PRESIDENT Mohamed Irfaan Ali has officially presented Guyana’s candidate, agronomist and international manager Muhammad Ibrahim, to lead the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), positioning him before several regional heads of state and government during the Global Biodiversity Partnership Summit in Georgetown.

The high-level two-day summit, hosted in Guyana’s capital, brought together political leaders, scientists, indigenous advocates, and innovators to advance global action to protect biodiversity and vital ecosystems. Among the dignitaries present were President Luis Abinader of the Dominican Republic; Barbados’ Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley; Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; Ecuador’s Vice President, María José Pinto; former Colombian President, Iván Duque, and COP30 President, André Correo do Lago.

President Ali, who led the Summit, emphasised Ibrahim’s deep experience in international agricultural management and his vision for strengthening resilient food systems across the hemisphere. “Ibrahim is the right person to build on IICA’s mission of supporting sustainable agriculture and food security,” the President stated.
Speaking at the Summit, Ibrahim expressed gratitude for President Ali’s endorsement. “I am honoured to share my plans for IICA, a platform through which we will strengthen food security in

the Caribbean and Central America using science, technology and innovation. Agriculture is key to our region’s development,” Ibrahim said.
The election of IICA’s next Director General will take place in November in Brasilia, during a meeting of the continent’s agriculture ministers.
While in Georgetown, Ibrahim also met with Guyana’s diplomatic corps and more than 50 high-level experts at a seminar organised by the Belize High Commission. There, Belize’s Minister of

Sustainable Development, Orlando Habet, outlined efforts to build resilience through sustainable use of the country’s natural resources.
Ibrahim, who has worked with Belize for 25 years, developing agroforestry policies and sustainable livestock systems, used the opportunity to share his blueprint for IICA’s future. He also held bilateral meetings with Mexico’s Ambassador to Guyana, Mauricio Vizcaíno Crespo, to explore collaborative initiatives using Mexico’s vast agrobiodiversity, and met with Argentina’s chargé d’affaires, Carlos Tadeo.

In separate engagements, Ibrahim discussed his candidacy with Guyana’s Permanent Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Elisabeth Harper, Ambassador George Talbot, and Ministry official, Pegy McLennan. The Foreign Affairs Ministry reaffirmed its commitment to mobilise regional support for Ibrahim’s candidacy, citing Guyana’s pivotal role in bridging Caribbean, South American and Central American agricultural interests.

Ibrahim also thanked the Foreign Ministry for its active diplomatic efforts to secure endorsements from IICA member countries ahead of the November election.