Centers’ and Members’ Day, 2005
This year, the theme of Centers and Members Day focused on collective action by the 15 CGIAR Centers. In welcoming participants, Uzo Mokwunye, Chair of the Alliance Board (formerly the Committee of Board Chairs), stressed the great opportunity for Centers to present some of the most important and exciting areas of their work so that Members can gain a deeper understanding of the successes of, and challenges to the system. The day was structured around an opening plenary session followed by parallel sessions that demonstrated inter-Center collaboration.
On behalf of ICARDA, the host Center, Adel El-Beltagy, introduced participants to the Central West Asia and North Africa (CWANA) region, and welcomed participants to the first meeting of the CGIAR to be held in the region. “CWANA is the birthplace of agriculture,” said El-Beltagy, “but, unfortunately, now has the unenviable reputation as the world’s largest importer of food.” He noted that CGIAR Centers have forged strong partnerships with national agricultural research systems and are in a unique position to produce international public goods to assist the poor.
William Dar, Director General, ICRISAT, and the outgoing Chair of the Alliance Executive (AE), outlined the milestones achieved during 2005. “This has been a watershed year for the Alliance,” said Dar. “The Alliance of 15 Centers will build on existing governance mechanisms and promote synergies and efficiencies between Centers, thereby creating new partnerships that benefit poor people.”
The incoming AE Chair for 2006, Joachim Voss, Director General of CIAT, focused his presentation on the continuing work of the Alliance Executive in 2006 and beyond. New opportunities include working together to realign research to focus on issues of climate change in order to help farmers be better prepared for the global changes. Research on high-value products is another opportunity where the Centers will focus their energies in the coming months, he said. Ways to make this Science Council priority a reality to benefit the poor is an important area for future consideration by the Centers.
|
