Honourable Cozier Frederick, the Chair of the Ministerial Council of the Partnership Initiative for Sustainable Land Management (PISLM), spearheaded a historic agreement with the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) at the COP28 in Dubai on December 5, 2023.

The signing ceremony marked the formalization of a General Technical Cooperation agreement between PISLM and IICA, a pivotal moment for sustainable land management in the Caribbean region. The event was attended by Mr. Lloyd Day, Deputy Director General of IICA, the Honorable Penelope Beckles, Minister of Planning and Development of Trinidad and Tobago, Mr. Calvin James, Executive Director of PISLM and the distinguished Minister of Environment, Rural Modernization, Kalinago Upliftment, and Constituency Empowerment Mr. Cozier Frederick.

Calvin James, the Executive Director of PISLM, welcomed the collaboration between IICA and PISLM which is designed to strengthen cooperation and technical support for member states, with a primary focus on soil health. He highlighted the organization’s commitment to assisting Caribbean countries in meeting their UNCCD and Barbados Programme of Action mandates.

Mr. Lloyd Day, Deputy Director General of IICA, acknowledged the critical importance of addressing soil degradation in Latin America and the Caribbean. He emphasized the urgency of sustainable practices to meet future needs and applauded the success of previous initiatives, particularly in the Caribbean region.