ICW98 - Preliminary End of Meeting Report

Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR)

International Centers Week 1998

Preliminary End-of-Meeting Report

Washington, DC October 26 - 30, 1998

The CGIAR's International Centers Week 1998 (ICW98) was held in Washington, DC, from October 26 - 30. The CGIAR Secretariat will publish the Summary of Proceedings and Decisions for ICW98. This end-of-meeting report represents a preliminary summary of meeting highlights. It is not a comprehensive, official record.

1. Formal Opening. World Bank President James Wolfensohn formally opened ICW98. In his remarks, Mr. Wolfensohn praised the CGIAR's "extraordinary achievements" and recalled that one of his first lessons in development economics was at the hands of his colleagues in the CGIAR. Agriculture and rural development are central to the Bank's work to alleviate poverty, Mr. Wolfensohn said, stressing that the Bank supports the CGIAR's work 100 percent. The report of the distinguished System Review Panel, which Maurice Strong chaired, is a "remarkable and superb" work and provides an excellent basis for the ICW98 discussions, Mr. Wolfensohn said.

2. Chairman's Announcements. CGIAR Chairman Ismail Serageldin warmly welcomed Mr. Strong and the System Review panel. The Panel gave the CGIAR a ringing endorsement, Mr. Serageldin said, and the Group is particularly encouraged by the panel's assertion that "there can be no long-term agenda for eradicating poverty, ending hunger, and ensuring sustainable food security without the CGIAR." Before presentations by the System Review Panel, the Chairman made the following announcements:

New and Potential Members. The Group welcomed Uganda, the newest CGIAR member, and representatives of Uruguay and Venezuela as observers.
Comings and Goings. The Group welcomed Alex McCalla, the Bank's new Co-sponsor representative, and Ronald Cantrell, new Director-General of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), congratulated Fernando Chaparro, the newly appointed Executive Secretary of the National Agricultural Research System (NARS) Secretariat, and paid tribute to all those for whom this would be the last meeting.
Honors and Awards.
The CGIAR's King Baudouin Award was presented to the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) for the development of high-yielding and disease resistant pigeonpea varieties and for its contribution to agriculture and human welfare in developing countries.

The Chairman's Excellence in Science Awards recognize outstanding scientific achievements by CGIAR scientists and support staff. During a ceremony in plenary, the Chairman presented the 1998 awards:

Promising Young Scientist -- Dr. Keith Ballingal, International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), for his research on how the genetic make-up of cattle influences their immunizations with ILRI's novel vaccines.
Outstanding Local Scientist -- Dr. Kedar N. Rai, International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), for his major contributions to the pearl millet research program.
Outstanding Local Scientific Support Staff -- Dr. Imad Eujayl, International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), for his outstanding contributions to ICARDA's biotechnology program.
Outstanding Scientific Partnership -- International Center for Living Aquatic Resources Management (ICLARM) and its partner institutions, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (Philippines), Freshwater Aquaculture Center of the Central Luzon State University (Philippines), and Institute of Aquaculture Research (Norway), for producing a highly improved strain of tilapia, a hardy freshwater fish from Africa, under the Genetic Improvement of Farmed Tilapia (GIFT) project. The GIFT tilapia provides a means of involving more poor people in aquaculture production and making fish more affordable for them.

Lowell Hardin, an internationally known agricultural economist who was one of the founders of the CGIAR system and governance, received the Nyle Brady Award for his outstanding contributions to the CGIAR.

M.S. Swaminathan and James Peacock received special scrolls of honor for their contributions and accomplishments during their tenure as Chairs of the Genetic Resources Police Committee (GRPC) and the Impact Assessment and Evaluation Group (IAEG), respectively.

The Group also cited Justin Yifu Lin and Keiji Kainuma for their service to the CGIAR and the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) on behalf of agriculture and human welfare in developing countries.

By unanimous consent, the Group passed a resolution thanking Michel Petit for his service and many contributions as a cosponsor of the CGIAR representing the World Bank and as Chair of the Finance Committee.

Partnerships:
The Group applauded the signing of an agreement by the Government of India, the International Plan Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI), and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) to place coconut germplasm collections under the auspices of FAO.

3. CGIAR System Review.

Panel Overview. Centerpiece of ICW98 was the report of the independent System Review Panel. The Group received the report, which analyzed the CGIAR's science, partnerships, governance and finances, and offered 29 recommendations. Review Chair Maurice Strong presented the findings and recommendations. Mr. Strong called the CGIAR "the most effective use of official development assistance, bar none." The panel's report, he said, reaffirms the CGIAR's universally acknowledged record of achievement in international agricultural research.

The CGIAR faces a triple challenge as rapid advances in science and technology radically reshape the future of the world's agricultural and food production systems. To address these challenges, the CGIAR must develop a strategy for the future founded on the System's assets, strengths, and comparative advantage. The CGIAR's strengths include its clearly focused mission, dedicated professionals, unique constituency, significant germplasm collections numbering 600,000 accessions, early recognition of the need to incorporate natural resources management into its research portfolio, extensive training and education programs, and policy research.

Building on these strengths and preparing for the future requires identifying and addressing the System's weaknesses. This will require the CGIAR to set long-term strategies, proactively protect access to its germplasm resources, reduce financial constraints on Centers, mobilize funds from private sources, carry out inter-Center research, and better demonstrate the impact of its research efforts, including its work in Africa, Mr. Strong said.

M.S. Swaminathan and Whitney MacMillan provided overviews of the findings of the System Review's Panels on Science and on Governance and Finance, which they chaired. The Panel on Science recognized the CGIAR's unique character and its value as a major player in development, agriculture research, and environmental research. The panel's review of the CGIAR's science and the emphasis on various points of change confirms the new directions of the Centers and the well-accepted policy of the CGIAR in the major research fields. The Panel on Governance and Finance recommended that the CGIAR's governance continue to be based on member sovereignty, center autonomy, and independent scientific advice. The panel also emphasized the CGIAR's consensus decision-making, non-political nature, and informal character.

Working Groups. The Group discussed the presentations in opening plenary sessions, then broke into three Working Groups to facilitate CGIAR decision making by focusing discussion on key themes. The working groups on science, partnerships, and governance and finance met in open sessions, with others attending ICW98 freely participating. The working groups presented their comments on the issues and recommendations to the Group in plenary sessions, where there was further discussion.

Working Group on Science. Chaired by Mr. R. S. Paroda, the working group discussed the panel's proposed shift in paradigm from the founding objective of productivity-oriented research to research that integrates gene management with natural resources management. The working group also discussed the proposal that CGIAR research should move upstream, utilizing the advantages of the agrobiotechnology "revolution" to the fullest extent possible, and should be linked both to advanced research institutions and NARS in developing countries. The working group agreed that in meeting its mission statement, the overarching objective of the CGIAR's science is to address the needs of its clients -- the rural and urban poor, and particularly, poor women. To achieve this, the CGIAR's science program must be holistic and systems-based, and integrate the thrusts of gene management and natural resource management through knowledge-based approaches. CGIAR science must utilize both established and new tools, achieve more progress in low-potential areas, and build on the gains in higher potential areas.

Working Group on Partnerships. Chaired by Mr. Henri Carsalade, the working group discussed the CGIAR's progress in developing broad reaching partnerships. The renewed CGIAR has fully accepted the urgings of the Lucerne Declaration and Action Plan that there is no room for divisiveness in the agricultural effort if we are to feed some 100 million more people each year. The press of population, fact of environmental loss, and demeaning reality of continuing economic inequities demand fully integrated partnerships, using all technologies and utilizing all opportunities. The working group agreed that the real challenge is to assure that all assets are combined and deployed. The CGIAR needs an overall system of partnerships that helps each partner contribute to the best of its comparative advantage so the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.
The working group focused particularly on recommendations regarding the Global Forum for Agricultural Research (GFAR), capacity building, and the broadening of partnerships. The working group supported greater emphasis on NARS capacity building, strengthened partnerships with the private sector, better management of partnerships, and interactions and consultation between the CGIAR and components of the GFAR.

Working Group on Governance and Finance. Chaired by Mr. Andrew Bennett, the working group noted the panel's conclusion about the effectiveness of the informal system of governance under which the CGIAR has functioned for over a quarter of a century. Recognizing that what was appropriate and effective in the past is not necessarily appropriate for the future, the CGIAR has made efforts to introduce necessary changes. The working group discussed the panel's recommendation that these efforts be revived and substantially extended because the CGIAR's form of governance needs to be reinvigorated and made more dynamic for both internal and external reasons.
In principle, the working group supported the need to (1) transform CGIAR's decision-making process to increase efficiency, effectiveness, accountability, and transparency throughout the system, and (2) streamline mechanisms to ensure scientific excellence and measure development impact across the system. On issues of finance, the working group supported CGIAR efforts to seek support from three constituencies: development agencies, the private sector, and the philanthropic sector. The working group proposed a follow up mechanism to implement agreed action and review and prepare recommendations for decisive consideration by the Group at the next mid-term meeting (MTM99). This mechanism could be a consultative council or task force, with broad representation and terms of reference,

Decisions. Following discussion in plenary on the System Review Panel's recommendations, the Group:

Endorsed a new mission statement emphasizing food security and poverty eradication:
To contribute to food security and poverty eradication in developing countries through research, partnership, capacity building, and policy support, promoting sustainable agricultural development based on the environmentally sound management of natural resources.
Asked the CGIAR Centers to adopt congruent mission statements emphasizing their functions as global centers of frontier science. The Centers should continue to create strong synergies across the CGIAR system and, through creative partnerships, bring both traditional scientific knowledge and advanced science and technology to bear on the needs of the world's poor.
Endorsed the thrust of the Panel's recommendations on the CGIAR's scientific agenda and directions concerning integrated gene management and integrated natural resources management. The Centers and the Technical Advisory Committee will incorporate these broad thrusts as they set the 2000 research agenda. The recommendations on related institutional changes require further consideration in the context of other governance issues under study.
Endorsed the goals and principles embodied in the System Review's recommendations on broadening CGIAR partnerships. The Group agreed to implement more effective consultative processes, both within the System and with external partners, including the NGO, private sector, and scientific communities. This will also include partnership arrangements with institutions working with African research organizations. The CGIAR will strengthen its partnership with the Global Forum on International Agricultural Research (GFAR).

Endorsed the strategic thrust of the Panel's recommendations on the CGIAR's governance and finance. The Group agreed to streamline the evaluation process, improve the efficiency of the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), link the Impact Assessment Evaluation Group (IAEG) more closely with TAC, improve long-term financial prospects, and improve the efficiency of decision-making in the CGIAR (by improving both the structure and processes of decision-making). The recommendation for establishment of a central board requires further study.

Expressed reservations about the Panel's recommendations to establish the CGIAR as a legal entity, eliminate the co-sponsor status of the UN agencies that founded the CGIAR, appoint a full-time Chairman who also acts as Chief Operating Officer, and expand the CGIAR Secretariat's services relating to Center staff recruitment.

Asked the Chairman to organize the follow-up to the System Review report by appointing a Consultative Council to monitor the implementation of decisions made at ICW98, arrange for or conduct follow-up studies on issues requiring further elaboration, and draft action-proposals for consideration at the CGIAR's mid-term meeting (MTM99). The Consultative Council will be broadly representative of the System as a whole and will consult with the System Review Panel, as appropriate. The Consultative Council will not have decision-making responsibility. Decisions will be taken only in plenary sessions at MTM99. The Council should make every effort to have its recommendations available to the CGIAR 4-6 weeks before MTM99.

4. Center Forums. The theme for Center presentations was "New Opportunities in Natural Resource Management," reflecting the System Review Panel's view that natural resources management and genetic resources management are the twin pillars of the CGIAR's work. All sixteen centers made presentations under the broad headings of new approaches, new tools, policy issues, and new institutional modalities.

5. Impact Assessment and Evaluation. In parallel session, members received a report on the case studies on the adoption of Center research from the IAEG Chair, as well as an update on IAEG activities, including the studies currently underway.

6. CGIAR Logical Framework. In parallel session, the TAC Chair introduced a proposal for a logical framework to identify essential data for the CGIAR's evaluation process and develop best practice guidelines. The Group approved the recommendations for next steps to make the framework operational.

7. External Reviews. In parallel session, members considered external reviews of the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), International Centre for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF), and the Systemwide Genetic Resources Program (SGRP), and endorsed their recommendations. This follows the Group's decisions at MTM98, and the advice of the Oversight Committee, to streamline procedures to assure that meetings are strategically focused.

8. Recommendations of CGIAR Committees. The Group endorsed recommendations from the Cosponsors and the Finance, Oversight, and Technical Advisory (TAC) Committees.

9. Biotechnology and Proprietary Science. The Group received a report on progress in reviewing and updating of a set of guiding principles and procedures for Centers to follow when dealing with biotechnology, Intellectual Property Rights, and genetic resources issues. The Group accepted the GRPC recommendations to endorse the Guidelines for the Designation of Accessions under the FAO Agreements, a new Material Transfer Agreement (MTA), and a Second Joint Statement on the Agreement Placing CGIAR Germplasm Collections under the Auspices of FAO.

10. 1998 Funding Update. The Group received a report from the Finance Committee Chair on the expected 1998 financial outcome. At the aggregate level, the 1998 financial outcome of $335-340 million is in line with the $345 million approved at ICW97. . Thirteen centers will be fully funded in 1998. At the individual level, several members including Norway made exceptional efforts in 1998, compared to the financing plan expectations. Lagging disbursements, however, continue to be cause for concern.

11. The 1999 Financing Plan. The Group adopted the Finance Committee's recommendations on the financing plan for the 1999 research agenda. Center financing plans were endorsed at identified levels, and an overall CGIAR financing plan of $340 million was approved.

Regarding the allocation of the World Bank's contribution of $45 million, the Group adopted the following recommendations:

$33.5 million will be used as matching funds to centers, as advised at MTM98. This follows center financing plan projections. Eighty percent of the matching amount will be disbursed in January 1999. As in the past, any adjustment due to changes in 1999 center funding outcomes will be made at MTM99, when the Group will decided the remaining 20 percent.
$1 million will be used for CGIAR partnership committees.
$5.1 million will support strategic research agenda initiatives.
$5 million will strengthen the CGIAR's reserves.
$0.4 million will support systemwide programs at ICRAF.

The Group urged members to give special attention in their funding allocations to the needs of the water and livestock sectors, to disburse funds as quickly as possible, and to provide funds with as few restrictions as possible. The Group also directed Centers to plan for 1999 on the basis of identified funding. The Group will review updated 1999 center financing plans at MTM99.

The Group heard from two developing country representatives about innovative financial approaches that could have relevance for other developing country members. Columbia's Vice Minister of Agriculture, Luis Arango, described the advantages of Colombia's strong commitment to the CGIAR. Colombia was one of the early respondents to the CGIAR’s call for broader membership from the South and initially contributed well over $1 million. The Government of Colombia is continuing its pioneering role by expanding its annual contribution to $3 million for the next five years.

Romano Kiome, Assistant Director of the Kenyan Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) told the Group about KARI's novel way of investing in international agricultural research while at the same time enhancing its linkages and collaboration with the CGIAR. For many developing countries, contributions to the CGIAR require tough decisions on budgetary priorities. KARI's use of borrowed funds for its financial participation is a strong demonstration of its commitment to the CGIAR.

Philip Pardey of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) made a presentation on trends in agricultural research expenditure and financing, and the implications for CGIAR's research and long-term strategies.

12. Setting the 2000 Research Agenda

The TAC Chair gave a preliminary report on 2000 research directions. The report of the System Review Panel provides a framework and strategic direction for the future. The Group will consider and make decisions on the 2000 research agenda at MTM99. Center program and budget proposals for 2000 will be viewed in the context of the 2000 - 2002 medium-term plans. TAC will compare the proposals to ensure their consistency with the broad strategic directions endorsed by the Group at MTM 97 as well as those suggested by the System Review Panel.

13. Future Meetings

1999 MTM May 24 - 28 Beijing, China

1999 ICW October 25 - 29 Washington, DC

2000 MTM May 22 - 26 Dresden, Germany (in conjunction with the Global Forum)

2000 ICW October 23 - 27 Washington, DC

2001 MTM May 21 - 25 To be determined

2001 ICW October 29 - November 2 Washington, DC