Originally established in 1968 as a non-profit Colombian corporation, CIAT was recognized as a fully-fledged international organization in 1988. This status enhanced CIAT's legal presence in Colombia, guaranteeing the Centre in law the privileges and immunities essential to its work.
With the decision of Colombia to become a core donor to CIAT, an agreement was signed in July 1994 by the Centre and the Colombian Ministry of Agriculture. The 1994 agreement stipulates that, in cases where there is a direct convergence of research interests between the Colombian Government and CIAT, research planning as well as implementation will be pursued cooperatively. Chapter 6.1.1 reports on the generous contributions to CIAT/CGIAR made by the Government of Colombia.
8.2.1. Size and Composition of the Board
8.2.2. Board Operations
8.2.3. Oversight of Programme and Management
8.2.4. Relationship to CGIAR Policies
8.2.5. Retirement of Director General: Selection of Replacement
The CIAT Board has 17 members, including the Director General and three representatives of Colombian institutions who serve ex-officio. A Colombian Chair-Emeritus also attends meetings regularly. This is somewhat large by CGIAR standards, but in its review of Board size in July 1994 Board members concluded that CIAT was too broad-based in its programme to reduce the membership and noted that the host country trustees (four, at this time) are not a significant cost factor. The Panel believes that the wide Colombian participation in the Board is an important factor in the outstandingly good relations between CIAT and its host country. Currently, the Board includes two women (one is the Chair) and representatives of 11 nationalities. Members serve for three years and may be reelected once. The present Board includes members with a strong management background, and the Panel suggests that management expertise be deliberately sought in future when new members are brought in. Board membership over the last five years is shown in Table 8.1.
The Board does most of its work through committees: a) an Executive Committee including the Chair, Vice-Chair, Director General, Chairs of the Programme and of the Audit and Operations Review Committees, and other members of the Board, to reach a total of seven, including at least one member from the host country; b) a Programme Committee currently comprising nine members, c) a Nominating Committee of four members, and d) an Audit and Operations Review Committee of six. This last is charged with reviewing both financial management and other administrative procedures, including human resources management. A CIAT staff member serves as Board Secretary.
The full Board meets annually in most years, although a second special meeting was called in 1993. Nominations and Audit and Operations Review meet once at the time of the Annual Meeting; the Programme Committee, once at the Annual Meeting and once during the Internal Programme Review; the Executive Committee, at the Annual Meeting and at least one additional time.
In the last year or so, an ad hoc committee concerned with resource mobilization was also established. Although its charge will now be incorporated into that of the Audit and Operations Review Committee, its formation recognized the increasingly significant role of Board members in this area. Committee meetings permit considerable give and take among members, and participation levels are high. Subsequent to the 1994 meeting, and in response to concerns expressed, the Board Chair redistributed committee assignments to equalize participation and spread the burden of reading and meetings.
The last EMR recommended that the line between the terms of reference for the Executive Committee and the Audit and Operations Review Committee be drawn more sharply. Although the issue was not settled in the interim, it was last discussed during the July 1994 meeting of the Executive Committee, and the Board Chair and Vice-Chair were charged with preparing guidelines for committees that would ensure coverage of issues and avoid duplication. One way to resolve this issue would be to assign overlapping issues to the agenda of the Executive Committee.
The Board receives formal information about programme and administrative developments through written reports and the CIAT Programme Committee's participation in the Internal Programme Review. This will soon be supplemented by reports from external specialists as well as data produced by the newly established internal Impact Assessment Unit. Many Board members feel that reports are too numerous and difficult to digest. The use of standard formats where appropriate, and of telecommunications systems, might help to reduce the burden on both Board members and staff.
Interaction with rank and file CIAT scientists provides important informal opportunities to get additional information. Members would like to see these opportunities increased. Additionally some Board Members seek more contact with representatives of the NARS and with CIATs outreach programmes generally.
Participation in Board and committee meetings is full and active, especially in major policy decisions such as preparation of the Strategic Plan. Board and committee discussions and decisions are clearly recorded in excellent minutes. Members also report that relations between Board and Management have been generally good over time and the line between the two reasonably drawn. Occasionally one side or the other has crossed the line, but this has never become a serious problem, since both have been alert to their proper roles.
Appropriate alignment with CGIAR policies is insured through staunch adherence to CIATs Strategic Plan. The latest plan was commented upon favourably by TAC, which also specifically approved the Medium-Term Plan developed from it. The Board's persistence in measuring new project proposals against the Strategic Plan will be particularly important as CIAT engages in a strong drive to increase complementary funding substantially.
In 1994 the Director General requested a leave of absence and indicated his intention to relinquish his post at the end of his contract in February 1995. This action came amid the difficult period (amply described in other sections of this report) that saw an expansion in the scope of CIATs programmes, and a reduction in the revenues available for them.
The Board's response to both the crisis and the resignation of the Director General has been thoughtful and well considered, with the Board Chair staying in close touch with the Centre, visiting Cali a number of times and consulting regularly with her Board colleagues. In response to Managements recommendation for the adoption of an Action Plan in April 1993, the Board requested more detailed information on the proposal's scientific impact before approving the reorganization in December 1993. With the benefit of hindsight there may have been second thoughts about the wisdom of this delay, but the decision was made with careful consideration, and represented the best judgment of the Board on the situation as known to it at that time.
At the July 1994 meeting, the Board gave substantial attention both to arrangements for interim leadership and to the search process for a permanent replacement for the Director General. The Board asked Robert Havener, former Director General of CIMMYT and current Member of the Board, to serve as Interim Director General, to ensure that the forward movement would be safeguarded.
The Board also approved the draft of a position announcement to initiate the Director General search and projected a schedule which should lead to interviews with shortlisted candidates when members reconvene in February 1995. Following the meeting, the Chair appointed a retiring member of the Board to lead a Search Committee with the assistance of two active Board members, a second retiring member, and a distinguished person external to CIAT but knowledgeable about the CGIAR. The Board Chair-Emeritus served as an adviser on Latin American candidates. The Board asked CIAT senior staff to review and weight the qualifications sought and to suggest others. Shortlisted candidates are to present a seminar as part of the interview process. The Board's decision is to be taken shortly after this report is completed. The attention of the Board is drawn to the Panel's recommendation in Chapter 7 on the management style of the new Director General.
Table 8.1: Five-Year Record of CIAT Board Membership
|
Name |
Country |
Discipline |
90/91 |
91/92 |
92/93 |
93/94 |
94/95 |
|
Beversdord, Wallace (**) |
USA |
Plant Breeding |
|
|
|
|
X |
|
Carlson, William |
USA |
Public Administration |
X-NC |
X-NC |
X-NC |
|
|
|
Chapanc, Fernando (*) |
Colombia |
Industrial Sociology |
|
|
|
X |
|
|
Flavell, Richard |
UK |
Fungal Genetics |
X |
X |
X-PC |
X-PC |
|
|
Gahamanyl, Leopold |
Rwanda |
Agronomy/Pedology |
X |
X |
|
|
|
|
Gomez, Gustavo |
Colombia |
Chemical Engineering |
|
|
|
X |
X |
|
Guevara, Rubén |
Honduras |
Forestry |
|
|
|
|
X |
|
Havener, Robert |
USA |
Agriculture |
|
|
X |
X-RM |
X |
|
Hernández, Antonio (*) |
Colombia |
Economics |
|
|
|
|
X |
|
Homem de Melo, F. |
Brazil |
International Economics |
X |
X |
X |
X |
X-NC |
|
Hutchinson, Frederick |
USA |
Agronomy |
X-C |
X-C |
X-C |
|
|
|
Jutzi, Samuel |
Switzerland |
Plant Sciences |
|
|
X |
X |
X-PC |
|
Kaneda, Chukichi |
Japan |
Plant Breeding |
X |
X |
X |
X |
|
|
Kobayashi, Masashi |
Japan |
Plant Breeding |
|
|
|
|
X |
|
Leonard, Jeffrey (**) |
USA |
Political Sciences/Economics |
X |
X |
X |
|
|
|
López, Alfonso (*) |
Colombia |
Adminstration/Economics |
X |
X |
X |
|
|
|
Mockus, Antanas (*) |
Colombia |
Mathematics/Philosophy |
X |
X |
X |
|
|
|
Mukiibi, Joseph |
Uganda |
Plant Pathology |
|
|
|
X |
X |
|
Nösberger, Josef |
Switzerland |
Crop Physiology |
X-PC |
X-PC |
|
|
|
|
Nores, Gustavo (*) |
Argentina |
Agricultural Economics |
X |
X |
X |
X |
|
|
Ocampo, José A. (*) |
Colombia |
Economics |
|
|
|
X |
|
|
Páramo, Guillermo (*) |
Colombia |
Social Sciences |
|
|
|
X |
X |
|
Perry, Santiago (*) |
Colombia |
Industrial Engineering |
|
X |
X |
|
|
|
Ramirez, Juan M. (*) |
Colombia |
Law |
|
|
|
X |
|
|
Salazar, Juan José |
Colombia |
Veterinary Science/Management |
X-AO |
X-AO |
X-AO |
|
|
|
Samper, Armando |
Colombia |
Agricultural Economcis |
X-C-emer. |
X-C-emer. |
X-C-emer. |
X-C-emer. |
X-C-emer. |
|
Tanner, Jack (**) |
Canada |
Crop Physiology |
X |
X |
X |
X |
|
|
Thrupp, Lori Ann (**) |
USA |
Natural Resource Management |
|
|
|
X |
X |
|
Umaña, Alvaro (**) |
Costa Rica |
Environmental Engineering |
X |
X |
|
|
|
|
Vaccaro, Lucía de |
Peru |
Genetics/Int. Agr. Development |
X-VC |
X-C-elect |
X-C |
X-C |
X-C |
|
Vlek, Paul |
Holland |
Soil Chemistry/Plant Nutrition |
|
|
X |
X-NC |
X |
|
Vyas, Vijay |
India |
Economics |
X |
X |
X |
XVC-AO |
XVC-AO |
|
Wolfe, Martin (**) |
UK |
Plant Pathology |
|
|
X |
X |
X |
|
(*) |
Ex-officio |
|
(**) |
CGIAR Nominee |
|
C |
- Chair |
|
VC |
- Vice Chair |
|
PC |
- Chair, Programme Committee |
|
AO |
- Chair, Audit and Operations Committee |
|
NC |
- Chair, Nominating Committee |
|
RM |
- Chair, Resource Mobilization Committee |
|
CH-E |
Chairman Emeritus |
