The EPMR Panel expresses its sincere appreciation to the Board, Senior Management and all staff of IPGRI for their support and assistance during this review. In particular, the Panel wishes to thank Dr Geoff Hawtin, Director General, Dr Coosje Hoogendoorn, Deputy Director General for Programmes, Dr Lyndsey Withers, Assistant Director General and Koen Geerts, Director of Finance and Administration for responding efficiently to the many requests by the Panel during the Main Phase. The Panel also thanks them warmly for their hospitality in welcoming the Panel to IPGRI headquarters in Rome. IPGRI’s staff is thanked for being available as necessary to provide additional information and clarification. The Panel is also pleased for having been invited to participate in the November review of Projects by the PPRC.
Several Panel members had an opportunity to see some of IPGRI’s regional activities and partners in East Africa (Kenya and Uganda), Asia (Malaysia, China and Nepal), Europe (France and Belgium), CWANA (Morocco and Tunisia) and Latin America (Mexico and Costa Rica). The Panel expresses its appreciation to the Regional Directors, particularly Kwesi Atta-Krah (SSA), George Ayad (CWANA), Ramon Lastra (Americas) and Percy Sajise (APO) and their colleagues, for organizing the field visits in these regions. Special thanks are also due to Jose Luis Chavez, Dionysious Kiambi and Abdullah Bari for assistance during field visits. Emile Frison, Director of INIBAP and the INIBAP Regional Coordinators, Franklin Rosales and Eldad Karamura are thanked for all arrangements during visits to see INIBAP’s activities. The Panel also thanks Emile Frison for attending to the Panel’s needs as the DG designate of IPGRI.
There are a number of other IPGRI staff who either directly or indirectly helped the Panel by providing the necessary logistical and other support. They are many indeed, but the Panel wants to mention especially the help received from Sara Hutchinson, who assisted in all preparations throughout the EPMR implementation process and Sheilah Ebel, who also looked after the Panel’s well being.
The Panel was fortunate to have Ruth Erickson of the iSC Secretariat assisting in the word processing and preparation of this Report, in addition to handling a number of other report related tasks.
It is the Panel’s pleasure to also thank the iSC Secretariat (particularly Sirkka Immonen, Panel secretary and resource person) and the CGIAR Secretariat (particularly Selçuk Özgediz) for the coordination and management of this review and for guidance throughout. The Panel thanks Irmi Braun-Castaldi from the iSC Secretariat for making travel and administrative arrangements.
