Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) 

The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) is a Special Organization of the Organization of American States (OAS). Its main objective is to promote food security and prosperity of the rural sector of the Americas. 

The IICA is divided into three governing bodies. The Inter-American Board of Agriculture (IABA), which is composed of the Ministers of Agriculture of the 34 member states, directs inter-American dialogue on agriculture to develop more articulated policy in the hemisphere. The Executive Committee, the second governing body, is made up of 12 representatives from member countries, on a rotating basis. The third governing body is the General Directorate, which, as the executive organ of IICA, provides technical support to the IABA as the technical secretariat of the inter-American working groups and commissions created by the Ministers of Agriculture of the region. 

IICA has recently released a document, entitled Repositioning IICA to meet the Challenges of the XXI Century, on its new priorities in the new millennium. In it, it states that IICA is going to focus on supporting the Member States in their pursuit of progress and prosperity in the hemisphere, through the modernization of the rural sector, promotion of food security, and the development of an agricultural sector that is competitive, technologically prepared, environmentally managed, and socially equitable for the peoples of the Americas. 

Since Quebec City, IICA has expressed its commitment to maintaining an active role in the Summit process.  This role, beyond working towards the implementation of Summit mandates, calls for the expansion of its dialogue with other coordinating groups and institutions and the taking on of a broader mandate that is more proactive and brings together issues of agricultural, environmental and rural development into a debate on hemispheric integration and prosperity.

For more information on IICA, please see its Web site: http://www.iica.int