Gender and Diversity Program (G&D)

Key achievements in 2003

All 16 Future Harvest Centers participated individually in Gender and Diversity (G&D) activities and services in 2003. Many involved the continuation of organizational change activities initiated in 2002 with activities covering recruitment and training as well as organizational culture.

Systemwide, G&D's 2003 work focused on four strategic topics: (1) adapting innovative methods and tools for helping the CGIAR fully leverage diversity while working with complex collaborations and partnerships; (2) designing and developing programs to provide Centers with critical knowledge relevant to their most pressing diversity issues, such as the mentoring program for junior scientists; (3) mainstreaming diversity-positive strategies and resources into the functions of the CGAIR Boards of Trustees; and (4) monitoring the system's progress in achieving its goals for gender and diversity balance in staffing;

G&D underwent its first external review in 2003, its fourth year of operation. In addition to focusing on systemwide G&D activities, extensive contributions and documentation for the review was provided.

With a budget of US$600,000, the following activities were implemented or continued during 2003.

1. Research to Identify Best G&D Practices
Working with Diversity in Collaborations. Tips and Tools (G&D working paper no.39). Produced in collaboration with the CGIAR Organizational Change Program, this guide reviews the basics for good diversity work, the key elements of collaboration, and how working with diversity can strengthen collaborative efforts. Included are 11 practical tools for working with multicultural teams, partnerships, collaborations and challenge programs. The working paper is also available in Spanish and Arabic.

2. Design and Support to Center - Level G&D Activities
G&D's Pilot Mentoring Program for Young Scientists. The Mentoring Program was launched in 2003 with the excellent participation of ICRAF, CIAT, CIFOR and IWMI. More than 100 CGIAR scientists participated in the pilot phase of the program. Given the inevitable diversity between the mentors and mentees, the training and materials produced for the program by G&D put special emphasis on cross-culture-personality-gender-race communications. With each participating Center, G&D has: (a) identified a pair of staff members to serve as mentoring program co-coordinators; (b) helped coordinators identify mentors and mentees and make appropriate matches; (c) produced a series of guidelines designed individually for the coordinators, mentors and mentees, and (d) conducted a two-day launch workshop in each participating Center, incorporating a number of relevant diversity tools to prepare mentors and mentees for their new relationships. Follow-up includes G&D's new "Monthly Mentoring News" and special sessions for new participants.

3. Build Internal Staff Capacities for G&D

• G&D's Online Course for High Performing Research Teams. G&D conducted a special three-week session for the management team of the Food and Water Challenge Program.
  
• Monitoring and Evaluating Diversity Goals and Achievements: Guidelines and Tools for CGIAR Boards of Trustees (G&D working paper no. 41). Produced at the request of the CGIAR Committee of Board Chairs, these guidelines address the Boards' roles in diversity issues with respect to executive recruitment and executive performance evaluation, monitoring Center recruitment and retention trends, organizational change efforts and diversity in Board memberships.

In addition, G&D undertook a systemwide HR Survey and published the results as a working paper "First the Good News…Staffing in the CGIAR, 2003" (G&D working paper no. 40). This paper is the latest in a series designed to provide feedback and data to senior management for assessing how well the CGIAR is meeting its goals for gender balance and diversity in its workforce. It is based on the results of the G&D's 2003 system-wide human resources survey. One of the most positive messages of this report is that the CGIAR is doing well in ensuring diversity across its workforce in which 58 percent of all scientists and 45 percent of management are from developing countries. The situation relating to gender balance is, in contrast, disappointing. Only 20 percent of the scientist positions and 9 percent of the Center management positions were filled by women in 2003. A special summary report was provided to the CGIAR's Executive Council.

G&D in collaboration with other SO units in 2003

• G&D and the CGIAR Secretariat collaborated in order to calibrate the G&D database with the Secretariat's and to contribute to the design of a systemwide leadership development program (in process).
  
• G&D and the CGIAR Program for Information and Communication Technology and Knowledge Management (ICT/KM) - G&D serves on the Advisory Group of the new ICT/KM Program as representative of the System Office (SO) and to provide online ICT/KM cybrary and discussion space for SO unit heads on the G&D Website.
  
• G&D and the newly established Strategic Advisory Service on Human Resources (SAS-HR) - G&D contributed to the preparation of two SAS-HR planning workshops to be held in 2004 at CIMMYT and IWMI, aiming at the development of service initiatives by SAS-HR. Further close collaboration during the implementation of SAS-HR service offerings is anticipated.