NEW ORLEANS − Inter-American Development Bank President Enrique V. Iglesias and representatives of five other international agencies signed an agreement today creating the Inter-Agency Working Group on Rural Development for Latin America and the Caribbean.

The working group will provide a platform "to respond more efficiently and effectively" and in a coordinated way to rural development needs of the region in response to suggestions from the public and private sectors and civil society, according to the agreement. The working group is open to membership of other organizations.

According to the document "there is a consensus in the region that rural development efforts should include a broad, inclusive, and multisectoral vision of the rural context that includes economic, social, and environmental aspects." This vision of the development of the rural economy, according to the agreement, includes both agriculture and off-farm activities and other areas, such as environmental protection, gender equity, youth, and employment, including nonagricultural employment.

In addition to Iglesias, the agreement was signed by representatives of the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD), the German Technical Cooperation (GTZ), the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA).

For more information contact Marie Jose Ribeiro of the Sustainable Development Department of the IDB, E-Mail: rural@iadb.org.