IICA celebrates 40 years of supporting agricultural and rural development in Trinidad and Tobago
Clarence Rambharat and IICA representatives at the inauguration ceremony.
San Jose, Costa Rica, 9 October, 2018 (IICA). The Inter-American Institute of Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) is celebrating four decades of continuous work on supporting agricultural and rural development in Trinidad and Tobago, where it has served not only as a country representation but also as a regional centre hub, becoming one of the largest and most strategical delegations for the international organism in the Caribbean region.
The event gathered the Minister of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries of Trinidad and Tobago, the Honourable Clarence Rambharat; in representation of the Ministry of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs, the Permanent Secretary, Ms. Reita Toussaint; and the IICA Director and Special Affairs Coordinator for the North Region, Diego Montenegro. The Ambassadors of Argentina, Peru, Chile, Costa Rica and México, academia, non-governmental and private sector representatives participated as well.
The anniversary coincided with the opening of the new IICA Trinbagonian office, a space that is expected to continue to be a popular venue for international and regional meetings. To support the specialized agency’s work, the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries decided to lease a building to IICA on Brechin Castle, Couve.
“This new location is a positive move by the Government of Trinidad and Tobago and will provide the IICA Delegation with much needed stability and security in terms of the arrangements for office accommodation, and should redound to the benefit to both IICA and stakeholders in the agricultural sector”, said Montenegro.
The relocation of the IICA Delegation in this country is also extremely timely as it coincides with the roll out of the new Medium Term Plan 2018-2022. Therefore, over the upcoming months, the Institute’s staff will be consulting and engaging various partners and stakeholders with a view to identifying priority areas for inclusion in the national technical cooperation agenda for Trinidad and Tobago.
“This is indeed a very important process as it will determine the extent to which the country strategy is aligned with the priority and demands identified by key stakeholders in this Caribbean country”, concluded Montenegro.
On its Medium Term Plan 2018-2022, IICA reaffirms its commitment to provide an effective framework for approaching a competitive and sustainable agricultural sector development, which will contribute to economic diversification, food and nutrition security, and rural prosperity in the country.
About IICA
IICA is the specialized agency for agriculture in the Inter-American system, with a mission to encourage, promote and support its 34 Member States in their efforts to achieve agricultural development and rural well-being through international technical cooperation of excellence.
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Sergio Navarro, Journalist, IICA