Donald L. Winkelmann
Chair
19 September 1995
Dear Mr. Serageldin,
As discussed at MTM'95 in Nairobi during the consideration of the 1996 CGIAR research agenda, TAC is currently preparing for a major review of CGIAR priorities and strategies on which a report is due to be presented to the Group at MTM'96. As I also announced at that time, at TAC 67 in July the Committee allocated several days to discussions with well informed professionals on a number of specific themes of major importance to CGIAR priorities. Following those discussions, TAC prepared a number of short notes each dealing with one of these themes: Process; Criteria and Framework for CGIAR Priority Setting; Poverty; Natural Resources Management, Collaboration with Advanced Research Institutions; and National Research Systems. I take pleasure in attaching a copy of each of those notes for discussion with the members of the CGIAR at ICW'95. Directly attached to this transmittal letter is the note on Process that lays out a timetable for delivering recommendations on CGIAR Priorities and Strategies to the Group. The other notes are attached as separate papers.
The objective of these notes is to share with the Group some stances TAC has taken and to seek the Group's counsel on the directions in which we should move forward in setting CGIAR priorities and strategies. In preparing them, TAC has assumed that the reader is familiar with earlier material on CGIAR priority setting and the Lucerne paper on the CGIAR research agenda. No attempt was made to review the evolution of CGIAR thinking on these topics nor to pursue various caveats and subtleties. Rather, the intent was to keep the papers as short as possible, consistent with the aim of stimulating discussion and eliciting the Group's counsel. A draft of each of these notes was shared with Centre Directors at the end of August and despite the short notice and time available for comments, many very useful responses were received for which we are very grateful.
Mr. Ismail Serageldin
CGIAR Chairman
World Bank
1818 H Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20433
USA
Mail address: 355 E. Palace Avenue, Santa Fe, NM 87501 · TEL: (1-505) 988-1284 · FAX: (1-505) 988-1285 · [email protected]
The notes reflect, I believe, the collective views of the members of TAC and I would like to express my appreciation to them for their inputs in the work. While I took personal responsibility for preparing the papers, I benefitted substantially from the support received from the TAC Secretariat which I would like to gratefully acknowledge.
Yours sincerely,
Donald L. Winkelmann
