Message from the Chairman and Director

Dear Colleague:

We are pleased to present the March 2005 edition of "CGIAR News."

It is clear that 2005 will be the Year for Development. The upcoming U.N. General Assembly will focus on the Millennium Development Goals and call for more concerted actions to achieve them. The UK is leading a major effort for putting development issues—including Africa, aid, trade, and debt relief—at the center of its agenda for its presidency of the Group of Eight in 2005. In March, the Commission on Africa is expected to release its report. This international focus on development offers an excellent opportunity to highlight the importance of agricultural research, strong national and international agricultural research systems, and efficient delivery mechanisms. Under the aegis of the U.N. Millennium Project, Professor Jeffrey Sachs new report, “Investing in Development” has already highlighted this most effectively, and asks the world community to increase support to agricultural research.

Inside the CGIAR, our reform program continues. The Science Council is hard at work on system research priorities. And the Sub-Saharan Africa Task Force will soon present its recommendations on ways in which to improve structural and programmatic alignment. All these activities bode well for the CGIAR as it progresses toward the next phase of reforms. Agriculture is central to development; hence, agricultural issues will likely remain at the front and center of the development agenda and discourse.

This edition covers a range of stories, notably research highlights and impacts achieved by CGIAR Centers. We are pleased to welcome Bob Ziegler, Director General-designate, IRRI. We are especially pleased that Kanayo Nwanze and colleagues at Africa Rice Center (WARDA) have regrouped and re-launched research activities in Cotonou, Benin. In particular, we thank the Governments of Benin and Mali for their strong support to the CGIAR.

On the service delivery side, a new CGIAR contacts database will ensure easier access to expertise and help revamp the process of placing CGIAR nominees on Center Boards. A pilot performance management system will serve as a tool for improved decision-making and managing performance for impact. And the new content and look of the CGIAR website is receiving good reviews, and over 50,000 visitors now browse the website monthly.

Finally, plans for Annual General Meeting 2005 are proceeding well. The Government of Morocco, Hamid Narjisse and colleagues at INRA are looking forward to hosting the meeting in Marrakech, December 5–8, 2005.
Please share this newsletter with interested colleagues—they can receive their own copies (print and e-version) by signing up on the CGIAR website. As always, we welcome comments at cgiar@cgiar.org

Cordially,

Ian Johnson CGIAR Chairman

Francisco Reifschneider CGIAR Director