According to the Director General of the Institute, Manuel Otero, the agreement will support Caribbean countries in matters relating to climate change and will promote more cooperation projects for Central America.
San José, 13 March 2018 (IICA). Strengthening sustainable development with a focus on rural economies and societies in Chile, in the Central American Integration System (SICA), and in Caribbean Forum (CARIFORUM) will be one of the priorities for the technical cooperation alliance established between the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and the Ministry of Agriculture (MINAGRI) of that South American country.
Following his attendance at the investiture ceremony for the new President of Chile, Sebastián Piñera, the Director General of the Institute, Manuel Otero, took advantage of his presence in Chile to sign the four-year agreement with the Minister of Agriculture, Antonio Walker.
“This is an agreement that will deepen even further the ties between IICA and the Republic of Chile, to support a vulnerable region such as the Caribbean, especially in the area of climate change, and to channel more cooperation programs toward Central America”, explained Otero.
According to the terms of the agreement, both parties will focus their efforts first on drafting the National Action Plan in territories and regions that are of priority interest to the Chilean government, and on the formulation and execution of the National Action Plan for south-south, triangular or multilateral cooperation, through which IICA will serve as a platform and bridge for cooperation, linking Chile, SICA and CARIFORUM.
Additionally, a new cooperation program between Chile and Argentina will be put in place via their respective institutional frameworks for agriculture, which will also impact positively on the eight members of the Central American integration mechanism and on the 15 countries of CARIFORUM.
“Another concrete result of the agreement is the implementation of joint initiatives between Chile and Argentina aimed at Central America and the Caribbean, thus reaffirming one of IICA’s missions which is to encourage south-south cooperation”, added the Director General of this entity that promotes agricultural development in the Americas.
All the initiatives proposed for the alliance will contribute to reciprocal strengthening of the capacity building and cooperation processes in these countries, through the exchange of experiences, public policies, as well as business and private entrepreneurial initiatives, including those for family farming, which could boost the countries’ options for rural and agricultural development.
IICA’s vision of providing new institutional frameworks for a more productive, inclusive and resilient agriculture, with active participation by youth and women using technology to develop the rural areas, fight poverty and protect the natural environment, dovetails with the guidelines established by the new Chilean President and the head of MINAGRI, and was reflected in the signing of this agreement that is expected to yield results towards the middle of the year.
For more information:
José Alfredo Alpízar, Press and Outreach Coordinador at IICA.
