At AGM01, the CGIAR decided to establish the CGIAR System Office, as one of the four initial pillars of the CGIAR reform program. A Steering Committee was created, composed of the CGIAR Chairman, the CGIAR Director, the Chairman of the interim Science Council, and the Chair of the Center Director's Committee (CDC) to oversee the System Office. In April 2002, the CGIAR Executive Council (ExCo) confirmed that the CGIAR Director should coordinate the development of an Integrated Business Plan (IBP), composed of a Business Case and an annual Integrated Operating Plan (IOP). Based on the IOP this first annual report states the activities, outputs and financial inputs for the year 2003.

System Office at a Glance

The System Office (SO) serves as a virtual organization, bringing greater coherence to the nine support units that form the System Office, to enhance overall performance of the CGIAR and Centers. The existing units that comprise the System Office provide a variety of services to Members and Centers - as well as to other stakeholders. These services fall into four broad functional categories:

• Strategic planning and development. Includes various elements within strategic planning, financial management, and new opportunity identification.
• Monitoring and evaluation. Relates to the oversight of existing initiatives and activities, including individual Center research agendas and overall impact assessment of the CGIAR System as a whole.
• Public awareness and resource mobilization. Includes impact illustration, communications and outreach, branding, and fundraising.
• Management services. Encompasses the provision of various services relating to human resources, organizational development and effectiveness, finance, legal, information technology and event planning.

Consolidating the System Office

Building on the SO Integrated Business Plan the consolidation of the System Office continued to be further strengthened within the past year. The Second System Office workshop helped to further streamline service offerings and a number of feedback tools (e.g. reviews, surveys, 360° feedback), aided to improve and adjust the delivery of services to the needs of SO clients.

• Second System Office Workshop
  The Second System Office workshop was held at the CGIAR Secretariat September 12-13, 2003. The purpose of the workshop was to further strengthen the SO as an entity and to discuss work plans for 2004. During the workshop units shared progress in implementing the Integrated Operating Plan 2003, discussed unit work plans and budget proposals, and agreed on the design of a common reporting and budgeting format and structure.
• 360° feedback assessment
  The group agreed on the joint implementation of a 360 degree feedback exercise, as a tool for their own behavioral assessment and professional development (in some cases the results were used as an input into individual performance appraisals). The exercise was successfully conducted in November 2003 and all participants had a high response rate from feedback providers. This exercise was very valuable to all participants and helped the System Office unit heads to improve professionally .

Details on System Office Activities, Outputs, and Finance along with a Snapshot of Key Achievements

The year was very productive and, moreover, it was a year of important changes to the system, which were supported by the System Office. The following report gives a detailed list of services delivered to the CGIAR and Centers, including financial inputs, and a SO financial report summary. In addition, each unit reported briefly on three of its major accomplishments during the year and provided some examples of activities undertaken in collaboration with other SO Units, as an attempt to reflect the broad range of activities with which each of the System Office Units are engaged.