CGIAR Representation in the IPCC AR7 Grows Significantly

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CGIAR’s participation in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has expanded markedly in the Seventh Assessment Report (AR7) cycle. In AR7, a total of 13 scientists from CGIAR centers have been selected as IPCC authors , a substantial increase from the 5 CGIAR scientists who served as authors in the Sixth Assessment Report (AR6). This growth in representation shows CGIAR’s growing role in global climate science and policy dialogues. 

AR7 Nominees and Selected Authors 

Earlier in the AR7 cycle, CGIAR Climate Impact Platform on behalf of CGIAR coordinated the nomination of  39 CGIAR  experts for consideration as IPCC authors (30 scientists from CGIAR centers and 9 from partner institutions). Out of these nominees, 13 CGIAR center scientists were appointed by the IPCC Bureau as Coordinating Lead Authors (CLAs) or Lead Authors (LAs). This represents a selection rate of about 33% (13 out of 39), a notable achievement given the highly competitive nomination pool (the IPCC Bureau selected 664 experts out of 3,771 global nominees for AR7. The distribution of CGIAR’s AR7 nominations across working groups was as follows: 

  • Working Group I (Physical Science Basis): 4 nominations 
  • Working Group II (Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability): 29 nominations 
  • Working Group III (Mitigation of Climate Change): 6 nominations 

Among the CGIAR nominees, 31 were from the Global South and 8 from the Global North, reflecting CGIAR’s emphasis on elevating voices from developing regions. 16 of the nominees were female and 23 male, indicating a reasonable gender balance in the nomination slate. 

AR7 CGIAR Authors and Roles 

Of the 13 CGIAR scientists selected as AR7 authors, 2 will serve as Coordinating Lead Authors (CLAs), the most senior chapter leaders, and the other 11 will serve as Lead Authors (LAs) on various chapters. Below is the list of these authors, their working groups, and roles: 

Working Group I (WGI): 

  • Dr. Mastawesha Misganaw Engdaw ( the Alliance of Bioversity International & CIAT ) –  Chapter 3 Changed in Regional Climate and Extremes, Lead Author  

Working Group II (WGII): 

    • Dr. Lucy Njuguna ( the Alliance of Bioversity International & CIAT )  – Chapter 17 Agriculture, Lead Author 

    Working Group III (WGIII): 

    (Each of the above scientists is affiliated with a CGIAR center, such as the Alliance of Bioversity International & CIAT, IFPRI, IITA, ILRI, IWMI, CIMMYT, etc., reflecting a broad institutional spread.) 

    Gender and regional representation.  

    Among the 13 selected CGIAR authors in AR7, there are 6 female and 7 male experts, showing improved gender diversity relative to AR6. Notably, a large majority (around 10 of 13) hail from developing countries across Africa, Asia, and Latin America, aligning with the IPCC’s push for greater developing-country representation. This mirrors the overall AR7 author demographics, globally, 51% of AR7 authors are from developing countries or economies in transition, up from 44% in AR6, and 46% of AR7 authors are female, up from 33% in AR6. 

    Toward Greater Impact in AR7 and Beyond 

    CGIAR’s representation in the IPCC process has more than doubled: AR6 had 5 CGIAR authors; AR7 has 13 (2 CLAs, 11 LAs). The AR7 cohort is more gender-balanced (~46% women) and remains majority Global South, aligning with broader IPCC diversity gains. For AR7, CGIAR nominated 39 experts and 13 were appointed (~33%), compared with a smaller AR6 nomination pool that yielded 5 authors. AR7 contributors span all three Working Groups, with Dr. Aditi Mukherji and Dr. Siyabusa Mkuhlani serving as CLAs. 

    The increase is a positive development, both for CGIAR and for the IPCC. It enhances the agricultural research community’s input into critical assessments of climate change impacts and solutions. Many of the CGIAR authors will bring in ground-level perspectives from Africa, Asia, and Latin America on food systems, water security, adaptation, and mitigation, areas where CGIAR has deep research experience. This enriched diversity in author backgrounds is expected to strengthen the relevance of IPCC findings for developing countries and the agriculture sector. 

    It’s also noteworthy that CGIAR’s institutional spread in AR7 is broad: authors come from at least six different CGIAR centers (including Alliance Bioversity-CIAT, IFPRI, IITA, ILRI, IWMI, CIMMYT), as well as CGIAR’s Climate Impact Platform. This cross-center representation can facilitate better internal collaboration and knowledge-sharing as the authors contribute to IPCC reports. 

     

    Author: Regina Edward – Uwadiale

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