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OAS Secretary General Calls for Boosting Agricultural Production in the Americas and Highlights the Role of IICA

The Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), José Miguel Insulza, today urged the continued strengthening and modernizing of agriculture in the Americas so that the sector can fully reach its potential, which in his opinion should provide health and economic benefits to the citizens of the Hemisphere.

The OAS leader made the comments at the inauguration of the Director General of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), Victor Villalobos, who was re-elected for a further four years at the helm of the institution belonging to the Inter-American System.

"We face huge challenges and I believe Dr. Villalobos is the most qualified person to carry out this task, helping our region fulfill the promise of its natural resources, which is to become the largest producer of food in the world, and also to distribute that food in an equitable manner among its inhabitants," said Secretary General Insulza.

Other participants in the inauguration ceremony of Villalobos, held at IICA Headquarters in San Jose, Costa Rica, included the first Vice President of Costa Rica Alfio Piva Mesén; the Costa Rican Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Worship, Enrique Castillo, and of Agriculture, Gloria Abraham; the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries of Argentina and current President of the Inter-American Board of Agriculture, Carlos Casamiquela; and the Secretary of Agriculture, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food of Mexico, Enrique Martinez, among others.

In his speech, the leader of the OAS said the reelection of Villalobos is "testimony to the excellent work done in the past four years to promote agricultural development in the region, foster rural development and contribute to poverty reduction in the countryside."

"The predictions of success that accompanied Dr. Villalobos´ arrival to IICA were confirmed during his first four years in office," he said. “The Director General of the agency based in Costa Rica –he added- managed to raise the profile of the Institute and open areas of work in line with the changing agricultural reality of a Hemisphere that has an untold wealth of natural resources and repeatedly fails to fully utilize them, as well as encourage and support the efforts of its Member States in matters of agricultural development and improved welfare of rural populations."

Secretary General Insulza recalled in particular the "key role" Director General Villalobos played in the OAS General Assembly of 2012 in Cochabamba, Bolivia , which was devoted to the issue of food security. The IICA official, he said, "once again showed his skills and knowledge in the topic in which he is an expert, but also his great political and diplomatic skills," because he helped "bring our countries, from opposing positions, to the signing of the ‘Declaration on Food Security with Sovereignty in the Americas’."

In his address, Insulza stressed that IICA is "a fundamental organization of our Inter-American System," and reiterated the "full support of the OAS to our partner Institute, with which we have worked together since its inception, when the OAS was still the Pan American Union."

"The Institute has been situated for the years at the heart of the struggle of the American region against poverty and for job creation. Since its inception, it has promoted sustainable development through agricultural growth and the prosperity of rural communities, which is essential for the achievement of the goals of stability and democratic governance in our countries," he said.

Finally, the Secretary General praised the location of IICA in Costa Rica, "a country that, like few others, has been noted for its concern for the protection of natural resources and the environment."

A gallery of photos of the event is available here.

The video of the event will be available here.

The audio of the event is available here.

For more information, please visit the OAS Website at www.oas.org.

Reference: E-009/14