Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture

Agriculture

IICA strengthens its partnership with FLACSO to jointly drive development in the Americas

Tiempo de lectura: 3 mins.

The Director General of IICA, Manuel Otero, congratulated Josette Altmann of Costa Rica on her re-election as Secretary General of FLACSO.

Altmann

San Jose, 5 June 2020 (IICA) – The Director General of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), Manuel Otero, highlighted the many areas of joint work between the Institute and the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (FLACSO) to transform and drive sustainable development in countries throughout the region.

“We are united by the Sustainable Development Goals, and we serve as platforms that support knowledge management for innovation. On the other hand, FLACSO’s activities in matters related to research, teaching, South-South cooperation, the use of information and communication technologies, technical cooperation and academic outreach are fully aligned with IICA’s strategic statements for the 2018-2022 period”, stated Otero.

Otero made these remarks during FLACSO’s 2020 General Assembly, held both virtually and in person at IICA Headquarters in Costa Rica.

The Director General of IICA also took advantage of the opportunity to reiterate the Institute’s commitment to the Government of Costa Rica, represented at the event by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Worship, Rodolfo Solano, who presided over FLACSO’s assembly.

“IICA offers hope amidst this pandemic, given that it addresses the issues of food security as well as research and development”, noted the Costa Rican Foreign Minister.

Synergetic work

During the meeting, Costa Rican Josette Altmann was re-elected as Secretary General of FLACSO. She holds a doctoral degree in Humanities from the University of Leiden, Netherlands, and is one of the authors of the book Warriors—Rural Women Around the World, of which IICA has published two editions, and which seeks to raise the voices of and pay tribute to these women, who play a fundamental role in feeding the world.

Canciller 21

Otero congratulated Altmann on her re-election and reaffirmed his eagerness to continue working closely with FLACSO, with which the Institute is implementing a project in Brazil related to inclusion policies in rural development areas.

“During these times, now more than ever, it is crucial to continue strengthening our ties of friendship and cooperation in order to provide rapid responses to the member states of our international organizations”, remarked the Director General of IICA.

“Let us continue moving forward on this arduous but fruitful path of cooperation for the benefit of our member countries, as well as undertake efforts to replicate our joint work experiences in other nations”, he added.

More information:

Institutional Communication Division

comunicacion.institucional@iica.int

 

Share

Related news​

Asunción, Paraguay

September 16, 2025

Nidia González, who champions the empowerment of women farmers in Paraguay and strives to raise living standards in her community, has now been recognized as an IICA Leader of Rurality of the Americas 

Nidia is President of the Comité de Santo Domingo, a group that seeks to improve the income and standard of living of the entire community.

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins

Madrid, España

September 16, 2025

The IICA Director General, during a working visit to Spain, met with the Minister of Agriculture, Luis Planas; visited the Spanish Congress and was honored by Universidad de Córdoba

In his meeting with Planas, Otero reflected on the close collaboration with Spain and characterized the Institute’s technical cooperation as systemic, efficient and collaborative, providing benefits to more than ten million farmers and actively undertaking 358 projects to enhance food security and rural development.

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins

San José, Costa Rica

September 10, 2025

Erick Geovany Ac Tot, a cocoa entrepreneur who promotes high-quality cocoa and the preservation of ancestral trees in Guatemala, is named an IICA Leader of Rurality 

Erick Geovany Ac Tot—a prominent Guatemalan cocoa entrepreneur who has been assisting small farmer organizations, promoting high-quality cocoa production and preserving heirloom trees for years, in addition to being a cocoa taster—has been named a Leader of Rurality of the Americas by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA). 

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins