Message from the Chairman and Director

Dear Colleague:

We are pleased to present you with the summer edition of "CGIAR News." This issue provides a snapshot of research accomplishments and development impacts achieved by the CGIAR Centers, acting in concert with a broad range of partners.

The award of the 2004 World Food Prize to Monty Jones for his efforts to develop NERICAs, the New Rices for Africa, tops the good news. It is a fitting tribute to the quality and relevance of research conducted by WARDA-The Africa Rice Center, and a powerful example of participatory research that is Africa-based, African-led, and directed toward Africa's specific development needs. In other news, we are delighted that a world-class CGIAR Science Council chaired by Per Pinstrup-Andersen is off to a flying start, ensuring that CGIAR science continues to be at the leading edge for maximal development impact.

News on the financial front is also uniformly good. The draft 2003 financial report shows CGIAR Member contributions totaled $381 million, confirming the stability of CGIAR finances and offering a resounding vote of confidence in the system's ability to deliver practical results that improve poor people's livelihoods.

The Government of Mexico will be hosting Annual General Meeting 2004. The venue is especially significant, going back to the origins of the CGIAR, birthplace of the Green Revolution and home to CIMMYT. Plans are proceeding apace for another banner meeting where participants will get to witness first-hand the various research-for-development initiatives by the Centers, including field visits to CIMMYT and national research centers of excellence.

The IFPRI-ISNAR alliance is now complete. The new ISNAR program will be located in Addis Ababa, under IFPRI governance. It is another example of how the CGIAR is reshaping itself for achieving greater development impacts in Africa and beyond.

Finally, we were delighted to have the opportunity to visit CIAT, CIP, and ICARDA and to have fruitful discussions with the staff. Thanks to an excellent program of visits, we learned a lot and came away reassured that the CGIAR's mandate is making critical contributions toward the drive to achieve sustainable development.

We hope you have a relaxing summer. As always, we welcome comments on this newsletter which can be sent to cgiar@cgiar.org.

Cordially,

Ian Johnson CGIAR Chairman

Francisco Reifschneider CGIAR Director