TMT Journal Update #3 – Message from CGIAR Chair Katherine Sierra

London Donor Workshop Confirms CGIAR Reform Is “On Track”

The Transition Management Team (TMT) convened an informal donors’ workshop in London on April 29-30 to provide an update on progress to date and our latest thinking on many of the key elements of the new CGIAR.  This workshop was an important milestone for us as it marked the first point at which we’ve had substantive, if still highly preliminary, ideas and plans about key elements of the process to share for feedback.

The good news is that the meeting was an overall success. Donors left the two-day workshop reassured that we are on the right track. Those of us in the Transition Management Team left with constructive feedback for refining our ideas and processes. We now have a clear path to the meeting of the CGIAR Executive Committee (ExCo) next month at CIAT’s headquarters in Cali, Colombia.

However, concerns among some donors were not completely laid to rest regarding two things: whether we are moving quickly enough, and whether the change we are effecting is deep enough for the new CGIAR to serve development goals directly and broadly. These are critical questions the Transition Management Team will continue to ask and address as we move through the next stages of implementing the change process to ensure that we are indeed moving swiftly and effectively to bring about the changes we’ve committed to deliver.

At the workshop, I led a dialogue on understanding what donors need (from the TMT and in general) to be able to commit to the Fund. Some donors reported that when weeks ago the Secretariat surveyed members on the level of their likely commitment to the Fund, they didn’t have enough information yet, and many of them now see much progress.  As mentioned above, others feel that large pieces of the overall puzzle are still missing (especially around the specifics of the Strategic Results Framework and the Mega-programs) and they will need to see those filled in before they can confirm their commitment.

The following are some of the key issues and conclusions that emerged from the meeting:

• On the future Consortium organizational structure, the donors appreciated the progress and rigorous process followed to get to this point, and yet some noted that the Alliance’s early preferred option needs further development to make it fully consistent with the promise of change in Maputo.
• On the Strategic Results Framework and the Mega-programs, both currently at their early stages, donors emphasized the need for focused attention as we move to ExCo and beyond as these elements will define how donors will participate in the new CGIAR.  Joachim von Braun, Director General of IFPRI, has been leading a task force to develop these further, and the plan is to share the next level of thinking at the ExCo meeting in June.
• On the accountability framework, donors appreciated our taking a system-level approach to matters of CGIAR governance and accountability, but indicated that the somewhat theoretical accountability framework needs refinement and greater specificity. Our plan is to finalize the framework based on ExCo’s recommendation in the early summer, and move to implementation as soon as possible.
• Regarding the Fund, donors appreciated that significant progress has been made on the design. However, further detail is needed on how the Fund will become operational, specifically with regard to the roles of the Funders Summit, Fund Council and other bodies related to the Fund’s operations.
• Additionally, there is work required to generate a greater level of alignment across the donor community on these matters.
• Donors are eager to be engaged in the consultative processes being planned for the upcoming Global Conference on Agricultural Research for Development (GCARD).
• Most donors report that communications about the CGIAR change process meet their needs and have asked us to maintain the current level of information sharing.
• Donors are eagerly waiting to see the plan around the Independent Science and Partnership Council (ISPC). Based on the TMT’s sequencing of the transition, the TMT is just now launching an independent task group to work through the issues and come up with a proposal. 
• We see the need for a second workshop this year in the early fall to engage the donors after more progress has been made and ensure greater alignment across the donor community.

To learn more about this meeting, visit the change blog at http://cgiarchangemanagement.wordpress.com  where you can hear the reactions from those who attended the workshop, including my own reaction to the first day. Please also contribute your feedback on this and other aspects of the change under way either through the blog or an email to the TMT (tmt@cgiar.org). Your personal engagement and investment in this reform effort is fundamental to its success. 

Thank you for your continued support and commitment to the CGIAR and this change initiative.

Kathy Sierra
for the Transition Management Team