UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
Office Location/Delivery Address:
GENETIC RESOURCES CONSERVATION PROGRAM
ROOM 127, DANR SUPPORT BUILDING
HOPKINS RD. AT BEE BIOLOGY RD.
DAVIS, CALIFORNIA 95616
(916)754-8501
FAX: (916) 754-8505
E-MAIL: [email protected]
Mailing Address:
GENETIC RESOURCES CONSERVATION PROGRAM
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
DAVIS, CALIFORNIA 95616
21 February 1997
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.
It is my pleasure to transmit to you this Report of the Fourth External Programme and Management Review (EPMR) Panel which was appointed to assess the performance and future directions of the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (IPGRI). As requested, the Panel has interpreted the Terms of Reference and the general guidelines for the CGIAR Review process in the light of the new approach to EPMRs and has made full use of the various Centre Commissioned External Reviews available to it.
IPGRI was established subsequent to the Third External Review in 1991 from the International Board for Plant Genetic Resources (IBPGR) - which had been operating since its creation in 1974 with support, and under the legal and administrative umbrella, of FAO. IPGRI now is a fully independent institute of the CGIAR and executes its work principally by supporting and facilitating the work of other national, regional and international institutions. In this regard, it is different from most other CGIAR Centres.
At the time of the 1991 External Review, the world community had become more aware than ever before of the need for conservation of plant genetic resources and biodiversity which culminated in the international community adopting the Convention on Biodiversity at UNCED in June 1992. Since then, the external environment has changed even further as evidenced by the adoption of the Global Plan of Action at Leipzig in June 1996 and the ongoing renegotiation of the International Undertaking on Plant Genetic Resources. IPGRI has participated centrally in facilitating these changes in the international environment. Further, IPGRI has responded to CGIAR-related changes, particularly the addition of INIBAP and the leadership of the CGIAR Systemwide Genetic Resources Programme (SGRP) to the IPGRI programme.
As the Report makes clear, the Panel commends IPGRI for effectively managing its institutional transformation and positioning itself strategically within the international community. The Panel found the Institute to be in good order generally, and was therefore able to concentrate on producing a forward-looking Review Report with emphasis on strategic issues, governance and management. At the same time the Panel focused on IPGRI's programme priorities, on the integration of INIBAP with IPGRI, and the role of IPGRI in the SGRP.
On the latter issues, the Panel concludes that: IPGRI's programme priorities are reasonably well articulated, and would need to be reassessed in the years ahead, as planned by the Board and management, during implementation of the Institute's Strategy and Medium Term Plan (1998-2000); the full integration of INIBAP with IPGRI should now be expeditiously completed, through suitable action by the INIBAP Support Group and IPGRI; and IPGRI has played a vital leadership role in the SGRP, and this role needs to be further strengthened in the context of a revitalized SGRP. The Panel has made specific recommendations in each of these areas, among others.
On behalf of the Panel, I thank IPGRI's Board, management and staff for giving us every assistance and enabling us to undertake our task smoothly and in good humour. We would like to thank the representatives of the national programmes, NGOs, CGIAR Centres and other international institutions, including FAO, for sharing with us their insights and perceptions of IPGRI and its activities.
I would like to thank you for assembling an able and experienced team for the challenging task of conducting this Review. The whole review team, including the three consultants and the two resource persons from the TAC and the CGIAR Secretariats worked exceptionally well together, with commitment to the task. On behalf of myself and the Panel, I would like to express our sincere appreciation for the excellent contributions made by the Panel consultants: Bill Carlson, Rodrigo Tarte and Carlos Correa, and by the resource persons assigned to the IPGRI External Review team: Amir Kassam (Panel Secretary), from the TAC Secretariat, and Pammi Sachdeva (Management Specialist), from the CGIAR Secretariat.
Yours sincerely,
Calvin Qualset, Chair
External Review Panel
