Partnerships
and Regions

“Purposeful, strategic partnerships are fundamental to CGIAR’s ability to deliver transformative outcomes that drive food, land and water systems transformation.”

Juan Lucas Restrepo

Global Director, Partnerships and Advocacy

Partnerships are fundamental to the way we work. Our innovations are co-designed and co-delivered together with almost 3,000 active partners across 79 countries to respond to real-world demand, driving food, land, and water system transformation to meet the challenges of the climate crisis, and accelerate achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

In 2022, we took steps to further strengthen our partnerships and have even greater impact.

Building on a legacy of engagement with partners around the world, our continued transition to a unified and integrated One CGIAR has highlighted the need for more systemic and coordinated collaboration, to better capture opportunities and synergies across the organization, and forge purposeful, strategic partnerships.

Early in the year, we launched the new Engagement Framework for Partnerships & Advocacy, setting out guiding principles, systems, and approaches for CGIAR and partners to work together to achieve common goals. The new Framework informs how we work with others, from national agricultural research and extension systems (NARES) to UN agencies, universities, research institutions, civil society organizations, and small, medium and large enterprises, delivering solutions that benefit millions. Our System Board appointed an independent High-Level Advisory Panel that brought together respected leaders from the fields of government, academia and civil society, representing deep and diverse experience in agricultural science and innovation in the Global South. The Panel oversaw consultations with country and regional partners across Asia, Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean, and issued a set of recommendations for improved strategic engagement.

Advocacy efforts in 2022 focused on integrating food systems into the work and negotiations of the Rio Conventions on biodiversity, desertification, and climate change. This included mapping stakeholder positioning on key issues and proposals within the negotiations, providing the Parties with evidence-based recommendations on the importance of food systems transformation to achieving the goals and targets of the Conventions, and convening negotiators to raise awareness of the importance of increasing multi-sectoral collaboration between the agricultural and environmental sectors. We also for the first time convened Food Days during the Conferences of Parties of the three Conventions (UNCCD COP15, UNFCCC COP27 and UNCBD COP15) along with key partners such as FAO, WWF International, and the Crop Trust.

Together with FAO and WWF International we advocated for implementation of the recommendations of Koronivia Joint Work in Agriculture (KJWA), the agenda item of UNFCCC tasked to address issues related to agriculture. In this context, we called all Parties to adopt an evidence-based action plan with clear objectives and milestones. Through joint communiqués, side events and meetings with negotiators, we also highlighted the benefits of adopting of a food systems approach to tackling climate change in agriculture, that takes into account not only the way food is produced, but also the way it is consumed.

At COP27, the concept of food systems was included for the first time, in decision FCCC/CP/2022/L.4, which established the four-year Sharm el-Sheikh Joint Work on Implementation of Climate Action on Agriculture and Food Security, responsible for implementing the recommendations previously elaborated by the KJWA.Sharm el-Sheikh Joint Work on Implementation of Climate Action on Agriculture and Food Security, responsible for implementing the recommendations previously elaborated by the KJWA.

In December, a Private Partnerships for Impact (PP4I) unit was established within the Partnerships & Advocacy division to harness the potential of market-driven partnerships with the private sector, and to foster a culture of innovation, with a strong focus on impact acceleration. The PP4I team initiated the joint development of a digital tool for Intellectual Property management, and participated in two Genetic Innovation-led projects: (1) Developing a framework for licensing elite germplasm to third parties; and (2) In-licensing of genome-editing technologies.

Finally, 2022 saw the development of a new “Capacity Sharing for Development” mechanism – titled CapSha – that aims to promote multi-directional sharing of knowledge and skills between CGIAR and partners. In contrast to the traditional unidirectional approach of transferring knowledge and skills from lab to field, and from CGIAR to partners, CapSha fosters mutual learning, co-development, and sharing and exchange of evidence, innovations and technologies between CGIAR and its partners at all levels. The mechanism is now being used in collaboration with NARS partners in the Global South to jointly define research directions and co-deliver impact outcomes for CGIAR’s portfolio.