Dr Esther Argote Pelegrino, Ph.D., Chief of the Training, Information and Development Department at Cuba's National Centre for Biological Security, was recruited for an assignment by the Research and Technology Development Service of FAO's Sustainable Development Department. In Paraguay, she worked with other technical TCDC experts from Latin America to provide training in the field of biosafety, which involves managing the risks associated with genetically modified organisms, to professionals from the Ministry of Agriculture, national regulatory bodies, environmental protection agencies and the judiciary. Dr Argote recounts her experiences: "In preparation for the training programme in Paraguay, I worked in Cuba to prepare the training materials for a course on biosafety and biological risk analysis. I was also an instructor for the course, dividing the work with Dr Orfelina Rodriguez Garcia, Chief of our centre's Analysis and Security Department. She was also engaged as a technical expert on the project through the TCDC experts programme. We also collaborated with three other TCDC experts from Argentina, Colombia and Peru in presenting the programme materials. "My assignment as a TCDC expert with FAO was very positive. It gave me the opportunity to gain insights from the experiences and the knowledge of technical experts from Paraguay and many other Latin American countries about the environmental risks posed by genetically modified organisms. Also, I was able to share information about Cuban experiences in the field of biosecurity and explain how our centre is organized and what it does. "The training project in Paraguay was well managed, extremely interesting and very productive. We developed close friendships and built strong solidarity among the entire group of professors and the participants taking part in the course." Defying the skeptics Andrea Sonnino, Senior Agricultural Research Officer, Research and Technology Development Service, FAO, coordinated the biosafety project. He recounts his side of the story: "The work of Dr. Argote and all the experts we recruited for this project through the TCDC programme was of the very highest quality. When we began implementing the project, many people were skeptical that such a high-level, extremely technical training course could be designed and presented by a team of women experts from Latin America. There was a widespread belief that qualified people for this project could only be found in universities in developed countries. But the team of technical experts that was assembled in Paraguay proved this isn't true. We didn't set out to recruit only women for this project. We based our selections on their strong technical background and reputation as good teachers. "The government of Paraguay was very pleased with the results. Paraguay's Vice-Minister of Agriculture presented certificates to the participants on the last day of the training programme. He was extremely impressed with the course and at his suggestion, the Minister of Agriculture sent of a letter of appreciation to FAO's Director-General, Jacques Diouf."