Donald L. Winkelmann
Chair
10th April 1995
Dear Mr. Serageldin,
We are pleased to submit to you the Report of the Fourth External Programme and Management Review of CIAT which was finalized in February 1995 by a Panel chaired by Mr. Declan Walton of Ireland. While Dr. Grant Scobie chaired the initial phase of the review, he resigned from the Panel when he opted to be considered as a candidate for the vacant post of Director General of CIAT, for which he was subsequently selected. The Review Report and the response of the CIAT's Board of Trustees and management were discussed by TAC at its 66th meeting, held in Lima (Peru), 13th - 24th March 1995. CIAT was represented at the meeting by the Board Chair, the Interim Director General, and other members of senior management.
We also attach CIAT's response to the report and the TAC Commentary which summarizes TAC's reactions to both the Panel's report and CIAT's response to it. TAC's Commentary incorporates the CGIAR Secretariat's views on the management aspects of the review.
We are pleased to note that after a period of turbulence due to programme expansion immediately followed by financial contraction, significant downsizing, reorganization, and leadership change, CIAT is re-emerging as a healthy Centre with a sharper focus. We would like to bring to the CGIAR's attention three aspects of the transition CIAT has gone through as they have broader relevance in the System.
First, the Board of Trustees of CIAT has acted in a timely and responsible manner in guiding the centre through difficult times. Having an experienced member of the Board assume the Interim Director General position has minimized problems of transition and worked well.
Second, CIAT has handled the successive waves of downsizing quite well, both in terms of protecting the Centre's research programmes and priorities as well as the humane approach taken to separations.
Third, after a period of experimentation and forced soul-searching, CIAT appears to have struck a justifiable balance between its germplasm development and natural resources management research.
TAC shares the Panel's view that CIAT remains an exciting place to work and has potential to make a significant impact, both in its traditional and newly emerging fields of endeavour.
We recommend continued support to CIAT by the CGIAR. CIAT has an important mission to fulfil not only in the advancement of food production from its mandated crops, but also in the rapidly evolving area of natural resources management.
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Yours sincerely, | |
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Donald L. Winkelmann |
Alexander von der Osten |
Mr. Ismail Serageldin
Chair, CGIAR
The World Bank
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