9th meeting of the CGIAR System Council

The 9th meeting of the CGIAR System Council took place on 13-14 November 2019 and was hosted by the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), in Chengdu, China.

The main discussion point was One CGIAR.

Document SC9-02: Recommendations for One CGIAR Presentation delivered by SRG Co-Chair Background Resource – Initial Steps and Support Towards the Transition Annex 6 – Initial Indicative Assessment of Implementation Risks Presentation – Initial Steps and Transition Support To One CGIAR

One CGIAR. is a dynamic reformulation of CGIAR’s partnerships, knowledge and physical assets – building on an energized, interconnected, and diverse global talent pool. It aims to drive major progress in key areas where innovation is needed to deliver on the SDGs by 2030, anchored in more unified governance, institutions, country engagement, and funding.

Delivering CGIAR’s mission requires an integrated approach to research and partnerships – which the climate crisis makes even more imperative and urgent. CGIAR’s governance and institutions need to be united as ‘One CGIAR’ in order to tackle the complex and interrelated challenges of the 21st century. These recommendations by the System Reference Group (SRG) reflect an unprecedented, System-wide process over the past 18 months to achieve this with urgency.

Video intervention from Akinwumi Adesina: the President of the African Development Bank.

"Take for example the TAAT Wheat Compact Seed Sector program led by ICARDA. We successfully deployed 65,000 metric tons of seeds of certified wheat resistant varieties accross 9 countries, all in its 4 year alone. The impact is massive. Sudan moved self sufficiency in wheat production from 25 % in 2016 to 80 % by 2018-2019." 

"To be more effective the CGIAR needs to be more effective (...) Over-centralized organisation tend to be inefficient. Agriculture is location specific or specific to agro-ecological zones. This diversity should be preserved"