Eighth Meeting of the CGIAR Science Council

Welcome Remarks

FAO Headquarters, Rome, 27 August 2007

Chairperson
Ladies and gentlemen

I wish to warmly welcome all of you to FAO headquarters, here in Rome, on the occasion of the Eighth Meeting of the CGIAR Science Council.

Since its inception the CGIAR has played an important role in agricultural development and the reduction of poverty and hunger. The agricultural technologies developed by the CGIAR helped to eradicate famine in Asia during the Green Revolution in the1970s. Despite successes such as that, poverty and hunger remain in the world on an unacceptable scale and the United Nations has therefore mobilized unprecedented global commitment to achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), including the reduction of poverty and hunger by one-half by 2015.

The CGIAR’s unique role in applying the fruits of basic science research to the challenges faced by developing country farmers continues to make it an essential partner in agricultural development and the fight against poverty. Science and technology are advancing so fast that now, more than ever, CGIAR expertise is needed to adapt and apply emerging technologies for those farmers who would otherwise fall further and further behind. Advances in biotechnology, genomics, bioinformatics, nanotechnology, geographic information systems and remote sensing, modelling and information communication technologies can all be harnessed to achieve the MDGs, and the CGIAR has an essential role to play in that effort.

The CGIAR’s role in promoting sustainable natural resource management is also as important as ever with the current level of global concern over climate change and bioenergy production. The CGIAR System Priorities restate its focus on conservation of both staple and under-utilized crops, indigenous livestock, aquatic and animal genetic resources, as well as sustainable agro-ecological intensification and improved water productivity. These are significant areas in which FAO and the CGIAR can continue to build on their extensive collaboration.

A further role that the CGIAR plays is in institutional development and capacity building through its work on policies that promote institutional innovation and through the training of scientists at the Centers and during collaborative projects. Capacity building is an area of growing concern for developing countries, especially in science and technology. The resources required to train individuals are scarce; at the same time there is a growing trend for those who do receive training to seek jobs in developed countries. The CGIAR and FAO can work together to provide training for scientists within a framework that allows their skills to remain in a system focused on sustainable agricultural development and poverty reduction. FAO has a long history of partnership with the CGIAR in all its roles and the demand for such collaboration continues to grow, as we strive to meet these global challenges together.

The role of the CGIAR Science Council is a particularly important one. The Science Council monitors the CGIAR’s performance in all its roles and ensure that the science and technologies generated by its research are of the highest quality. Given the global importance of the CGIAR’s mandate and the extent to which its partners rely on its research, the Science Council should take its work very seriously indeed. The agenda for this meeting is an impressive testament to that commitment. The meeting will cover the external reviews of four CGIAR Centers and two Challenge Programmes as well as the annual review of all the Centers’ Medium Term Plans (MTPs). There will also be individual reports from each of the four Standing Panels on Mobilizing Science, Monitoring and Evaluation, Policies and Strategies, and Impact Assessment.

It is particularly fitting that the Science Council meeting immediately following the FAO- CGIAR High-level Meeting in April, should be held here at FAO headquarters. It adds a further sense of commitment to the renewed strengthening of the partnership between the two organizations and provides an excellent opportunity for my FAO colleagues to participate in one of the Science Council’s bi-annual meetings. At the High-level Meeting in April, the following seven priority areas for future FAO-CGIAR collaboration were agreed:

	It was agreed that collaboration should continue in the area of genetic resources through support to the International Treaty for Plant Genetic Resources and work on Animal Genetic Resources. This collaboration will be expanded in response to requests from the Commission on Genetic Resources to include forest, aquatic and microbial genetic resources and the FAO and CGIAR will also work together in advocating for long-term funding of the Commission’s activities.
	It was also agreed that there should be further collaborative work on transboundary pests and diseases, including further development of mapping and information systems together with monitoring and early warning systems. The Global Wheat Rust Initiative is just one example of the potential for further collaboration in this area.
	The issue of climate change mitigation and adaptation is likely to become an increasingly important area for FAO-CGIAR collaboration. This will involve continued support to the UNCCD and related work on combating desertification as well as new collaboration in the development of bioenergy production systems in agriculture and forestry that do not endanger local food production. FAO will be organizing a global event on the impacts of climate change and bioenergy on agriculture and food security in 2009 and CGIAR experts are expected to contribute to the planning of that event and the meetings leading up to it. The CGIAR Challenge Programmes could also provide a framework for further collaboration in this area.
	Collaboration will be strengthened in the area of policy development. It was agreed that FAO and CGIAR will focus on both the provision of information suitable for policy makers and technical assistance for the formulation of policies on agriculture and agricultural research. It is expected that IFPRI will be the focal point for renewed collaboration in this area.
	FAO and CGIAR will work together to promote an ecosystem approach that balances agricultural intensification with natural resource conservation. FAO has been asked by the Commission on Agriculture to consider the possible elements of a Strategic Framework for Agriculture and Environmental Challenges of the 21 st Century using the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment as a starting point for further study which could involve CGIAR experts.
	A number of joint activities will be initiated to enhance capacity building involving research organizations, scientists and extensionists. FAO projects already provide a framework for training at CGIAR Centers and this should be expanded to build on the findings of the recent Science Council study evaluating the impact of training in the CGIAR.
	Collaboration at the country level will take place within the framework of the National Programmes for Food Security. The Special Programme for Food Security Management and Coordination Service, TCOS, will ensure that all CGIAR Centers receive the project information from the National Programmes and are involved in the country start-up phase in order to facilitate broad participation from the Centers.

Progress is already being made on many of these issues with separate meetings being planned between the Alliance and FAO on genetic resources and climate change as a result of the follow-up meeting in July. This meeting here today will help to retain the momentum gathered by these efforts.

In closing, I wish you all a very productive meeting and I encourage all my FAO colleagues to participate to their fullest extent, to ensure that the partnership between our Organizations continues to deepen and grow.

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