A Global Agricultural Research Partnership

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Central Advisory Service
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CGIAR Secretariat
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Stategic Planning and Development
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Communication and Resource Mobilization
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Financial Summary

CGIAR Secretariat

Key Achievements in 2005

Support to the CGIAR: Governance, Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E), and Financial Administration

In 2005, the CGIAR Secretariat (the Secretariat) provided continued support to the two main organs of the CGIAR, the Group and its Executive Council (ExCo). The Secretariat also supported several initiatives to further improve governance and transparency in the CGIAR, including enhancing the financial administration systems.

Governance :

  • CGIAR nominee process. In collaboration with the Committee of Center Board Chairs, the CGIAR Secretariat developed an improved process for identifying and nominating CGIAR nominees to Center Boards. The first two piloting cycles have been completed. The Secretariat has been supporting the ExCo Ad Hoc Committee on CGIAR Nominees and Center Boards during the identification and selection process. Initial lessons were drawn from the first cycle and shared at the September ExCo meeting. During the first two cycles, 11 new CGIAR nominees were selected and then appointed by the Boards.
  • CGIAR review of total compensation. The CGIAR review of total compensation, commissioned by the CGIAR and facilitated by the Secretariat, has been completed. Results were shared with Centers and members.
  • Support to the CGIAR Sub-Sahara Africa (SSA) task forces on structural and programmatic alignment, and monitoring of follow-up actions. The Secretariat facilitated the work of the CGIAR Sub-Sahara Africa Task Force on structural and programmatic alignment, which submitted its report to ExCo in May 2005. Since then, the Secretariat has been supporting the task force and monitoring the implementation of ExCo recommendations on structural and programmatic alignment in the region, including the provision of legal advice on the alignment of Center governance of WARDA and IITA
  • Annual General Meeting and ExCo. The Secretariat continued to provide support to CGIAR's governance organs. The ExCo met twice, in Berlin and in Stockholm. The CGIAR Annual General Meeting (AGM), which attracted more than 800 participants, was held in Marrakech, Morocco, in December 2005.

Monitoring and Evaluation:

  • Pilot of the CGIAR Performance Measurement System. The CGIAR Secretariat, in collaboration with the SC Secretariat, facilitated the piloting of the new CGIAR Performance Measurement System, including online data collection and the drawing of lessons from the exercise. The piloting was completed in 2005.
  • Stripe Review of Center Governance. Commissioned by the Committee of Center Board Chairs/ Alliance Board (CBC/AB) with support from the CGIAR Secretariat, the Stripe Review of Center Governance (SRCG) was initiated with the review panel's first meeting in Washington, DC, in September 2005. Information-gathering activities (i.e., surveys, stakeholder interviews, and review of relevant documents) took place during the ensuing months, and preliminary results were discussed at the panel's meeting at the AGM. The SRCG report was prepared and has been submitted to the CBC (AB) and CGIAR Secretariat in March 2006. The CBC will discuss the review findings and recommendations at its April meeting.

Financial Administration

Support in the area of financial administration included the establishment of a new Multi-Donor Trust Fund (MDTF), negotiated with the World Bank, and new trust fund agreements with members were prepared. The goal was to streamline member fund disbursements. The MDTF disbursed a total of about US$172 million, including US$50 million from the World Bank. In addition, the CGIAR Secretariat continued to coordinate systemwide financial planning and reporting to ExCo and the CGIAR.

Strengthening the Relationship with Civil Society Organizations and the Private Sector

In the past year, the CGIAR Secretariat has put major efforts into strengthening the relationship of the CGIAR with civil society organizations (CSOs) and the private sector, including the following efforts:

  • New strategic framework for strengthening CGIAR engagement with CSO. The paper "Towards a Strategic Framework for Engagement Between the CGIAR and Civil Society Organisations" was prepared by the CGIAR Secretariat and subsequently shared and discussed with ExCo and the CGIAR at the AGM.
  • Launch of the Scientific Knowledge Exchange Program (SKEP) between the CGIAR and the private sector. A first exchange between IFPRI and Bayer CropScience took place in 2005.
  • High-level CGIAR-private sector meeting in Washington, DC, September 30, 2005. Among the participants were the CGIAR Chairman, the CGIAR Director, seven Center Directors, and business leaders from the private sector, including Bayer CropScience, Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Syngenta, Monsanto, and Emergent Genetics.

Both SKEP and the high-level meeting were prepared and implemented in close collaboration with Centers and FHAO.

Strengthening the Communications and Resource Mobilization Functions: 2005 Progress Report

In keeping with the strategic objective of working collaboratively to strengthen communications and resource mobilization activities across the CGIAR system, a range of new initiatives and activities was launched during 2005. Beginning with a substantive briefing for the executive directors of the World Bank Group, the Communications Team collaborated with partners in organizing high-level briefings, seminars, and exhibits involving important stakeholders, including member countries (e.g., China, Japan, Switzerland, and Sweden), Centers (Centers and Members Day at the AGM), private sector entities, Group of 77 countries, and parliamentarians. Communication support was provided for high-profile events, such as the "Fish for All" Summit held in Abuja, Nigeria; the G-8 and the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) meeting in Accra, Ghana; the European Forum of the World Bank; the FARA General Assembly, Uganda; the World Bank Development Marketplace; and the Youth Platform for Agricultural Research and Development.

All of these activities were conducted collaboratively with CGIAR Centers, Members, Challenge Programs, the ICT-KM Program, and the Global Forum on Agricultural Research. More than 12 publications (including the Annual Report, CGIAR News, and e-CGIAR News) were produced, translated, and distributed at the various events, helping to raise CGIAR's profile. At the Annual Meeting of the Marketing Group at the AGM, a forward-looking work plan for 2006 was developed. Two media workshops for Asian journalists and journalist from Central and West Asia and North Africa (CWANA) took place. A special effort to provide communication support to the SC was initiated, and three excellent SC briefs were printed and distributed. The CGIAR Secretariat, in cooperation with seven CGIAR Centers, agreed to create a new Media Unit in the SO; recruitment of a media specialist to be based at ILRI, Nairobi, is underway.

Collaboration with Other SO Units

In its role as a partner, sponsor, and client to other SO units, the CGIAR Secretariat is involved in several collaborative activities across SO units. Highlights include the following activities:

  • The SC Secretariat and IAU have been collaborating with the CGIAR Secretariat in piloting the new Performance Measurement (PM) System and verifying some of the reported data. A paper describing lessons learned from the pilot was jointly drafted for ExCo consideration.
  • Traditionally, the SC Secretariat and the CGIAR Secretariat collaborate on matters of external Center reviews and the consolidation of CGIAR Center medium-term plans. In 2005, the IFPRI External Programme and Management Review (EPMR) and the CIMMYT EPMR were conducted jointly, and the 2005 CGIAR medium-term plan subsequently prepared. The CIFOR, World Agroforestry Center, and WorldFish EPMR were initiated.
  • The FHAO and CGIAR Secretariat closely collaborated with the private sector on development of the SKEP and organizing the CGIAR-private sector high-level meeting in September 2005.
  • The IAU, CIO, and G&D have been collaborating with the CGIAR Secretariat in its role as sponsor and client to both units. In practice, this collaboration entailed provision of financial and strategic guidance to the three units. A CGIAR Secretariat representative continues to serve on the IAU Board of Sponsors.

The Secretariat, guided by the SO Steering Committee, has been taking the lead in coordinating SO functioning. Activities included an SO Planning Workshop (October 2005), a new Integrated Operating Plan for 2005, and the 2004 Annual Report. The activities involved continual communication and consultation.