Our Speakers

Manuel began his career at IICA in 1988 at its Headquarters. He has worked as an Advisor to the Director General, as Director of Programming and Evaluation, as Director of the Andean Regional Centre, and as IICA Representative to Uruguay and to Brazil, a position he held on two occasions. He has authored several technical documents on international trade, sectoral policies and agricultural modernization. As Director General of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) for 2018-2022 and re-elected in September 2021 for the 2022-2026 term, Manuel has focused his administration on laying the foundation for the modernization of the Institute, while ensuring that it fulfills its mission to promote the agricultural and rural development of its 34 Member States, through the provision of technical cooperation of excellence. Under his administration the organisation spearheaded an innovate partnership policy that has resulted in the development of work agendas at the multilateral, bilateral, national and local levels, and also in coordination with the private sector, in order to strengthen agriculture and create a balance between productivity and sustainability.