Advisory Group on the CSO-CGIAR Forum

Various colleagues are providing assistance in designing an inclusive process that will foster interaction between CSOs and the CGIAR.

Early in 2006, an Advisory Group on the CSO-CGIAR Forum was convened that represents various types of CSOs operating in different regions of the world (see the list of members). Through face-to-face meetings and extensive electronic communication, the group has provided useful guidance in organizing the Innovation Marketplace and CSO-CGIAR Forum. It is also deciding about Innovation Marketplace participation and awards.

Further input is being provided by knowledge sharing (KS) specialists with the Bellanet Secretariat International at Canada's International Development Research Centre ( IDRC) and within the CGIAR.

During 2004-2005, a KS Project was carried out by four CGIAR-supported Centers with World Bank funding provided through the the CGIAR's Information and Communications Technology - Knowledge Management ( ICT-KM) Program. A key lesson from the project, which Bellanet supported, was that KS approaches can add value to major events by ensuring broader participation in the discussions and decisions and by helping improve collegial relationships. These, in turn, lead to better teamwork and collaboration. The project also contributed importantly to building KS capacity within the CGIAR.

This capacity and Bellanet's expertise are important for enriching CSO-CGIAR engagement through open and transparent partnerships, active knowledge sharing and effective teamwork in collaborative initiatives.

Members of the Advisory Group on the CSO-CGIAR Forum

• Glyvyns Chinkhuntha, Farmer in Malawi and CSO representative on the CGIAR Executive Council
• Denis Despreaux, Secretary General of the Committee for International Agricultural Research (CRAI) (CGIAR Member, France)
• Guillermo Frias Martinelli, CARE Peru, Lima
• Anne-Marie Izac, Chief Alliance Officer, Alliance of the CGIAR Centers
• Monica Kapiriri, Vice-Chair of the Global Forum on Agricultural Research (GFAR)
• Zohra Ben Lakhdar, Professor of Physics, University of Tunis, Tunisia
• Raul Montemayor, Federation of Free Farmers Cooperatives, Philippines
• Franklin C. Moore (CGIAR Member, USA)
• Njabulo Nduli, (CGIAR Member, South Africa)
• Rajul Pandya-Lorch, Head, 2020 Vision for Food, Agriculture, and the Environment Initiative, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), Washington, DC, USA
• Marco Quiones, Regional Director, Sasakawa Global 2000

Resource Persons:

• Beatriz Avalos-Sartorio, CGIAR Science Council, Rome, Italy
• John W. Garrison, Civil Society Team, The World Bank, Washington, DC, USA
• Oliver Oliveros, GFAR and Agropolis International, Montpellier, France
• Maria Iskandarani, CGIAR Secretariat, Washington, DC, USA