Inside the CGIAR

An Executive Council nod guides finalization ahead of the CGIAR Business Meeting in December and the inaugural Global Conference on Agricultural Research for Development in March 2010.

The biggest milestone so far this year in the Change Initiative of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) was the meeting of the CGIAR Executive Council (ExCo) in early June. ExCo reviewed progress in establishing several components of the new CGIAR - the Consortium of the CGIAR Centers, Strategy and Results Framework and Mega Programs, Fund, and Monitoring and Evaluation Framework - and gave a green light for continuing the CGIAR transition.

At its 2008 Annual General Meeting (AGM08) in Maputo, Mozambique, the CGIAR had agreed to a set of broad reforms to be implemented over the course of 2009. These changes to the CGIAR's governance structure and way of doing business will enable the CGIAR to better serve a world in which financial, social, climatic and environmental factors evolve ever more quickly. The set of reforms will clarify accountability, streamline governance and programs, create a results-oriented research agenda, open the system for stronger partnerships, and foster an exciting research environment. Overseeing reform implementation is a transition management team comprising Stephen Hall, chair of the CGIAR Alliance Executive and director general of the WorldFish Center; Mark Holderness, executive secretary of the Global Forum for Agricultural Research; Jonathan Wadsworth, senior agriculture research advisor of the United Kingdom's Department for International Development; and Ren Wang, CGIAR director.

At the June meeting, held at the International Center for Tropical Agriculture in Cali, Colombia, ExCo pointed out areas where further work was needed, and in recent months all involved in the Change Initiative have worked to take those requests on board. The following is a brief overview of the status of the key elements of the new CGIAR:

• A Brief Overarching Principles Document is being developed that describes how the different pieces in the new CGIAR System fit together and add value. The principles document also articulates the accountabilities in the System.
• The Consortium of the CGIAR-Supported Centers is being established by the Consortium planning team. A draft constitution for the new legal entity that sets out the vision, purpose, activities, support offices, financing, structure, governance, board composition and responsibilities, and terms of membership was presented to ExCo and is currently being revised and further developed. Next steps in establishing the Consortium include nominating and selecting members of its board, expected by early December 2009, and identifying the chief executive officer and designing the Consortium Office in 2010.
• The Strategy and Results Framework and Mega Programs are being developed by a strategy team led by Joachim von Braun, director general of the International Food Policy Research Institute, and with Derek Byerlee, Colin Chartres, Thomas Lumpkin, Norah Olembo and Jeff Waage as members. An evidence-based approach to developing the Strategy and Results Framework analyzes and models current and future drivers of the CGIAR's work, such as poverty, hunger, environmental change and governance . The portfolio of Mega Programs will be assembled using criteria and indicators for outcomes and impacts that align with the Strategy and Results Framework. Consultations with science leaders, researchers, CGIAR partners and other stakeholders took place in July and August. A revised draft framework and a first draft of the Mega Program portfolio will be available in September for consultations leading to the inaugural Global Conference on Agricultural Research for Development in March 2010.
• CGIAR Fund establishment is led by the CGIAR Secretariat. A framework document sets out the guiding principles for how the Fund will operate, including the functions and roles of the Fund Council, Fund Forum and Fund Office. Consultations with CGIAR Members and other potential donors are under way to finalize the design of the Fund and the operation of its bodies. The Fund is expected to be established by the end of 2009.
• An Integrated System-wide Monitoring and Evaluation Framework is being developed that will address a) strategic and programmatic relevance and impact, b) programmatic performance, c) managerial and governance performance and d) financial performance and resource mobilization.
• The Global Conference on Agricultural Research for Development (GCARD) is moving toward its first assembly in Montpellier, France, in March 2010. Under the leadership of the Global Forum on Agricultural Research, electronic and face-to-face regional consultations with regional and national research, farmer, and civil society organizations are taking place in September and October in preparation. GCARD will be a public forum for sharing information with and among stakeholders to provide inputs into the CGIAR Strategy and Results Framework and Mega Programs.

With less than 3 months to go before the Business Meeting, the task is to finalize the elements outlined above and link them so that they create the seamless and efficient system envisioned by the CGIAR at AGM08. At its next meeting in early November, ExCo will take stock of progress and request any adjustments prior to the 2009 CGIAR Business Meeting on December 7, where the new CGIAR will be signed off by the Members.

To learn more about the Change Initiative visit www.cgiar.org/changemanagement/index.html.