work and technical cooperation agenda in the region. Therefore, this meeting has allowed for increasing opportunities for joint work.”
The IDB officer also highlighted the Institute’s interest in gene editing.
“This topic is relevant today and will continue to be relevant in the future. The bank is very interested in learning more about the associated regulatory matters and framework. IICA’s technical knowledge will benefit us, and we will be able to work together,” he concluded.
The IDB and IICA will monitor the progress of the agenda through regular meetings.
Additional information:
Gabriel Rodríguez Marqués, IICA Project Manager
