This year IICA marks two decades since the launch of its Hemispheric Biotechnology and Biosafety Program (HBBP-IICA), with a view to strengthening technical, regulatory, and institutional capacities in agricultural biotechnology across the Americas. Since that time, the Institute has worked assiduously to develop an approach grounded in technological neutrality, regulatory cooperation, national sovereignty, and the promotion of robust, science-based regulatory frameworks. This article describes the main conceptual and strategic pillars of the original HPPB and its successors, including the distinction made between transgenesis and gene editing, as well as the use of communication tools to facilitate technical understanding among decision-makers.