Paris, France, 18 November 2022

During the 151st Governing Board meeting of the International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies (CIHEAM) held at the Institut Océanographique of Paris (France) on 18 November 2022, Mrs. Frida Krifka was elected President of the Governing Board and Mr. Teodoro Miano as Secretary General of the Intergovernmental Organisation. The President will take office on 1 April 2023 and the new Secretary General on 1 March 2023.

The Delegations of the 13 Member States of the CIHEAM were present in Paris on 18 November 2022 to elect concomitantly the new President and Secretary General of the Organisation. They nominated Mrs. Frida KRIFCA, the candidate of Albania, for the Presidency of the Governing Board, and Mr. Teodoro Miano, the candidate of Italy, as the new Secretary General.

For the first time in its history, the CIHEAM will be chaired by a woman. Mrs. Frida Krifka is currently the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of the Republic of Albania. She previously served as President of the Assembly of the Regional Rural Development Standing Working Group in South East Europe (SWG) and General Director of the Agency for Agriculture and Rural Development. 

The new Secretary General, Mr. Teodoro Miano is a Professor of Agricultural Chemistry in the Department of Soil, Plant, and Food Science at the University of Bari, Aldo Moro.  An agronomist by training, he has held positions of responsibility in the field of research and has been involved in several scientific projects in Italy and abroad. Former Delegate of Italy to the CIHEAM, he was also the President of the Advisory Board of the Organisation (2004-2008).

In addition to this double election, the meeting chaired by Mr. Mohammed Sadiki, Minister of Agriculture of Morocco, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development, and Water and Forests recalled the importance of Mediterranean cooperation at a time of climate (record droughts, rising temperatures...) and sanitary (COVID-19) crises and the Russian-Ukrainian war (disruptions of supply chains and food imports, inflation...) that strongly affect food security in the region.

During the meeting, the Council called for more solidarity between the countries of the region and political support for the CIHEAM which, for the past 60 years, has been training Mediterranean youth, supporting research in essential areas (sustainable and intelligent water management, food security, agroecology, agricultural modernization, etc.) and which contributes to the sustainable development of rural territories and the improvement of the living conditions of the most fragile populations.  

President Sadiki encouraged the CIHEAM to sustain the exceptional dialogue of trust and cooperation that prevails within the Organisation and to continue joint efforts for sustainable agri-food systems, resilient to climate change and able to feed a constantly growing population.

In this regard, he recalled the importance of investing in training and human capital, research and innovation, and knowledge sharing at the regional level.

Finally, the Member States unanimously commended the achievements and efforts made by President Sadiki, the current Secretary General Mr. Placido Plaza Lopez, and his team for having initiated and supported strategic orientations, especially in the fields of governance, and for having developed high-impact projects that will contribute to the longevity of the CIHEAM and highlight its uniqueness in the landscape of organizations of the region.

The next CIHEAM Governing Board meeting will take place on December 16, 2022.