Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture

Agribusiness

Government officers from Central America and the Dominican Republic are building their agricultural trade policy capacities, with the assistance of international organizations

Tiempo de lectura: 3 mins.

The officials are pursuing an online program on Agricultural Trade Policy for the SICA region, developed by SIECA, SECAC, IICA and the FAO.

 

 

Principal

 

San Jose, 24 October 2023. The Executive Secretariat of the Central American Agricultural Council (SECAC), the Secretariat for Central American Economic Integration (SIECA), the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) launched the “Online Program on Agricultural Trade Policy in the SICA Region”, which is targeting civil servants in the eight countries of the region.

The program is aiming to build the technical capacities of government staff in the agriculture sector of the SICA region (Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Belize and the Dominican Republic), in matters related to international and regional trade.

By the time they have completed the program, participants will have increased their knowledge of international agrifood trade and international trade regulations in the current climate.

This training will include keynote presentations by experts from the organizing agencies, discussion forums and access to repositories that will reinforce the content and learning objectives. The course will address critical issues such as the status of global trade and the multilateral trade system, the Agreement on Agriculture, the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement, the Trade Facilitation Agreement and other agriculture-related agreements, such as the Antidumping, Rules of Origin and Intellectual Property agreements.

The participants will also examine the opportunities and challenges facing Central American countries in their efforts to capitalize on trade agreements with the United States, the European Union and China in the agriculture sector.

Lucrecia Rodríguez, Executive Secretary of SECAC indicated that, “This program will be important in strengthening the institutional framework of the agriculture sector in the SICA region. During the current times of crisis and global volatility, continuous training of employees involved in agricultural trade matters is imperative.

Edith Flores de Molina, Director of the Center for Economic Integration Studies of SIECA, expressed the view that this initiative will not only strengthen technical teams in charge of implementing trade agreements, but will facilitate the sharing of information and experiences among the participants.

Daniel Rodríguez, Manager of IICA’s International Trade and Regional Integration Program stressed that building technical capacities in international trade policy will assist in improving the participation of the countries in multilateral trade forums, as well as in advancing efforts to enhance regional economic integration and to capitalize on existing trade agreements.

On the other hand, Pablo Rabczuk, a Trade and Agri-Food Systems Officer at the FAO, underscored the importance of this and other joint initiatives in the SICA region, in furthering the integration of countries and improving their ability to position themselves in intraregional and global markets, in which the agriculture sector plays a fundamental and strategic role for food security and social economic development.

 

About the FAO, IICA, SIECA and SECAC:

www.cac.int

www.iica.int

www.sieca.int

www.fao.org

 

More information:
Institutional Communication Division.
comunicacion.institucional@iica.int

 

Share

Related news​

San José

October 28, 2025

During a visit to El Salvador, IICA’s Director General visited spaces dedicated to agricultural innovation and sustainability, and was honored for his contributions to food security at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The Director General’s presence reflected IICA’s commitment to continue supporting El Salvador’s efforts to make its agriculture sector more resilient, innovative and sustainable every day, thereby contributing to the wellbeing of rural families and the country’s economic development.

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins

En el diálogo el Director General del IICA, Manuel Otero, instó a las personas jóvenes a ser agentes de cambio, jerarquizar la agricultura y fortalecer la autoestima del sector agropecuario, por su rol clave para el desarrollo sostenible de los países de la región.

San José, Costa Rica

October 24, 2025

Youth are key to driving the transformation of agriculture across the hemisphere, says IICA Director General at a meeting with participants of the AgriTalent Program of the Americas

Manuel Otero emphasized the need to promote a new narrative for regional agriculture—one that elevates its standing and recognizes its contribution to the food security of the countries.

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins

El Presidente chileno, Gabriel Boric, durante la X Semana de la Energía que transcurrió en Santiago.

Santiago

October 23, 2025

IICA and the CPBIO highlight the strategic role of agriculture and biofuels at the Tenth Energy Week in Chile

Organized by the Latin American Energy Organization (OLADE), the participants in the event included His Excellency the President of Chile, Gabriel Boric. The discussions focused on the technical, economic and regulatory challenges involved in accelerating the decarbonization of transportation in the Americas, especially in the aviation sector.

Tiempo de lectura: 3mins