CGIAR Secretariat

Key Accomplishments in 2006

The following are key accomplishments by the CGIAR Secretariat in 2006, some of which were planned and implemented in close collaboration with other System Office units.

Supporting the CGIAR in Strengthening Partnerships. One core activity of the CGIAR Secretariat is providing support to the CGIAR and its Executive Council (ExCo). The CGIAR Secretariat also supported a number of initiatives to strengthen partnerships both within the CGIAR System and beyond.

• Member Coordination Forum . During the Annual General Meeting 2006 (AGM06), hosted by the World Bank in Washington, DC, the CGIAR Secretariat organized the Member Coordination Forum in consultation with the ExCo Ad Hoc Committee on Funding System Priorities. The forum aimed to facilitate the voluntary sharing of information on Members' funding policies, discuss the challenges and opportunities of funding System Priorities, and explore possibilities for improving harmonization in the evaluation of System requirements.
• Stakeholder Perception Survey. In connection with the CGIAR Performance Measurement System, the CGIAR Secretariat commissioned GlobeScan Inc., a global public opinion and stakeholder research firm, to study the perceptions of its key stakeholder groups, namely CGIAR Members and Center partners. Results were shared with Centers and presented to the CGIAR during AGM06.
• "Hybrid Intellectual Property Regimes in Agriculture" - In collaboration with the Science Council, CAS-IP, the CGIAR Secretariat organized a multi-stakeholder dialogue on hybrid intellectual property regimes in Agriculture (held in Washington DC). Participants attending the workshop included representatives of the private sector, the civil society sector, the World Bank, Centers and the System Office.
• France-CGIAR Partnership . A high-level roundtable dialogue with French research institutions was held on the sidelines of the ExCo meeting in Paris in October 2006. As a result, a new France-CGIAR partnership agreement was signed. In addition, the book "France and the CGIAR" was published, highlighting some of the collaborative research between France and the CGIAR.

Expanding the Dialogue with Civil Society Organizations (CSOs): "Virtual Conversation", CSO-CGIAR Forum and Innovation Marketplace at AGM 06

Supporting the implementation of the CGIAR's strategy to engage civil society organizations (CSOs), the CGIAR Secretariat organized, in collaboration with other SO units (notably the Chief Information Office, Science Council Secretariat and Alliance Office) various events in connection with AGM06 held in Washington, DC. These events - the virtual conversation, Innovation Marketplace and Civil Society-CGIAR Forum - gave rise to a constructive dialogue among CGIAR stakeholders that is expected to help facilitate steady improvement in CSO engagement.

• In the lead-up to AGM06, interested CSOs and CGIAR colleagues had the opportunity to take part in the CSO-CGIAR virtual conversation. The main purpose of this facilitated online discussion was for participants to get to know one another better and learn about their wide range of collaborative experiences, thereby enhancing CSO-CGIAR engagement.
• In 2006, the CGIAR Secretariat organized another installment of its Innovation Marketplace - this time to acknowledge and learn from innovative collaboration between CSOs and the CGIAR. Forty-six CSO partners were invited to attend AGM06 and present posters to share their collaborative experiences. Four of the participating CSOs received CGIAR awards, each with a cash prize of US$30,000 to fund further collaborative work.
• The CGIAR held its first-ever Civil Society-CGIAR Forum at AGM06. Attended by more than 100 CSO representatives, the event featured a series of lively group discussions aiming to identify lessons learned and new avenues for improved collaboration, drawing on the experience of nearly 50 current CSO-CGIAR partnerships. The results were presented to the Business Meeting at AGM06.

Communications and Resource Mobilization Highlights. The CGIAR Secretariat engaged in a wide range of collaborative activities aiming to enhance relationships with key CGIAR stakeholders through effective communications and resource mobilization. Listed below are some highlights of this work:

• High-level briefings organized in Belgium, China, France and Netherlands fostered dialogue among key decision makers and opinion leaders. Publications, displays and other materials were developed collaboratively for these events.
• A CGIAR presence was established at partners' major international events, including the Conference to the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in Brazil, Annual Meeting of the Asian Development Bank in India, and Africa Fertilizer Summit in Nigeria.
• A communications campaign centering on CGIAR efforts to combat desertification drew upon the talents of communicators in various Centers. A comprehensive briefing package and attractive display, were developed and used to increase CGIAR profile at events in India, Kenya, Niger and Tunisia.
• The annual meeting of the Marketing Group (comprising resource mobilization and communications professionals from Centers, Challenge Programs and CGIAR Secretariat ) took place in Nairobi. The meeting reviewed 2006 activities and produced a targeted work plan for 2007, which includes a major communications campaign on CGIAR efforts to help agriculture cope with global climate change.
• More than a dozen CGIAR publications were developed collaboratively, translated and distributed, including the CGIAR Annual Report, a brochure on Center genebanks and a major report on French-CGIAR collaborative research.
• The new Media Unit was established in the System Office to promote and publicize CGIAR research-for-development activities and to build effective working relations with national and international journalists. A media specialist was recruited in midyear, followed by the development of a strategy and work plan. A highlight was the substantial media coverage of the preliminary release in Stockholm of the Comprehensive Assessment on Water Management in Agriculture.