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The middle of 2010 is almost upon us, and it’s a good time to take stock of how the new CGIAR is taking shape. The Consortium has been formally established, and the search for the CEO and a decision on the Consortium Office location are underway. Good progress is being made toward operationalizing the CGIAR Fund, with donors working to finalize the legal framework and agreements.
Building on the dialogue with our partners at the Global Conference on Agricultural Research for Development, the CGIAR Centers have further developed the Strategy and Results Framework, which the Consortium Board accepted at its recent meeting. The Consortium Board also considered a set of Mega Program concept notes and four “fast-tracked” Mega Programs that are poised for quick implementation. Next, in mid-July, the Funders Forum will convene to consider the Strategy for endorsement and the Fund Council will meet to consider the fast-tracked Mega Programs for funding. |
The video interview below with Consortium Board Chair Carlos Pérez del Castillo provides more detail on the outcomes of the Board meeting. An interview with Mark Holderness, Executive Secretary of the Global Forum on Agricultural Research, outlines the broader actions being taken to follow the Montpellier Road Map developed at the Global Conference.
The Funders Forum and Fund Council meetings in July will be important further milestones for the Strategy and Mega Programs and also for me personally. As announced earlier this year, I plan to retire at the end of June. Chairing the July meetings will be my final act as Funders Forum and Fund Council Chair. I am confident that the reform process is in good hands thanks to the strong new leadership provided by Carlos Pérez del Castillo. Working with the CGIAR over the past four years has been truly gratifying because of what we have been able to achieve together. It has been an honor and a pleasure to work with you toward our shared goal of reducing poverty and hunger. Thank you for all you do in support of the CGIAR mission.
Katherine Sierra, Chair of the CGIAR Fund Council |
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Inspired by the New Spirit of Collective Action
An interview with Carlos Pérez del Castillo on outcomes from the Consortium Board meeting
The Consortium Board met for the second time on May 24-26, in Rome, Italy, with a full agenda that included consideration of the Strategy and Results Framework, Mega Program concept notes and proposals for fast-tracked Mega Program in preparation for the upcoming Funders Forum and Fund Council meetings. In a video interview, Consortium Board Chair Carlos Pérez del Castillo describes the Board’s views on these topics, comments on the formal establishment of the Consortium and the new opportunities it offers Centers, and provides an update on the processes underway to recruit the Consortium CEO and determine the Consortium Office location: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqrFEV9z0Ms
Click here for bullet point highlights of Pérez del Castillo’s remarks.
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Following the Montpellier Road Map
An interview with Mark Holderness, Executive Secretary of the Global Forum on Agricultural Research (GFAR), on the Global Conference on Agricultural Research for Development and what’s next |
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1) What were the major outcomes from the Global Conference on Agricultural Research for Development in Montpellier?
The major outcome is the “Montpellier Road Map,” which provides a framework for linking science and innovation to the needs of farmers and the rural poor. The road map is being finalized to take into account the Conference outcomes. It shows possible ways forward and offers possible commitments in our effort to shift the focus of agricultural research for development towards the poor farmer. The road map is open for all to use in collective action around themes of interest to specific stakeholder groups and regions – for example, the need to make extension systems more effective. |
2) Was the Global Conference successful in providing input into the new strategy and results framework for the CGIAR?
Yes, by all means. The conference provided a unique opportunity to engage with a broad cross section of stakeholders, and participants from the CGIAR greatly valued the constructive dialogues. There was a consensus that the concepts offered by the conference broadly matched those that were put forward by the CGIAR throughout its reform process. In following up on the conference, we're talking with the CGIAR Consortium about appropriate actions and about the wider picture into which the new Mega Programs will fit. We also need to move from the global discussion towards an analysis of what the suggested interventions mean for each region and country. This means going back to the regional level and letting the regional fora serve as the vehicle for further consultation and action. An essential task for GFAR is to continue strengthening those fora.
3) How will the Global Conference process better engage women in the future?
In many regions, women are the majority of farmers and need to be part of the dialogue and action on agricultural research for development. However, despite the diversity of stakeholders present, the Global Conference clearly showed the gender divide in agricultural research. We are currently in dialogue with FAO on how to support the roles of women in agriculture through actions driven by the concern of the countries.
4) What are the next steps? How will the Global Conference process maintain the momentum built?
In the next 2 years, GFAR will focus on two tasks: 1) supporting the CGIAR as it implements a new research agenda through Mega Programs and 2) transforming the way we do agricultural research, with a sharp focus on development needs, more effective extension, and better partnerships, among other issues. Those efforts will be driven by the regional fora. In this regard, we’re particularly lucky to have as the new GFAR Chair Monty Jones, who comes from FARA, the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa, which is the region with the strongest development focus. Together, we’ll pay greater attention to issues like foresight, capacity strengthening and community building in all the regions. |
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Implementation Updates |
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Strategy and Results Framework and Mega Programs |
The Consortium Board considered an updated draft Strategy and Results Framework prepared by the Alliance of the CGIAR Centers that incorporated input received at the Global Conference on Agricultural Research for Development. The Board accepted the Strategy and Results Framework and will submit it to the Funders Forum for its consideration. The Consortium Board would like to revisit the Strategy in three years rather than six years as originally envisioned to be able to make adjustments in response to global developments as needed.
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Mega Programs |
At its May meeting the Consortium Board considered both a set of 'fast-tracked' Mega Program proposals that detail research programs that can be quickly put in place and a set of Mega Program concept notes that outline research programs that will be developed into full Mega Program proposals in the coming months. The four fast tracked Mega Program proposals relate to climate change, maize, rice and wheat. The Board made some preliminary comments on the ‘fast tracked’ proposals and shared these with the Centers. The Science Task Force of the Board has also reviewed these proposals with additional input from external reviews and will prepare a recommendation for the full Board. The Board will decide which Mega Programs will go forward to the Fund Council for their consideration and possible financing. The Board approved 11 Mega Program concept notes, also externally reviewed (see box for titles) that will move forward to proposal development for the Consortium Board’s consideration at its next meeting in October 2010.
MP concept note title |
- Integrated agricultural production systems for dry areas
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- Integrated Systems for the Humid Tropics
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- Harnessing the development potential of aquatic agricultural systems for the poor and vulnerable
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- Policies, institutions, and markets to strengthen assets and agricultural incomes for the poor
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- Roots, tubers and bananas for Food Security and Income
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- Grain Legumes: enhanced food and feed security, nutritional balance, economic growth and soil health for smallholder farmers
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- Dryland cereals: Food Security and Growth for the World’s Most Vulnerable Poor
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- Sustainable staple food productivity increase for global food security: Livestock and Fish
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- Agriculture for Improved Nutrition and Health
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- Durable Solutions for Water Scarcity and Land Degradation
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- Forests and Trees: livelihoods, landscapes and governance
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Consortium |
The Consortium was officially established in May with the signature of more than the quorum of three-quarters of the Centers needed to make it official. To date 14 Centers have signed the Consortium Constitution with the final Center expected to sign the constitution in June. With the Consortium established, the Alliance met for a final time in May. The personnel of the former Alliance Office are now acting as the interim Consortium Office.
Prospective host countries for the Consortium Office – Ethiopia (Addis Ababa), France (Montpellier), India (New Delhi), Italy (Rome) and Kenya (Nairobi) – have all expressed an interest in submitting a bid for the Consortium headquarters. The Board’s Vice-Chair, Carl Hausmann, and other Board members are undertaking visits to all the prospective countries with the aim to make a decision in early September. The search for the Consortium CEO is underway, led by a task force of Consortium Board members. Applications are open through June 25. For further information click here. |
CGIAR Fund |
Steady progress is being made toward operationalizing the CGIAR Fund, with donors holding consultations to finalize documents establishing the legal framework. On April 13, representatives from donors and the Consortium Board convened in Berlin, Germany, for a workshop on the legal framework of the new CGIAR Fund that focused on the development of three documents central to the functioning and legal underpinnings of the CGIAR Fund. These documents are:
- the CGIAR Fund Governance Framework, which addresses a number of operational aspects of the CGIAR Fund;
- the Contribution Agreement between each donor and the trustee (the World Bank), a template that sets forth the specific modalities on donor contributions and trustee services for the CGIAR Fund as they affect the respective signatories; and
- the Joint Agreement among the Consortium, the trustee and all Fund donors, which combines the donor and Consortium elements in one [contractual setting].
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Update on the Independent Science and Partnership Council |
The Independent Science and Partnership Council, the standing panel of world-class scientific experts in the new CGIAR, is currently being recruited. The Council will consist of a Chair and four members (plus the chair of the standing panel on impact assessment as an ex-officio member) that will provide independent advice and expertise to the funders of the CGIAR through services to the Fund Council and the Funders Forum. The Council will also play a vital role for the new CGIAR to strengthen science, improve productivity and quality of science, catalyze the partnering of CGIAR science with other institutions of international agricultural research and support the important role of the CGIAR as honest broker in various global debates. An international search is underway to identify the Council and nomination of suitable candidates is strongly encouraged. Nominations will be assessed by a five-member search and selection committee appointed by the CGIAR Fund Council. The deadline for nominations is July 30, 2010. For further information visit: http://www.cgiar.org/cgnominations/index.cfm
While the new Council is being established, an interim ISPC (iISPC) is overseeing this work. The iISPC met April 14-16 in Aleppo, Syria, to develop the criteria for assessing MP proposals, discuss the approach for global initiatives in foresight of agriculture and the environment, and consider future strategies and actions for mobilizing science. The meeting report is available by clicking here.
The iISPC also convened a follow up workshop June 4-5 on Designing the Ex-Ante Assessment of Mega Program Proposals to further develop criteria for the assessment of Mega Programs. The workshop also looked at how to link the assessment with subsequent ongoing monitoring and evaluation. |
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Upcoming Events
Date |
Event |
June 8 |
Informal donor and Consortium Board meeting, Washington, DC USA 1/ |
June 16 |
Teleconference on Draft Joint Agreement |
July 15 |
Funders Forum, Rome, Italy |
July 14 and 16 |
Fund Council Meeting, Rome, Italy |
October (tbc) |
Consortium Board meeting, Aleppo, Syria |
November (tbc) |
Fund Council meeting, Washington, DC USA |
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