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Frequently Asked Questions
1. What does the CGIAR mean by Civil Society
Organization (CSO)?
The CGIAR uses the United Nations'
definition of Civil Society Organization, which is an
"association of citizens (outside their families, friends and
businesses) entered into voluntarily to advance their interests,
ideas and ideologies." The term does not include profit-making
activity (the private sector) or governing (the public sector).
Of particular relevance to the CGIAR are farmer/ development and
environmental organizations, social movements, indigenous
people's organizations, academia and other public benefit
non-governmental organizations.
2.
Who are the CGIAR's CSO
partners? Where they from and what are their
interests?
The CGIAR's CSO partners are from Latin
America, Africa, Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia and South
and Southeast Asia regions. Most generally CSOs that work with
CGIAR are mainly interested in agricultural research for
development, natural resource management, aquaculture, food
security, linking small scale farmers to markets, participatory
research, ICTs for developmentand more.
3.
What opportunities are there for
CSOs to engage in CGIAR-supported activities?
The CGIAR has three systemwide initiatives that involve
CSOs:
a. The
CSO-CGIAR Competitive Grants Program is designed to cultivate
stronger relationships between civil society organizations and the
CGIAR in agricultural research for development. This initiative is
part of the building blocks for further expanding engagement with
CSOs and sharing knowledge for impact. The first CSO-CGIAR
Competitive Program is currently underway.
b. The Innovation
Marketplace (IM) takes place every two year together with the
CSO-CGIAR Forum during AGMs. The objective of the Innovation
Marketplace is to identify and support the most innovative ideas in
all areas of agricultural research from across the world, bringing
together a variety of players from CGIAR Centers, farmer groups,
civil society organizations and National Institutes, to promote
knowledge sharing. The next Innovation Marketplace is scheduled for
December 2008.
c. The Challenge
Programs are time-bound, independently-governed programs of
high-impact research that targets the CGIAR goals in relation to
complex issues of overwhelming global and/or regional significance,
and requires partnerships among a wide range of institutions, among
them CSOs in order to deliver its products.
The first Challenge Programs, namely, Water and
Food, HarvestPlus,
and Generation,
were launched on a pilot basis in 2003 following a CGIAR-approved
process and guidelines for developing and implementing Challenge
Programs. At present, the Cycle 2 of Challenge Programs is underway
and a call for pre-proposals is being launched.
For more details, please go to http://www.cgiar.org/impact/challenge/index.html
Predominantly, the CGIAR works in partnership with CSOs in
research for development programs at the Center level. Projects at
Center level are often carried out in collaboration with CSOs. For
more information, please check individual CGIAR Center
websites.
4.
How does the CGIAR maintain an open
dialogue with CSOs?
In addition to the programs outlined above, the CGIAR organizes
both face-to-face and virtual dialogues with CSOs. A CSO Forum is
convened at the CGIAR's Annual General Meeting every other
year. The first such CSO-CGIAR Forum took place during in December
2006 in Washington DC, and featured a series of lively group
discussions aimed at identifying lessons learned and new avenues
for improved collaboration. With more than 100 CSO present, The
Forum was able to draw on the experience of nearly 50 current
CSO-CGIAR partnerships.
The CGIAR facilitates periodic on-line discussions with CSOs
through a listserv. The first virtual conversation took place prior
to the CSO-CGIAR Forum during AGM 06, and the main purpose was to
give participants an opportunity to get to know one another and
learn about a wide range of collaborative experiences. http://www.dgroups.org/groups/cgiar/cso-cgiar-forum/index.cfm
5. Does the CGIAR fund
CSOs?
The CGIAR does not fund CSOs directly. However, the CGIAR has
different activities to foster CSOs-CGIAR Center partnerships, and
funds different competitive mechanisms to strengthen this
relationship. Among them are Challenge
Programs, CSO-CGIAR
Competitive Grants Program and the Innovation Marketplace
outlined above.
6. Are National Agricultural Research
Institutes (NARIs) included in the CGIAR definition of
CSOs?
No. The CGIAR considers NARIs part of the government, and thus
not part of the CSO community.
7. How can I find out about the latest
developments, news and events related to CSOs and provide
suggestions on CSO-CGIAR related activities ? Who can I contact to
get more information?
You can send us an email to cso-cgiar@cgiar.org , or check our
website for news related to CGIAR-CSO engagement at http://www.cgiar.org/csos/index.html
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