IICA and the US State Department's Bureau of Disaster and Humanitarian Response Build a Closer Partnership for the Americas

SAN JOSÉ, Costa Rica, Oct. 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Senior Bureau Official Ryan Shrum of the US Department of State's Bureau of Disaster and Humanitarian Response (DHR) visited IICA Headquarters this week, where he and IICA Director General Muhammad Ibrahim agreed to work toward a concrete agenda to protect agriculture and food supplies across the Western Hemisphere.

The visit reflects the shared vision and common principles that unite the United States and IICA, the Agricultural Agency of the Americas, and a relationship with DHR that has grown quickly since the bureau was established in March 2026. DHR directs the US response to natural disasters and humanitarian crises around the world, and four of its twelve regional hubs are in Latin America and the Caribbean.

"We see an opportunity to move toward a more concrete cooperation agenda, focused on key priorities we can drive forward together. There are areas where we can keep building, like New World Screwworm, and there's a lot of work and coordination ahead to address El Niño," said Shrum.

The two leaders focused on what comes after the emergency. When a hurricane, drought or El Niño strikes, emergency assistance saves lives, but disasters also destroy crops, livestock, irrigation and markets. Ibrahim stressed that restoring agriculture quickly lets communities feed themselves again, ends dependency sooner and keeps the Hemisphere more stable.

They also discussed how DHR can draw on IICA's presence in all 34 Member States, every one of them in the Americas, and its direct relationship with the Minister of Agriculture in each country. That reach allows the two institutions to coordinate responses to El Niño and to stop animal and plant health threats before they cross borders and reach US producers.

"DHR has shown what decisive American leadership looks like. On New World Screwworm, Senior Bureau Official Shrum's team saw the threat, acted quickly and helped us move from proposal to implementation in less than 60 days. We share DHR's focus on speed and results, and we're committed to building an even closer partnership in the months ahead," said Ibrahim.

Regional cooperation and strengthening preparedness, response, and recovery capacities in the face of emergencies were central themes of the dialogue.

A partnership that delivers

The New World Screwworm response, funded by DHR, is the clearest example of what IICA and DHR can achieve together. Covering eight countries in Mexico and Central America, it contains the pest at its source and protects producers across the region and in the United States. It's also the foundation for the agenda the two institutions are now building.

About IICA
IICA is the specialized agency for agriculture in the Inter-American system, the Agricultural Agency of the Americas.  34 Member States of Latin America and the Caribbean lean on IICA to support agricultural development, trade, and food safety through international technical cooperation of excellence.

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SOURCE Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture