Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture

Agriculture

Director General of IICA implements joint work agenda with UN in New York

Tiempo de lectura: 3 mins.

Additionally, he expressed and listened to proposals from Latin American heads of mission to the United Nations.

Jorge Werthein and Manuel Otero of the IICA attended meetings with Jorge Chediek of the UN.

New York, 9 June 2018 (IICA). The Director General of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), Manuel Otero, lay the foundation for a joint work agenda with the United Nations Organization (UNO) that will be founded on south-south cooperation on behalf of the rural populations.

On Saturday, Otero concluded a week of work in the United States during which he attended meetings at the Headquarters of the UN with Jorge Chediek, Director of the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation and Special Envoy of the United Nations Secretary General on South-South Cooperation. He also met with Yannick Glemarec, Deputy Executive Director for Policy and Programme for UN Women, as well as with the Group of Latin American Ambassadors to the UN, whom he met with at the Mission of the Republic of Argentina in New York.

 “Very soon we are going to sign a framework agreement between the UN Office for South-South Cooperation and IICA to coordinate actions on different topics and in different regions,” stated Otero, in reference to the meeting with Chediek. He added “We have been invited to systematize all the good practices carried out by IICA with respect to agriculture in order to join forces with the UN in this regard”.

At the meeting with the Group of Latin American Ambassadors to the UN, which was attended by more than 20 countries, the Director general of the organization that promotes rural and agricultural development in the Americas outlined the challenges facing IICA in increasing its technical cooperation actions, and listened to the views of the other countries on this topic.

During the meeting with Yannick Glemarec, Otero held serious discussions for carrying out joint actions, given the areas of complementarity that exist between their organizations. “There was mutual receptivity. IICA is an institution within the Inter-American system whose actions project outward worldwide”, concluded Otero.

Prior to arriving in New York, Otero held meetings in Washington with the President of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Luis Alberto Moreno, and with other executives of credit organizations, as well as with the Under-Secretary for Agriculture of the United States, Ted McKinney.

He also participated in the 20th anniversary commemoration of the creation of FONTAGRO, a finance mechanism for innovation projects in family agriculture in Latin America. IICA and the IDB are co-sponsors of this initiative.

 

More information:

Pilar Sancho, specialist in strategic communication

pilar.sancho@iica.int

Share

Related news​

Belém do Pará, Brazil

November 13, 2025

At a COP30 event, IICA supports stakeholders from the Argentine rural sector, in declaring that the regional agriculture sector must bolster its standing as the driver of global development and sustainability

A document prepared with the consensus of multiple stakeholders in the production and industrial sectors, stresses that the region must use evidence to strengthen its positioning, by citing scientific data that demonstrates the true impact of agricultural sustainability practices in Argentina and South America.

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins

Mailen Saluzzio, Gerente de Programa Internacional de AAPRESID; Manuel Otero, Director General del IICA; y Marcello Brito, secretario ejecutivo del Consorcio Amazonía Legal y enviado especial a la COP30 de los estados brasileños amazónicos, durante la apertura del panel.

Belém do Pará, Brazil

November 13, 2025

Experts engaged in an AAPRESID-IICA panel discussion at COP30 maintain that agriculture in the Americas is providing the environmental solutions that the planet needs

The event began with a discussion between Executive Secretary of the Legal Amazon Consortium and COP30 Special Envoy for Subnational States of the Amazon, Marcello Brito; and Manuel Otero, Director General del IICA.

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins

“Panel sobre ciencia, innovación y sostenibilidad agrícola en la COP30, organizado por el IICA en Belém do Pará, Brasil. Expertos discuten la transformación de la agricultura en las Américas mediante tecnología, investigación y sistemas agroalimentarios sostenibles.

Belém do Pará, Brasil

November 12, 2025

Evidence, science and results: IICA panel discussion at COP30 highlights the need for a new narrative on agriculture that demonstrates the important role of the Americas in food and environmental security

Rural leaders, producer organizations and public authorities involved in agricultural research all agreed on the need for a new narrative to demonstrate how farmers in the Americas are transforming their activities, by way of science, technology and innovation, to become guarantors of the world’s food, energy and environmental security, while also increasing resilience and protecting biodiversity.

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins