News and Views From the Centers

Creating Tools for Developing Partnerships

Our partnerships need constant nurturing and creative development to keep them relevant to the challenges of tomorrow. For the Future Harvest Centers of the CGIAR, and other CGIAR bodies, exciting new partnership developments have been at the top of the work agenda. Our attention has focused on three fronts: drafting formal policies for the Alliance of Future Harvest Centers of the CGIAR; problem-focused and partnership-driven Medium Term Research Plans for Sub-Saharan Africa, and exploring new partnerships for research and product delivery with the private sector.

The formal description of the modus operandi of the Alliance of Future Harvest Centers is an “Alliance Principles and Procedures” document that focuses on how the Alliance can strengthen the Centers' contributions to the CGIAR and its reforms. The Alliance is being developed to institutionalize the Centers' collaborations, by ensuring greater programmatic integration where appropriate, and developing instruments to measure collaborative performance. We are also working to create greater efficiencies using tools such as a conflict resolution mechanism.

At present, the Centers collaborate with the private sector in over 40 activities. Some of these are through new CGIAR modalities such as the Challenge Programs and the PSC's Scientific Know-how and Exchange Program (SKEP). Most are through innovative, highly problem-specific, pro-poor public private partnerships at the Center level. Discussions at a high level via the CGIAR and Private Sector Committee workshop (reported earlier in this issue) presented the opportunity for private sector CEOs, Center Directors General and the CGIAR leaders to discuss and agree upon the common humanitarian interests of the CGIAR, and provided a platform for potentially greater and more effective collaboration. Lessons from the current private sector collaborations could inform a growth of existing collaborations and an expansion of the range of partnership modalities and tools, such as generic humanitarian use licences for germplasm. Research themes, such as drought-tolerant agriculture, could become the basis for working together.

We are also pleased to report good progress by partners and Centers in Sub Saharan Africa in drafting the East and Southern Africa and West and Central Africa Medium-Term Plans. This major activity is another tool for creating new partnerships and new synergies among existing partners.

We would also like to take the opportunity to acknowledge and thank Meryl Williams who served the Alliance for the past 18 months and is retiring on November 4, 2005. Meryl's drive, dedication and vision have proved invaluable as the Centers come together to improve upon, and further refine, their collective activities and programs. We are pleased to announce that Geoffrey Hawtin, former Director General of IPGRI, has agreed to serve as the interim Executive Officer, until the search for the Executive Director is completed.

Uzo Mokwunye, Chairman, CBC

Willie D. Dar, Chairman, CDC