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Archive
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June 2007
Dear Colleagues,
We are pleased to inform you that on June 14 the World
Bank's Board of Executive Directors approved a grant of US$50
million to the CGIAR for FY08, i.e. July 1, 2007-June 30, 2008. The
Bank's support, in all its forms, has anchored the CGIAR from
its inception, and is always appreciated. The Board's decision
to continue the CGIAR grant at the existing level despite the many
strong claims by other programs represents a vote of confidence in
the directions that the CGIAR has been following under its reform
program and encourages us to continue along the path of change.
The change process was discussed at the 12 th meeting of the
Executive Council (ExCo12, see E-Briefings below)
where it was agreed - in the context of discussions on Alignment --
that it would be appropriate for the CGIAR to launch a facilitated
change management process. The objectives of the exercise will be
to collate the Group's collective experience and views, assess
the rapidly changing external environment, and determine what
changes, if any, are required within the CGIAR to further enhance
our effectiveness and efficiency. The first step in this exercise
is to develop initial Terms of Reference which would guide us in
the selection of a consulting company to facilitate a change
process. Phase 1 of the Change Management exercise can commence
when an external facilitator is selected and ExCo has nominated a
small scoping team to work with the consulting company. ExCo12
agreed that the scoping team should consist of two ExCo members,
one Alliance representative, one Science Council representative,
and one partner representative, supported by the CGIAR Secretariat.
Phase 1 is expected to be the design phase during which the scoping
team will develop substantial Terms of Reference and a work plan
identifying clear decision points and timelines for recommendation
to ExCo13 in October. Phase 2 can commence following ExCo 13 and
will involve extensive facilitated consultation within and beyond
the CGIAR. The CGIAR Chair and Director will closely monitor the
process as it unfolds, and report periodically to the Group.
Separate from this facilitated change management exercise, the
Development Grant Facility (DGF) of the Bank's Global Programs
and Partnerships Department requires an external review of the
CGIAR to be completed by early 2008, with an initial report
available in December 2007. ExCo12 reviewed the DGF requirement and
agreed that it should convene an ad hoc advisory group to
advise on the composition and Terms of Reference of the external
review panel.
All the activities taking place in the CGIAR System indicate
that a full and productive agenda will await Ren Wang when he
assumes duties as the second Director of the CGIAR, a few weeks
from now. Ren is enthusiastic about his new role in the CGIAR
System, and we are confident that he will receive collegial support
and full collaboration. Meanwhile, we thank all those who have made
it possible for the CGIAR System to function effectively in this
transition period.
Sincerely,
Kathy Sierra, Chair
Fionna Douglas, Acting Director
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E-BRIEFING
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The CGIAR System
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ExCo12
ExCo12 was held in Madrid on May 16-17. CGIAR
Chair Kathy Sierra presided, and Alexander Muller (FAO) was elected
co-chair of the meeting. The Chair thanked INIA, the National
Institute for Agricultural and Food Research and Technology of
Spain's Ministry of Education and Science for its gracious
hospitality. Secretary of State Miguel Quintanilla welcomed ExCo.
He highlighted the importance Spain placed on its relationship with
CGIAR, and on agricultural research. He announced that Spain would
be increasing its contribution to the CGIAR. The meeting was
informed that Portugal is re-engaging in the CGIAR. Hungary is
moving towards Membership and has made a financial contribution
this year. The meeting heard from Emile Frison who was attending an
ExCo meeting for the first time as Chair of the Alliance Executive
of the Alliance of CGIAR Centers (the Alliance). Acting CGIAR
Director Fionna Douglas presented the meeting with a CGIAR Status
Report. As before, ExCo12 covered a variety of topics in robust
discussions. Among the agenda items discussed were:
- Alignment and change management in the CGIAR
- External review of the CGIAR;
- 2006 results of the Performance Measurement System;
- Financial matters;
- ICRAF, ILRI and IWMI external reviews;
- Managing risk.
A comprehensive summary of ExCo12 proceedings may be accessed
at
http://www.cgiar.org/exco/exco12/exco12_sop.pdf.
ExCo13 will be held in October in Italy.
Looking Ahead at AGM07
Planning for AGM07 is well on track, with the CGIAR Secretariat,
which is responsible for organizing the entire AGM, working in
close partnership with the Chinese Association for the Advancement
of Science (CAAS). Currently, the emphasis is on the meeting's
logistics, with arrangements being made to ensure that all
conference facilities are adequate, that suitable accommodation is
available, and that myriad ancillary matters from visa regulations
to internal transport are all checked out. Preliminary discussions
have also begun about possible post-meeting field trips that will
combine scientific and touristic interests. Meanwhile,
consultations about the substance of the Stakeholder Meeting and
the Business Meeting are also going on. In the light of the
successful experience with an Advisory Group that helped to plan
the CSO Forum at AGM06, the CGIAR Secretariat will be convening an
Advisory Group to play a similar role for the Science Forum which
will be this year's Stakeholder Meeting. Confirmed members of
the Advisory Group are Rudy Rabbinge (SC Chair), Hans Herren (SC
member and Chair of its standing panel on mobilizing science),
Dongxin Feng (Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences), Marlene
Diekmann (CGIAR Member-Germany), Romano Kiome (CGIAR Member-Kenya),
Kwesi Atta-Krah (the Alliance-Bioversity), John McDermott (the
Alliance-ILRI), and Ramani Balasubramanian (Young
Professionals' Platform for Agricultural Research for
Development, YPARD). Most of the Advisory Group's work will be
done virtually with one face-to-face meeting. An e-Forum will
precede the Science Forum.
Alignment Forum/Change Management
The often-discussed issues of structure and strategy were the
focus of an Alignment Forum held on the eve of ExCo12, in keeping
with a CGIAR decision taken at AGM06. In her opening remarks, the
CGIAR Chair said that a successful outcome of the Forum would be
for the CGIAR to build on existing experiences, take stock of where
the CGIAR is at, and perhaps move at a faster pace on the issues
under review. To give the discussion added depth, external
perspectives and internal experience were both included in the
agenda, together with a "role playing" exercise that
examined the advantages and disadvantages of a revolutionary as
well as an evolutionary approach to alignment. The external
experiences reviewed were those of the Global Fund to Fight
AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, and Catholic Relief
Services. Within-CGIAR experience included the CGIAR
Ministerial-Level Meeting held at Lucerne in 1995, and the
Declaration and Action Program it produced, the report of the Third
System Review of the CGIAR (1998), the 2001 report of a Change
Design and Management Team, a World Bank meta-evaluation of the
CGIAR in 2003, and the report of the CGIAR Sub-Saharan Africa Task
Force in 2005. The Chair of the Alliance Executive, and the
Directors General of IITA, and the WorldFish Center made
substantive contributions to the discussion, based on their
practical experience within the CGIAR System. An extensive
discussion led to the following consensus:
- Rapid changes in the external environment require careful
analysis of opportunities and threats, especially the volatility of
funding;
- There is need to drive a change of corporate culture and System
governance, especially on building trust;
- It is important to harness the energy of CGIAR-supported
Centers;
- The focus of the CGIAR should remain on efficiency, good
governance and increased accountability;
- Collaboration with partners should continue to be
strengthened.
There was broad agreement, as well, that a facilitated change
management process could be launched, to ask the appropriate
questions, seek the most effective answers, and pick up the pace of
progress.
Please see
http://www.cgiar.org/who/structure/executive/exco12/alignment_forum.html
for a full account of the Alignment Forum.
Funding for Research
Total available financing in 2006 was US$448 million with total
expenditures at US$458 million (2 percent above the 2005 level).
The resulting deficit of US$10 million was financed from Center
reserves. The Centers were able to hold down the deficit at this
level through prudent and disciplined financial management. Member
contributions for 2006 totaled US$426 million, down from US$450
million the previous year. The reduction, which was the first in
several years, was due mainly to the non-delivery of approximately
US$30 million in EC funding. Member contributions were augmented by
US$22 million in Centers' income. Contributions increased from
the international and regional organizations (by US$2 million or 3
percent), and from non-members (by US$8 million or 22 percent).
Contributions from all other groups were reduced. (Some Members
have indicated that they will increase their contributions in
2007.) Contributions from the Europe group of Members decreased by
US$22 million (13 percent), due mainly to the non-delivery of the
EC contribution. Fifty-eight of the 64 Members contributed in 2006,
compared with 60 in 2005. Overall, unrestricted contributions were
42 percent of the 2006 total, comparable to 43 percent in 2005.
Challenge Programs had a cumulative balance of US$25.5 million at
the end of 2006. On the expenditure side, the Sub-Saharan Africa
region remains a priority for the CGIAR.
- The Draft Executive Summary of the 2006 CGIAR Financial Results
was jointly produced by IRRI and the CGIAR Secretariat, their
second consecutive year of collaboration. Their report and
underlying analysis were validated by the CGIAR Finance Peer Review
group.
Senior Leadership Training
Several NARS leaders will be among the participants in
the third CGIAR Senior Leadership Program which will be held at the
International Institute for Management Development in Lausanne,
Switzerland, on July 2 - 6, 2007. Their participation is made
possible by generous support from the Swiss Agency for Development
and Cooperation (SDC) which is co-financing the program with the
CGIAR Secretariat. The program which, as before, is customized to
meet the participants' needs, will focus on:
- Strategy and change management;
- Leadership and managing people; and
- Hands-on training on media skills.
The Program will cover broad issues in leading research
institutions and systems, as well as the specific needs of
individual participants. The leadership component of the program
will be led by Jim Dowd from the Harvard Business School and the
media training component by Moncef Bouhafa from the Center for
Development Communication.
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Centers Supported by the CGIAR
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Gene Banks
Phase 2 of the Global Public Goods program
(GPG2) is now well underway, and will make full use of the
experience and the lessons learned from Phase 1 (GPG1) which
concluded in December 2006 and has been externally reviewed. Some
700,000 samples of genetic resources are held in trust for mankind
in the CGIAR collections, which are global public goods. The
purpose of the GPG programs is to upgrade the gene banks at CGIAR
Centers, so that they can be used effectively to fight poverty,
enhance food security and health, and protect the environment in
developing countries. Upgrading includes collection, conservation
in up-to-date facilities, and transparent access. The vision of
GPG2 is that when it is completed the CGIAR in-trust collections
will have a sound financial and technical basis for long-term,
sustainable and accessible stewardship of the valuable public goods
that they represent. They will serve as the nucleus of a
sustainable global system for the conservation and use of crop
diversity on behalf of the world's poor and hungry. The GPG
programs build on the foundation laid by the CGIAR Systemwide
Genetic Resources Program (SGRP), and are fully supported by the
World Bank. A Project Coordinator works under the guidance of the
SGRP executive committee. GPG2 will be completed in approximately
three years with a budget of around US$10.5 million. The first
tranche of this amount (US$4 million) has already been
released.
Meta-Analysis of Center EPMRS
The meta-evaluation of the external reviews of
CGIAR-supported Centers conducted by two international experts,
Maureen Robinson and Howard Elliott, is nearing completion. Their
report will be submitted to the Science Council and the CGIAR
Secretariat. Such a study was initially proposed at ExCo 10 (May
2006), in an effort to draw lessons from the review process and to
ensure that EPMR reports are used effectively. At AGM06, the Group
supported the proposed analysis. Eleven EPMRS conducted over the
past three years were selected for analysis. The Centers concerned
are Bioversity International, CIMMYT, CIFOR, ICARDA, ICRISAT,
IFPRI, ILRI, IRRI, IWMI, World Agroforestry Center, and WorldFish
Center. The study team's terms of reference were to:
- identify from the (EPMR) reports common program, governance,
management, and finance issues that have System-level
significance;
- derive lessons from the reports and commentaries that have
System-wide implications;
- report on the overall quality, content and comparability of the
EPMRs; and
- assess the process used to conduct EPMRs and follow up on EPMR
recommendations, so that the process can be streamlined and made
more effective and efficient.
The experts' report will be presented to ExCo after it has
been reviewed by the Science Council and CGIAR Secretariat.
New DG for IWMI
IWMI's Board of Governors has appointed Colin John Chartres
as the Center's next Director General (succeeding Frank
Rijsberman). He will assume duties in September. Colin Chartres
holds dual Australian/British nationality. He is currently the
Chief Science Adviser of Australia's National Water Commission.
Prior to that he held a number of senior positions in
Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Research Organization
(CSIRO), the University of New South Wales, the Australian
Geological Survey Organization, and the Bureau of Rural Sciences in
Australia's Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.
He earned his PhD at the University of Reading, UK.
Performance Measurement
The CGIAR Performance Measurement (PM) results for 2006 are now
available. They reflect another productive year at the Centers. The
PM system measures Center performance in terms of outputs, outcome,
and impact; and monitors the ability of Centers to continue to
perform effectively in the future by assessing the quality and
relevance of their current research as well as their institutional
and financial health. A third component of the PM system aims at
understanding stakeholder perceptions among CGIAR Members and
Center partners. The results of a comprehensive survey of
stakeholder perceptions conducted in 2006 by an independent group,
GlobeScan, Inc., are reflected in the PM results. This year's
PM results, as well as those of the preceding year, may be accessed
at the CGIAR web site for Members only.
IFPRI: Writing Contest for Youth
IFPRI is organizing its third writing contest for youth, in
conjunction with its 2020 Vision conference to be held later this
year in Beijing. Young people in the age group 14-18 from around
the world are invited to use their writing skills, knowledge, and
imagination to produce an essay, short story, poem, open letter to
a national leader, short play, or other text of no more than 2000
words on the subject:
How we can make poverty and
hunger problems of the past in all nations across the
globe
. August 1 is the deadline for submission of
entries, which should be typed in English. Please see http://www.ifpri.org/2020chinaconference/chconfcontest.asp,
the IFPRI web site, for more details.
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Stengthening Partnerships
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CGIAR Annual Report
In keeping with the CGIAR System's emphasis on partnerships,
the overall theme of the CGIAR Annual Report 2006 is "A Focus
on Partnerships for Effective Research." The extent of
collaboration between CGIAR-supported Centers and numerous partners
is the centerpiece of this Annual Report. Vignettes from the
Centers cover productivity research, natural resources management
and policy. The information provided demonstrates how far the CGIAR
System has progressed in strengthening productive partnerships. The
Annual Report will be available at the end of July.
Challenge Programs
ExCo has recommended to the CGIAR that three out of the five
Cycle 2 Challenge Program concept notes endorsed by the Science
Council should be advanced to the pre-proposal stage. A total of 41
concept notes were received for Cycle 2, and they were all
evaluated by the Science Council. The three recommended by ExCo for
development as pre-proposals are:
- 1. Climate Change, Agriculture, and Food Security;
- 2. High-value Crops - Fruits and Vegetables; and
- 3. Combating Desertification (Dryland Degradation).
A call for pre-proposals based on these concept notes will be
made, following their endorsement by the CGIAR. The pre-proposals
will be developed in a transparent and competitive process, in full
accordance with the CGIAR-approved process and guidelines, with the
emphasis on "opening up" the System through collaboration
with partners. For more information on the guidelines, please visit
http://www.cgiar.org/pdf/cp_cycle2_process&guidelines.pdf.
Meanwhile, two of the Cycle 1 Challenge Programs -- "Harvest
Plus" and "Water and Food" -- are being externally
reviewed, and a review of the "Generation" Challenge
Program will commence in November.
Update on CSO-CGIAR Linkages
CGIAR linkages with CSOs are being strengthened on several
fronts, so that the full potential of CSO-CGIAR collaboration could
be realized. Highlights of these activities include the
following:
- Development of a CSO-CGIAR Work Plan with provision for
strengthening existing mechanisms, as well as creating new and
inventive mechanisms for increased engagement. This follows up on
the earlier "Strategic Framework for Engagement between the
CGIAR and CSOs";
- Continuing research collaboration between CGIAR-supported
Centers and CSOs. Some 1000 CSOs (i.e. including academic
organizations) work with the 15 Centers and the four Phase 1
Challenge Programs;
- Plans for a virtual conversation that will draw out views on
the research interests of CSOs;
- The Competitive Grants Program, which is moving along
well.
A four-member external panel has selected 14 outstanding concept
notes submitted under the Competitive Grants Program, and their
proponents have been invited to submit full proposals to the CGIAR.
From four to 10 proposals are likely to be funded, on the basis of
a review by an external panel. Funding of US$1 million is being
made available for the pilot phase of this program by the World
Bank, USA, UK, and Norway. (The 14 outstanding concept notes are
listed at http://www.cgiar.org/csos/cso_cgiar_grant_program.html.)
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Outreach
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Climate Change Campaign
The CGIAR Communications Campaign on "Agriculture and
Global Climate Change" which began in December 2006 is now in
full swing. The campaign, organized by the CGIAR Marketing Group
and the CGIAR Secretariat, coincides with a growing international
consensus that climate change issues require high priority on the
global research and development agenda. The CGIAR campaign seeks to
create public awareness of how agricultural research conducted by
CGIAR Centers can help the world respond to the threat of global
warming. A key instrument of this campaign is a climate change
briefing kit, available on-line as well as in published form. The
kit consists of five separate publications which present an
overview of CGIAR-supported research related to climate change. The
briefing kit will be used to brief journalists and other
participants in major conferences on climate change over the next
year or more. To view the kit on-line, please see http://www.cgiar.org/impact/global/climate.html.
A major recent result of the campaign has been extensive media
use of information released on the "International Day for
Biological Diversity" (May 22) on CGIAR research dealing with
biodiversity and climate change. The information outlined the
expected consequences for wild species related to cowpea, peanut,
and potato. This effort was coordinated by the CGIAR Secretariat
with Bioversity International and CIAT. Other highlights of the
campaign will include media workshops in Nairobi (September) and
face-to-face or conference call briefings for journalists to
coincide with the publication (October) of a special issue of the
journal "Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment"
featuring several articles on climate change by CGIAR scientists. A
special public awareness effort will be made at the 13th Conference
of the Parties (COP13) to the Kyoto Protocol to be held in Bali,
Indonesia (December).
Science is News
The CGIAR Media Unit supported by the CGIAR Secretariat
organized a two and a half-day "story development
workshop" in May. The event took place mostly at ICRAF
headquarters, with a half-day session at ILRI. Seventeen
participants from 10 Centers attended. The overall goal of the
workshop was to heighten the profile, in national and international
media, of the important work the CGIAR is doing in Africa. To reach
this goal, the workshop set itself three tasks:
- Identify for media promotion newsworthy story ideas about
scientific developments at the CGIAR Centers, in collaboration with
Center communications staff;
- Enhance the skills of Center communicators in evaluating the
newsworthiness of story ideas, in developing effective news
releases and in promoting these with the media;
- Build relationships of confidence and thus strengthen the
network of communicators in the CGIAR to provide a solid basis for
collaborative and collective approaches to working with the
media.
The workshop enabled participants to develop at least five
strong story ideas and a concrete plan for follow-up. Moreover, the
event helped to strengthen relationships among CGIAR communicators.
Even before the workshop ended, some participants were already
suggesting that the workshop should be an annual event. The final
half-day session provided an opportunity for participants to
discuss the communications efforts of the CGIAR Secretariat and the
various ways in which its Communications Team can collaborate with
the Centers in several areas including publications, international
events and theme-based communications campaigns.
CGIAR at FARA
The CGIAR Secretariat and CGIAR Marketing Group organized a
CGIAR mega-booth at the Sandton Exhibition Hall during FARA's
general assembly from June 10 - June 16, 2007 in Johannesburg,
South Africa. The General Assembly was combined with FARA's
fourth Agricultural Science Week. The theme of the event was
" Promoting the productivity and
competitiveness of African agriculture in a global economy."
The CGIAR booth displayed a suite of panels depicting CGIAR work
across Africa. CGIAR Centers exhibited their recent publications
focusing on Africa. An ILRI staff member served as booth manager
and was on site to respond to questions from participants in the
General Assembly and distinguished guests.
Working with Others
The annual Steering Committee meeting of the "Alliance for
Communicators for Sustainable Development" (COM+) held in
London on June 11-12 had several outcomes of direct benefit and
interest to the CGIAR, as explained below.
- The CGIAR proposal for a COM+ Award that recognizes excellence
in the field of communications was very well received. Further
dialogue with COM+ partners will determine detailed criteria for
the award, identify a selection panel, and consider how best to
reach a broad audience when seeking nominations.
- CGIAR's commitment to Tierramerica (a program that produces
weekly stories on environment and sustainable development published
in leading national newspapers in Latin America - see http://www.tierramerica.net) was
welcomed.
- Strong interest was shown in collaboration between the CGIAR
and other COM+ members, such as Reuters Foundation and the
International Federation of Environmental Journalists, in media
training programs currently planned by the Marketing Group and the
CGIAR Secretariat to be held in Beijing and Nairobi.
COM+ is a partnership among international organizations, media
agencies and communication professionals committed to using
communications to advance the sustainable development agenda.
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IFAR 2007 Awards
Thirteen promising scientists from developing countries are
recipients of the 2007 IFAR small grants fellowships. Each will
receive a grant of USUS$11,000 from IFAR to build their skills
through cutting-edge agricultural research. Among the grants are
the Wilfried Thalwitz Memorial Scholarship, established in memory
of CGIAR Chairman Wilfried Thalwitz by his family, and the Ravi
Tadvalkar Memorial Scholarship, which is awarded to the youngest
female scientist among each year's IFAR grant recipients.
Announcing the awards, IFAR Board Member Ruth Haug ( Norway) said
that for the 2007 awards, 34 applications representing 10 countries
in Africa and East, South and Central Asia were received through
CGIAR Centers, and all submissions were evaluated by an
international panel of experts whose recommendations were endorsed
by IFAR's Board of Directors. The grant recipients are from
Bangladesh (2), China, Ethiopia, Georgia, Ghana, India, Kenya (2),
Senegal and Uzbekistan (3). Madina Khalmirzaeva, winner of the
Wilfried Thalwitz Memorial Scholarship, and Saidakhon Shadmanova,
winner of the Ravi Tadvalkar Memorial Scholarship, are both from
Uzbekistan. For full details including the names of all 2007
winners, their research topics, and their sponsoring CGIAR Centers,
please see http://www.ifar4dev.org/pdf/2007_ifar_release_final.pdf.
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