Key Accomplishments in 2006

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

Monitoring and Evaluation. In collaboration with the CGIAR Secretariat and the Alliance Office, the SC Secretariat supported the implementation of four Center external program and management reviews and, three Challenge Program external reviews. This placed all Centers back on the standard 5-year review cycle. Also supported in 2006 were the evaluations of the CGIAR Systemwide and ecoregional programs, external meta-evaluation, and external evaluation of participatory research and gender analysis. The SC Secretariat also worked closely with the Standing Panel on Monitoring and Evaluation in their effort to streamline medium-term plans while improving their utility to Centers and the System. Furthermore, a meta-study on external program and management reviews over the past 3 years was underway; once completed, it will highlight areas that need improvement and ways of streamlining components in the system of monitoring and evaluation.

Impact Assessment.

As impact-assessment indicators for the PM system are improved and new impact-assessment studies are commissioned by the SC, the SC Secretariat supports several of these activities. For example, in response to feedback received from impact-assessment focal points and the Alliance, and drawing on lessons learned from last year's exercise, the Standing Panel on Impact Assessment redesigned the impact indicator to make the assessment more simple, objective and transparent. A meeting of impact-assessment focal points in October allowed them to discuss methodologies and impact-assessment challenges in the CGIAR.

Collaboration with Other System Office Units

Activities within the System Office included the SC Secretariat's involvement in improving the system of monitoring and evaluating the CGIAR System as a whole. This was done in collaboration with the CGIAR Secretariat and the Alliance Office. The SC Secretariat also supported the development and implementation of the CGIAR performance measurement (PM) system, including the further development of a mechanism for verifying Center performance measures.

Another key collaborative activity was the SC Secretariat's support for finalizing CGIAR priorities and their ongoing implementation. The SC led the development of four system priorities and provided support to Alliance-initiated implementation efforts. Two system priorities continue to be pursued as CP pre-proposals, now under the leadership of the Alliance Office.