Assurance & Oversights functions
CGIAR has a deep commitment to partnership, transparency and accountability. This is reflected in the CGIAR governance structure which focuses on enabling CGIAR’s Research Centers and Partners to conduct high-quality research for development based on a solid foundation of clearly defined roles, responsibilities and accountabilities.
Partnership, transparency and accountability is a priority across all CGIAR activities. For example:
- CGIAR is committed to Open Access and Open Data, with all 15 Research Centers signing on to the Open Access and Data Management Policy in 2013
- CGIAR works in accordance with a range of policy and guidance documents that set the overall environment for the system and how it operates
- CGIAR receives advice from a range of advisory services which help to provide accountability, contribute to system-wide learning and support decision making
- CGIAR management of intellectual assets works towards maximizing global accessibility and impact of CGIAR research.
- CGIAR publishes system-wide grant data to the International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI) Standard.
In 2018, the Chairs of CGIAR’s Audit Committees agreed to commission a single firm to carry out an External Quality Assessment (‘EQA’) of all Center Internal Audit services. That work was overseen by the CGIAR System Internal Audit Function, and a copy of the Executive Summary of the Consolidated Report was shared with the System Management Board and its Audit and Risk Committee in April 2019.
In 2018, CGIAR developed an annual ‘CGIAR Integrity Report’, providing summarized analysis on financial irregularity matters reported to the System Organization.
IAES
Independent Advisory and Evaluation Service (IAES)
CGIAR’s Independent Advisory and Evaluation Service (IAES) provides operational support as the secretariat for the Independent Science for Development Council (ISDC) and the Standing Panel on Impact Assessment (SPIA), and implements CGIAR’s multi-year, independent evaluation plan as approved by the System Council. The IAES and the two independent bodies it supports, provide external, impartial, and expert advice related to strategy and positioning, program evaluation, and impact assessment.
CGIAR Independent Advisory and Evaluation Service (IAES) Team
| Allison Grove Smith | Director |
| Amy R. Beaudreault | Lead, ISDC Secretariat |
| Svetlana Negroustoueva | Evaluation Function Lead, IAES |
| Ira Vater | Senior Manager, SPIA Program Management Unit |
| Domagoj Vrbos | Senior Manager, Operations and Events, IAES & ISDC Secretariat |
| Mae Maghirang | Budget and Finance Specialist |
| Agnes Fojta | Administration and Coordination Assistant |
| Ibtissem Jouini | Senior Evaluation Manager |
| Swetha Ramachandran | Senior Officer, SPIA Use of Evidence |
| Evan Tan | Associate Officer, Communications & Knowledge Management |
ISDC
Independent Science for Development Council (ISDC)
The ISDC provides its advice within the broader context of CGIAR’s Strategy and Results Framework (‘SRF’), and successive multi-year CGIAR Business Plans approved by the System Council upon the recommendation of the System Board. Guided by terms of reference approved by the System Council, the ISDC has a mandate for:
- Foresight work to inform CGIAR’s longer term research strategy;
- Horizon scanning to provide analysis on how emerging trends and developments can be taken into account in CGIAR’s work;
- Priority setting exercises and analyses integrating both ex-post and ex-ante analyses;
- Guidance for periodic proposal assessment processes; and
- Other functions, on the strategic direction of CGIAR and the value of its research agenda.
ISDC Council Members and main affiliations
| Lesley Torrance ISDC Chair | Honorary Fellow at the James Hutton Institute and Emeritus Professor of Biology at the University of St Andrews, UK |
| Nompumelelo H. Obokoh ISDC Vice Chair | Chairperson, Board of the National Research Foundation (NRF), South Africa |
| Ingrid Fromm ISDC Member | Research Associate and lecturer in International Agriculture at the Bern University of Applied Sciences, School of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences, Zollikofen, Switzerland |
| Magali Garcia ISDC Member | Professor Emeritus, Universidad Mayor de San Andres, Bolivia |
| David R. Just ISDC Member | Susan Eckert Lynch Professor of Science and Business, Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, Cornell University, USA |
| Erin Lentz ISDC Member | Associate professor at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas, Austin, USA |
| Bhavani Shankar ISDC Member (Term starts 2026) | Professor and Co-Director at the Institute for Sustainable Food, University of Sheffield, UK |
| Glenn Fitzgerald ISDC Member (Term starts 2026) | Honorary Principal Fellow, The University of Melbourne, Australia |
See the Terms of Reference for the Nominations Panel for appointment process of ISDC Chair and Members
See the Terms of Reference for the ISDC Chair
See the Terms of Reference for the ISDC Vice Chair
See the relevant section on the Independent Advisory and Evaluation Service website for further information.
SPIA
Standing Panel on Impact Assessment (SPIA)
SPIA is an external, impartial standing panel of experts in impact assessment subject matters appointed by the System Council and accountable to it. Within the context of the CGIAR System, operating according to multi-year CGIAR Business Plans to increase coherence and alignment in CGIAR’s delivery against it Strategy and Results Framework (‘SRF’), and guided by terms of reference approved by the System Council, SPIA is responsible for providing rigorous, evidence-based and independent strategic advice to the CGIAR System on:
- Efficient and effective impact assessment methods and practices, including those measuring impacts beyond contribution to science and economic performance; and
- On innovative ways to improve knowledge and capacity on how research contributes to development outcomes
SPIA Panel
| Travis Lybbert SPIA Chair | Professor of Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of California Davis, USA |
| Kyle Emerick SPIA Member | Associate Professor in Economics, Tufts University, USA |
| Sujata Visaria SPIA Member | Reader, Bayes Business School, City, University of London; Associate Professor of Economics, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong SAR |
| Monica Biradavolu SPIA Member | CEO and founder of QualAnalytics |
| Susan Godlonton SPIA Member | Associate Professor of Economics at Williams College, USA |
| Jenny Aker SPIA Member | Daniel G. Sisler Professor of Development Economics at Cornell University |
| Jennifer Burney SPIA Member | Professor & Marshall Saunders Chancellor’s Endowed Chair of Climate Policy and Research, School of Global Policy & Strategy, University of California, San Diego, USA |
| Robert Darko Osei SPIA Member | Professor of Development Economics, Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER), University of Ghana, Legon |
| Shilpa Aggarwal SPIA Member | Associate Professor of Economics and Public Policy, Indian School of Business |
Useful Documents
- 2024 Plan Approval: Independent Advisory and Evaluation Service & Supported Independent Bodies
- 2024 Consolidated Technical and Financial Report for Independent Advisory and Evaluation Service (IAES), Independent Science for Development Council (ISDC), and Standing Panel on Impact Assessment (SPIA)
- Terms of Reference for IAES, SPIA and ISDC
- Terms of Reference: System Council Strategic Impact, Monitoring & Evaluation Committee
Ethics
Audit
Vision
We are an integrated, digitally enabled, innovative, and trusted partner supporting CGIAR institutions to deliver impact through value-adding assurance and advice.
How we work
The CGIAR Internal Audit function provides support to CGIAR governing bodies and management in responsibly managing CGIAR resources in an efficient manner. By offering independent, risk-based, and objective advice, in addition to insight and foresight, we fortify CGIAR’s ability to create, safeguard and maintain value.
Internal Audit is accountable to the Integrated Partnership Board via the Partnership Audit, Finance and Risk Committee (P-AFRC). Center/Alliance Internal Audit teams report functionally to their respective Center/Alliance Boards via the Center Audit, Finance, and Risk Committees (AFRC). The Heads of Internal Audit report administratively to their respective Directorate General/Executive Director. The Internal Audit teams work in conjunction with one another as a community of practice, headed by the Chief Audit Executive a.i., with assistance from Internal Audit Support Services.
The quality of our work is underpinned by conformance with the International Internal Auditing Standards.
The team
The team has extensive experience and training on internal auditing, risk assurance, fraud examinations, IT auditing, and more.
| CGIAR | Madina Bazarova CGIAR Chief Audit Executive, a.i. Elbert Hidding CGIAR Internal Audit Support Service |
| AfricaRice and IITA | Takawira Fumhe Head of Internal Audit |
| Alliance Bioversity/CIAT, CIP, IFPRI | Richard Kocik Director of Internal Audit |
| CIMMYT | Vacant |
| ICARDA | Antonio Villamor Head of Internal Audit |
| ILRI | Frederick Gathogo Head of Internal Audit |
| IRRI, IWMI, WorldFish and System Organization | Madina Bazarova Head of Internal Audit |
Our work plan
Our annual work plans respond to key CGIAR and Center risks and are approved by the AFRC. The 2024 work plan includes three types of audits:
- Strategic audits: Offering foresight and supporting strategic decision-making.
- Thematic audits: Responding to risks across CGIAR Centers.
- Center-specific audits: Focusing on Center strategic and operational risks, building on the high-level use of data analytics to test the effect of key controls.