BRATHWAITE
CHELSTON BRATHWAITE will on Friday begin his second term as director general of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA). He will serve until 2010.
The inauguration, which will be held in Costa Rica, will be attended by the President of that Central American country, Abel Pacheco de la Espriella. Pablo Rizzo Pastor, Minister of Agriculture and Livestock of Ecuador, will also attend in his capacity as chair of the Inter-American Board of Agriculture, the principal governing body of IICA.
TRANSFORMATION
Brathwaite, a national of Barbados, was re-elected by acclamation by the Minister of Agriculture of the hemisphere in August last, when the Inter-American Board of Agriculture met in Guayaquil, Ecuador. He assumed the post of director general at the helm of the Institute in January of 2002. He immediately embarked upon a process of institutional transformation and modernisation which has been applauded and supported by the 34 member states.
Some of the achievements of that process are increased operational efficiency, a reduction in the bureaucracy, new human resources policies, financial prudence and accountability, as well as a new relationship with member states based on dialogue, consultation and partnership.
It is the director general's belief that these reforms provide an appropriate platform for continuing to support member states in their efforts to promote sustainable rural development, food security and prosperity in the rural communities.
IICA, which was founded in 1942, has its headquarters in Costa Rica. From there, technical cooperation in 34 nations of the hemisphere is directed and coordinated.
Brathwaite is convinced that the development of a modern agricultural sector and the promotion of rural prosperity are keys to development in the countries of the region and so stated to the Ministers of Agriculture in Guayaquil.
SOCIAL STABILITY THREATENED
He said there that "we can no longer accept the migration of rural poor to cities as a solution for rural poverty. The associated social and economic difficulties continue to threaten social stability and progress being made toward democratic governance."
The director general of IICA explained that despite headway made in the manufacturing, high technology, finance and tourism sectors, agricultural and food production still accounted for 25 per cent of the region's gross domestic product and more than 40 per cent of its exports.
