U.S. Delegation Visits IICA Headquarters as New Director General Advances Reforms to Strengthen Hemispheric Agricultural Cooperation

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica, Sept. 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- A high-level United States delegation visited the headquarters of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), the Agricultural Agency of the Americas, for a wide-ranging meeting with Director General Muhammad Ibrahim. The visit comes as Ibrahim advances institutional reforms sharpening IICA's role as the hemisphere's lead technical partner on agriculture, serving all 34 Member States without duplication or delay.

The delegation included Permanent Representative to the UN Agencies in Rome, Ambassador Lynda C. Blanchard; U.S. Ambassador to Costa Rica, Melinda Hildebrand; Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Laken Rapier; and State Department Regional Advisor for Disasters and Humanitarian Affairs, Kumar Lakhavani. Talks covered global food security and nutrition, regional emergency and disaster response, interagency cooperation, and priority trade and animal health issues, including transboundary diseases such as New World Screwworm.

Ambassador Blanchard proposed a closer partnership between IICA and the UN's Rome-based food agencies, IFAD, FAO, and WFP: "To unlock greater trade opportunities and safeguard our food supply, the Americas and the Caribbean must unite around agricultural policies grounded in sound science. By strengthening collaboration between IICA, FAO, and other organizations, and eliminating redundant efforts, we can support American farmers through science-based international standards, cutting-edge biotechnology, and robust plant and animal health defenses. Together, we are building safe, efficient, and resilient agricultural markets across the Western Hemisphere," Ambassador Blanchard said.

Ambassador Hildebrand noted the United States' role as IICA's largest contributor: "IICA has a long track record of partnering closely with the United States to improve the livelihoods of farmers and rural communities throughout the Western Hemisphere. My visit to IICA headquarters reflects the value of an America First diplomatic agenda that delivers tangible security and economic results for the American taxpayer while ensuring stable, resilient agricultural supply chains across the hemisphere. I look forward to further engaging with IICA to address some of the greatest threats to agriculture in the region, including New World Screwworm and African Swine Fever," Ambassador Hildebrand said.

Deputy Assistant Secretary Rapier, who leads U.S. engagement with international organizations, outlined the path ahead: "Partnering with IICA provides the United States with a direct, strategic avenue to champion American agriculture. By cutting through international bureaucracy, we are focusing our partnerships on eliminating regulatory barriers, championing American innovation, and aligning our regional partners around sound science to bolster food supply and security," Rapier said.

Director General Ibrahim, who has led reforms since taking office, underscored the visit's significance: "IICA exists to serve its Member States, and that means becoming faster, more focused, and more accountable every day. The reforms underway are sharpening our role as the Agricultural Agency of the Americas, delivering real results for our Member States, not duplicated bureaucracy. I am proud of the partnership we share with the United States, and I look forward to working even more closely with our colleagues at the Rome-based UN food agencies, FAO, WFP, and IFAD, to ensure the unique needs of the Western Hemisphere are met with the urgency they deserve," Ibrahim said.

The US partnership dates to IICA's founding in 1942, conceived under the vision of then U.S. Vice President Henry A. Wallace, with the United States among its original Member States, and continues today through a reformed, results-driven IICA.

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SOURCE Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture