The Trust for the Americas and IICA join forces to work toward reducing poverty and increasing economic opportunities in rural areas

Washington, 9 December 2022 (IICA). The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and The Trust for the Americas, a non-profit organization affiliated with the Organization of American States (OAS), signed a technical cooperation agreement with which they will seek to fundraise, mobilize resources and develop and execute joint projects to reduce poverty and increase economic opportunities in the rural areas of Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC).

The partnership will focus its efforts on women and youth through professional education, training, access to information and technology transfer.

The agreement was signed at a virtual ceremony by Manuel Otero, Director General of IICA, and Linda Eddleman, CEO of The Trust for the Americas. Also in attendance were Lloyd Day, Deputy Director General of IICA, and Margaret Zeigler, IICA Representative in the United States, as well as other members of both organizations.

The Trust for the Americas was established in 1997 with the aim to promote public-private partnerships. It has implemented projects in 27 countries and has worked with over 1,000 organizations in the region.

Its work and initiatives seek to strengthen the capacities of individuals and organizations across LAC through innovation, access to information and skills building to enhance opportunities, in pursuit of its mission to promote the social and economic inclusion of vulnerable communities in the Americas through partnerships with the public, private and non-profit sectors.

“This is an important opportunity. Both institutions have points in common: we belong to the Inter-American System, meaning we owe our existence to our continents; we believe in public-private cooperation and that the myriad of regional problems can be solved through public-private cooperation, with better policies and by putting into practice sustainable development strategies that unleash our potential”, affirmed Otero.

“Both institutions work to reduce inequality and exclusion for which agriculture and rural development hold the key. Agriculture is at the top of the global agenda, it is part of the solution and we have legitimacy to act within the hemisphere; from the Americas, we look out to the world as our countries are the main exporters of food”, added Otero, emphasizing the need to establish “a simple road map” with priorities and specific results.

Linda Eddleman underscored that the agreement is only the first step toward what both IICA and The Trust for the Americas can do to have a positive impact in the region.

“I am very proud to sign this agreement and of the work we can do together; I am also grateful to IICA for choosing us as a partner. This agreement is only the first step; we are committed to making it a reality as our organizations are complementary”, said Eddleman.

“We have developed projects in at least 27 countries of the Americas that have benefited close to four million people. We know how to train people and working together with IICA will have a positive impact on many people in the hemisphere”, she added.

For his part, Lloyd Day, Deputy Director General of IICA, also highlighted the leading role that agriculture is taking on the global stage, as made evident during the COP27 in Egypt in mid-November, where the importance of public-private partnerships and other synergies to advance environmental, social and economic issues was affirmed.

“Both organizations do very important work in our countries. IICA recently attended COP27, where we set up the Home of Sustainable Agriculture of the Americas pavilion where ministers, the private sector and producers from Canada to Argentina held over 60 successful panels and meetings. Producers, private-sector, government leaders and other stakeholders from all over the world are starting to discuss the importance of agriculture in order to help feed our hemisphere and the growing world, while reducing emissions”, stated Day.

Initially, the five-year partnership between IICA and The Trust for the Americas will focus its cooperation efforts in Central America with a view to improving rural well-being and making progress in terms of sustainable agriculture and agrifood systems.

“We will make things happen, especially in Central America, thanks to IICA’s many capacities there”, concluded Margaret Zeigler, IICA Representative in the United States.

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