Manuel Otero and Ilan Goldfajn point out the complementarities of IICA and the IDB and define joint institutional work agenda

Washington, 11 May 2023 (IICA) –The President of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Ilan Goldfajn, and the Director General of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), Manuel Otero, emphasized the historical ties that bind both institutions of the Inter-American System and their major areas of complementarity for joint action.
 
The IICA Director General reported that during a side meeting of the AIM for Climate (Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate) Summit—a joint initiative of the governments of the United States and the United Arab Emirates—Otero and Goldfajn had an extensive discussion, addressing issues in their common and overlapping agenda.
 
“This common and overlapping agenda is evident in our commitment to promoting food security in the hemisphere; actions to tackle the climate crisis; and the issues of digital agriculture, rural connectivity, and biofuels, where there is a clear concurrence”, he added.
 
At the meeting, Goldfajn, who took over as IDB President in late 2022, highlighted the need for joint institutional work and mentioned the formulation and execution of projects.
 
Otero also extended an invitation for the IDB President to attend the meeting that IICA will host in October with the ministers of Agriculture of the Americas, in San Jose, Costa Rica, asking the credit organization to make a presentation on challenges and its vision of the new sustainable development strategies.
 
The Director General of IICA also said that, “Both institutions have decided to provide continuity, through their work in different technical spheres, as is taking currently taking place”.
 
Meeting with the Minister of Agriculture of Canada
 
Also, within the framework of the AIM for Climate Summit, Otero meet with Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Marie-Claude Bibeau. At the meeting, Otero advised the senior official about IICA’s work on gender and youth, inviting her to participate in the latest edition of the Forum of Female Ministers and Deputy Ministers of Agriculture of the Americas.

He also briefed her on initiatives under the “IICA of Open Doors” program, which have attracted a significant influx of students to the Institute’s facilities to visit the innovation Fab Lab and the Center for the Interpretation of Tomorrow’ Agriculture (CIMAG). This will assist in shaping a generation of youngsters that will be committed to knowledge-intensive agriculture.
 
The minister was invited to the upcoming Conference of Ministers of Agriculture 2023, in San Jose, Costa Rica. In recognition of IICA’s 50 years in Canada, the Minister also received a commemorative keepsake and an edition of the book Warriors.  The book, which was edited by the Institute and published in three languages, is a compilation of articles addressing various issues from diverse perspectives, including the status of rural women and their real contribution to agricultural activity; food and nutrition security; and the sustainable development of rural areas.

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