The worldwide fight to eliminate poverty and the critical role being played by scientific research is the principal theme of International Centers Week (October 25-29) at World Bank headquarters. This critical issue will be the subject of the keynote address by CGIAR Chairman, Ismail Serageldin, an introductory statement from FAO, a presentation by the Director General of IFPRI, and throughout specialized sessions of the Plenary during the five-day business meeting.

Center Presentations will feature Inter-Center Collaboration in Combating Poverty. The preliminary results of studies carried out by the Impact Assessment and Evaluation Group (IAEG) on the poverty-related impacts of research on germplasm improvement, environment and integrated pest management will be presented.

The complete business meeting agenda is available on the CGIAR home page:www.cgiar.org