Message from the Chairman and Director


Dear Colleague:

We are pleased to present the electronic edition of December's "CGIAR News." We welcome comments at cgiar@cgiar.org

This edition covers the highlights and outcomes of the 2004 Annual General Meeting held in Mexico, home to CIMMYT. The meeting, and associated events marked another milestone in the CGIAR's growth and evolution in a year when support to the CGIAR is expected to exceed $400 million. As co-hosts, the Government of Mexico and CIMMYT worked tirelessly to meet the expectations of the almost 1,000 participants who attended the meetings. We owe them our thanks and appreciation.

Several innovations marked the proceedings. We changed the format of Centers and Members Day, making it more appealing to CGIAR stakeholders by showcasing collaborative research activities and impacts achieved by national partners signifying the global-local links. A special session was devoted to strategic directions of CGIAR research for development, including highlighting ways in which the CGIAR is helping to meet the Millennium Development Goals. The Innovation Marketplace competition and exhibition, and a first-ever "Farmers Dialogue" rounded off our expanded efforts to reach out to civil society. We were honored to have the presence of Robert S. McNamara, Norman Borlaug, and Evangelina Villegas to celebrate the founding of the CGIAR. And we bade farewell to Ron Cantrell and Hubert Zandstra, both of whom have made an enormous contribution to the CGIAR. The CGIAR Charter was endorsed by acclamation, a major step that will further strengthen the CGIAR alliance.

AGM'04 received extensive coverage in print and broadcast media. Of the more than 100 stories tracked in the print media, nearly two-thirds reported on key events and research successes achieved by the CGIAR Centers and partners. The remainder addressed agricultural policy issues in Mexico, and the ongoing debate on genetically modified organisms.

Sadly, at the time of writing the situation in Côte d'Ivoire continues to be serious. We mourn the untimely death of Robert Carsky. Our thoughts are with the Africa Rice Center staff and their families who are relocating and facing hardship.

We would like take this opportunity to thank you all for your energy, hard work and support, and wish you all a safe holiday season.

Cordially,

Ian Johnson CGIAR Chairman

Francisco Reifschneider CGIAR Director