Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research - CGIAR
Document No.: SDR/TAC: IAR/98/5
Distribution: General
Date: 15 September 1998
International Centers Week 1998
October 26 - 30
Washington D.C.
|
Shaping the CGIAR's Future |
Panel:
Jeffery Burley (Chair)
Hans Gregersen
John Griffith
Christine Padoch
P.S. Ramakrishnan
Manuel RodriguezParamjit S. Sachdeva (CGIAR Secretariat)
Amir Kassam (TAC Secretariat)
First External Review of CIFOR
Attached is the Report of the Panel which conducted the First External Program and Management Review of CIFOR. The transmittal letter from the TAC Chair and the CGIAR Executive Secretary to the Chairman of the CGIAR, TAC's Commentary on the Review, and the response of CIFOR's Governing Board and Management to the Review Report are being distributed separately.
This Report will be discussed in parallel session in accordance with the streamlined procedure for considering such reports. Members are asked to indicate whether discussion by the full Group (following the deliberation in parallel session) is necessary. Should this be the case, every effort will be made to create time on the agenda for a fuller debate.
During the parallel session, TAC will summarize the conclusions of the Review and suggest action to be taken by the CGIAR. The Panel Chair and Center representatives will be available to respond to questions. At the conclusion of the discussion, the session chair will summarize the decisions reached.
CGIAR Secretariat · Mailing Address: 1818 H Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20433, U.S.A. · Office Location: 701 18th Street, N.W. Tel: (1-202) 473-8951 · Cable Address: INTBAFRAD · Fax: (1-202) 473-8110 · E-mail: [email protected] or [email protected]
SDR/TAC: IAR/98/5
CONSULTATIVE GROUP ON INTERNATIONAL AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH
TECHNICAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE AND CGIAR SECRETARIAT
TAC SECRETARIAT
FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS
March 1998
Prof. J. Burley, CBE
Oxford Forestry Institute
University of Oxford
South Parks Road
Oxford OX1 3 RB, U.K.
Tel: (0044-1865) 275050
Fax: (0044-1865) 275074
Woodside
Frilford Heath
Abingdon Oxon OX13 5QG
Tel: (0044-865) 390754
15 March 1998
Dr. Donald Winkelmann
Chair
Technical Advisory Committee
Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research
355 East Palace Avenue
Santa Fe, NM 87501, USA
Mr. Alexander von der Osten
Executive Secretary
Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research
The World Bank
1818 H. Street, NW
Washington, DC 20433, USA
Dear Dr. Winkelmann and Mr. von der Osten,
I am pleased to transmit to you the Report of the Panel that conducted the First External Programme and Management Review (EPMR) of the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR).
Since its establishment in 1992, CIFOR has achieved very good progress in all aspects of its work, and the Panel commends the Board, management and staff for this substantial achievement.
CIFOR's programme activities address key needs and important topics and are producing useful outputs. However, the Panel believes that the links between CIFOR's research activities and its mission and objectives, and with CGIAR goals, can be made more explicit. Also, CIFOR's programme cohesiveness, logic and orientation among scientists could be improved to focus more directly on outputs that relate to achieving its mission. This would lead to an expansion of research with potential for significant spillovers in countries beyond those in which CIFOR works. The Panel notes that CIFOR scientists are being asked to do pioneering work. However, the Panel believes that as CIFOR evolves further, it needs to foster a more systematic, transparent mode of priority setting and resource allocation.
With respect to governance and management functions, it is clear that these are becoming more complex as CIFOR grows and diversifies the scope of its activities and partnerships. The Panel believes that additional competencies are required at the Board level, and Trustees having familiarity with the CGIAR System are an important element of the Board's overall composition.
Overall, the Panel considers that CIFOR's research, management and governance are of good quality. The Panel has made recommendations where it has seen weaknesses or where greater focusing is necessary. Although CIFOR has a visible presence in the international forestry research community, it is too early to judge the effectiveness of CIFOR's partnerships which are generally less than two years old. The Panel has suggested that CIFOR should not become too thinly stretched as it establishes its presence in the field.
CIFOR's challenge for the future is to find the right balance in its research to satisfy multiple constituencies. CIFOR cannot be everything to everyone. The Panel considers that CIFOR is well positioned to meet the challenges ahead and to take advantage of the opportunities to contribute to poverty alleviation, food security and environmental protection and enhancement. We endorse the CGIAR's continued support for CIFOR.
I would like to thank you for assembling a capable and experienced team for the challenging task of conducting this Review. The Panel members worked enthusiastically and with almost unending energy, with the consequence that the main phase of the Review was completed in less than two weeks. I want to add my warm personal thanks to them all for their hard work, sense of humour and humility.
Throughout the Review we were very ably supported by the resource persons assigned to the Panel, Amir Kassam from the TAC Secretariat, and Pammi Sachdeva from the CGIAR Secretariat. Without their participation, the Panel would have found the task daunting; their knowledge of the CGIAR System is encyclopaedic and their awareness of the relevance of CGIAR goals and processes made our assessment of CIFOR much easier.
We are grateful to CIFOR Board, management and staff for providing us every assistance and enabling us to carry out our task smoothly and pleasantly.
Finally, all the Panel members join me in expressing appreciation for the opportunity to be a part of the Review Panel. We hope that the Report will be useful to the CGIAR and to CIFOR.
Yours sincerely,
Jeffery Burley
Chair, External Review Panel
CHAPTER 1 - BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT
1.1. The Need for International Forestry Research
1.2. The Evolution of CIFOR
1.3. Previous Internally Commissioned External Reviews
1.4. CIFOR's Planned Evolution Over the Medium and Longer Term
CHAPTER 2 - LINKING CIFOR'S RESEARCH PROGRAMME TO ITS MISSION AND STRATEGY
2.1. CIFOR's Mission: Poverty Alleviation and Environmental Protection
2.2. Forest-Related Needs Implied by CIFOR's Mission
2.3. Overcoming Constraints to Meeting Forest-Related Needs
2.4. Contributions of CIFOR's Programme to Overcoming Constraints
2.5. CIFOR's Current Projects: Summary and Assessment
2.6. Linking CIFOR's Research Programme Activities to its Mission: One Possible Option
3.1. CIFOR Priority Setting in an International Research Centre Context
3.1.1. The Priority Setting Process in CIFOR
3.1.2. Research Priorities and the International Public Goods Nature of CIFOR's Research3.2. Impact Assessment in CIFOR
3.3. Quality of CIFOR's Research3.3.1. Strategic and Applied Research
3.3.2. Quality of Formulation of Research Activities
3.3.3. Quality of Research Inputs and Methods3.3.3.1. Quality of Researchers
3.3.3.2. Quality of Partners
3.3.3.3. Quality of Data3.4. CIFOR's External Linkages
3.4.1. Links to Other CGIAR Centres
3.4.2. Links with Other International Programmes
3.4.3. Partnerships
3.4.4. Out-posting and Out-sourcing3.5. Outreach Functions: Training and Information in Capacity Building
CHAPTER 4 - GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT
4.1.1. The Board and Governance
4.1.2. Senior Management Leadership
4.2. Resource Management Function
4.2.1. Human Resource Management
4.2.2. Financial and Administrative Resource Management
4.3.1. CIFOR's Organization Structure
4.3.2. Research Management within CIFOR
CHAPTER 5 - CONCLUSIONS AND VISION
5.1. Conclusions
5.2. Into the Third Millennium: The Role of CIFOR
Appendix I. Composition of the Panel and Biographical Information
Appendix II. Terms of Reference for External Programme and Management Reviews
Appendix III. Origins of CIFOR Prior to its Formal Establishment
Appendix V. CIFOR's Ten Projects
Appendix VI. Profile of Internationally Recruited Staff - 1994 and 1997
Appendix VII. Itinerary of the EPMR Panel