Mission sent by Director General of IICA engages in dialogue with the Vice President of Brazil, Geraldo Alckmin, to discuss hemispheric agency’s support for the agricultural agenda at G20 and COP30

Brasilia, 27 February 2024 (IICA) – A mission sent to Brasilia by Manuel Otero, Director General of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), was welcomed by the vice-president of the country, Geraldo Alckmin, who commended IICA’s commitment to provide technical support for the agriculture and food security agendas of both the G20, of which Brazil currently holds the presidency, and COP30, to be held in Brazil in 2025.

Finance Minister Fernando Haddad was also present to welcome the mission, consisting of Jorge Werthein, Special Advisor to the Director General of IICA, and Gabriel Delgado, IICA Representative in Brazil.

Werthein and Delgado also held talks with Luiz Alberto Figueiredo, Extraordinary Ambassador for Climate Change, at the Itamaraty Palace, where the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is located. They later met with Roberto Perosa, the Ministry’s Secretary of International Relations, at the headquarters of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock.

Regarding the mission’s goals in Brazil, IICA’s Director General commented: “As an organization of the Americas with a global perspective, which seeks to drive collective actions and strategic partnerships that guarantee agricultural and rural development and food security, IICA can make a significant contribution at high-level forums such as the G20 and COP, by exchanging ideas, information and  experiences in the transformation of agriculture and rural life, to build consensus and a shared roadmap on the challenges and opportunities for the agrifood sector, which must necessarily be sustainable, more competitive and inclusive”.

The mission spoke to Perosa about the next Conference of Ministers of Agriculture of the Americas, to be held in Brazil in 2025, as decided last year by representatives of 34 countries that make up the Inter-American Board of Agriculture (IABA). The board is IICA’s governing body and is formed by the 34 agriculture ministers of the Americas, who meet every two years.

The 34 ministers voted to hold the next Conference in the second half of 2025 in Brazil, where the UN Climate Change Conference (COP30) will be held that same year. At this forum, agriculture in the Americas has gained an increasingly important role thanks to IICA’s efforts.

In this regard, the Brazilian officials were informed in detail about IICA’s participation in COP processes and its work in other multilateral forums.

“Agriculture in the Americas plays a strategic role in light of current global challenges, because it guarantees food security and responsibly incorporates the dimension of environmental sustainability. This is why we believe that an organization providing technical cooperation of excellence to promote agricultural development and rural well-being can play a vital role in strengthening the agendas of major forums such as G20 and the COPs. This is especially true when these are held on the continent and in a country as relevant as Brazil”, commented Werthein at the conclusion of the mission, which also included a meeting with Renata Miranda, Secretary of Innovation, Sustainable Development, Irrigation and Cooperativism at the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock of Brazil.

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