IICA and ECLAC reinforce alliance to strengthen support to countries of the Americas in climate resilience, digitalization, trade and food security

San José, 4 September 2023 (IICA) - To accelerate the competitive, sustainable and inclusive development of agriculture and rural territories, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) signed a new agreement to work together in specific areas to support the countries of the region.

The signing of the agreement took place during the visit of the Executive Secretary of ECLAC, José Manuel Salazar Xirinachs, to the IICA headquarters in Costa Rica, where he met with Director General Manuel Otero.

As part of the agreement, the institutions expressed their support to the report "The Outlook for Agriculture and Rural Development in the Americas: A Perspective on Latin America and the Caribbean 2023-2024", prepared together with FAO. This document is published biennially at the Meeting of Ministers of Agriculture of the Americas and has been for more than a decade.

The Inter-American Board of Agriculture, made up of the Ministers and Secretaries of Agriculture of the hemisphere, meets during this conference, which will take place next October in San José, Costa Rica.

“We have a strong history of collaboration and we are very pleased with this document, because we are facing very challenging times in Latin America and in the world,” stated the Executive Secretary of ECLAC.

“It is the only regional document that we offer to the world on the situation and prospects of agriculture, so it should not be considered a destination, but rather a starting point to promote a global discussion on the main challenges and opportunities of the agricultural sector and rural territories” said the Director General of IICA.

The agreement between ECLAC and IICA addresses the possibility of carrying out more joint studies and publications, organizing policy dialogues and discussion activities, and co-leading regional initiatives and coordination of technical cooperation, among other topics.

Additionally, the areas included in the agreement are trade and integration, bioeconomy, digitalization in agriculture, gender equality and women’s empowerment, water resources for agriculture and climate action in agriculture.

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