Message from the Chairman and Director

Dear Colleague:

A very successful Annual General Meeting 2005 hosted by the Government of Morocco, has just concluded, and we are pleased to present an e-edition of "CGIAR News" that provides a snapshot of the highlights.

This was our first meeting in the Central, West Asia and North Africa (CWANA) region, and the CGIAR is honored that it was held under the high patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI. Given that the region is the birthplace of agriculture, it was a fitting locale for CGIAR stakeholders to meet and interact on a range of issues directly aimed at improving the lives of poor people.

With over 1,000 participants, we had record attendance including from local participants, representatives of national agricultural research systems in the Maghreb and Sub-Saharan Africa. The Government of Morocco was an excellent host, and Moroccan officials at the highest levels of government participated in the proceedings.

The meeting included the approval of the System Priorities for CGIAR Research for 2005-2015; the agreement on increased programmatic, corporate services and structural alignment among the Centers working in Sub-Saharan Africa and beyond, and the first CGIAR media workshop conducted with the Reuters Foundation.

A special component of the meeting was a field visit to the research station of the Institut National de Recherche Agronomique (INRA) in Marrakech, where participants witnessed quality science being mobilized for national development.

We hope you find this brief e-edition of "CGIAR News" interesting. The AGM helped chart the way forward for an ever-evolving CGIAR, better aligned for achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). As always, we welcome comments at cgiar@cgiar.org

We close by wishing you the best for the upcoming holiday season, excellent end of year celebrations and a peaceful 2006.

Cordially,

Ian Johnson CGIAR Chairman

Francisco Reifschneider CGIAR Director