the CGIAR-NGO Committee Briefing Note
Background
The Lucerne Declaration and Action Program adopted at the CGIAR Ministerial-Level Meeting held at Lucerne (Switzerland) on February 9-10, 1995 encouraged the CGIAR to continue its efforts to develop a more open and participatory system and, towards this end, to establish a NGO Committee (as well as a Private Sector Committee) as a means of strengthening its dialogue with members of the civil society.
Consequently, CGIAR Chairman Ismail Serageldin held a series of consultations with a broad range of NGOs in Addis Ababa, the Hague, Nairobi, New Delhi, Paris, Rome, and Washington, D.C. as to how best this recommendation might be implemented. Among the matters discussed with NGOs were the substance of the CGIAR renewal program, the thrusts of the CGIAR research agenda, the broadening of CGIAR partnerships including NGO/CGIAR collaboration, and the role and scope of the proposed NGO Committee.
Two clusters of NGO interests emerged from these consultations: a) micro-level issues connected primarily with integration of village-level farm activities with the work of the Centers, and b) global issues--such as food security, intellectual property rights and genetic resources--that members of the CGIAR (the Group) deal with as matters of policy.
Further consultations with NGOs followed and a number of NGO representatives were invited to join the Committee on the understanding that they would participate in their personal capacities; that the Committee would broaden the awareness of the Group regarding NGO perspectives; that the opportunities would be provided for these perspectives to influence CGIAR policies, in particular its priorities and strategies; and that the Committee would advise the Group on how to broaden its continuing consultations with the wider NGO community including farmers’ organizations.
The first meeting of the NGO Committee was held in Washington, D.C. in October 1995 immediately before International Centers Week (ICW95), and the Committee thereafter participated in the Group’s business meeting for the first time.
Objectives
The general objectives of the NGO Committee are to seek to strengthen a people-centered approach to sustainable agriculture and contribute to a mutual understanding between the CGIAR and the NGO community including farmers’ and fisherfolk organizations on issues of common interest and concern. The Committee is expected to provide policy inputs to the CGIAR from NGO perspectives relating to environmentally, socially and economically sustainable agricultural development and research, as well as to serve as a mechanism for facilitating two-way communication between CGIAR members and the NGO community.
The NGO Committee, as a system-level partnership committee of the CGIAR, complements existing efforts by CGIAR centers to establish new linkages, and maintain, strengthen and expand existing working relationships with NGOs. This enables the Committee to provide NGO perspectives on policy issues relevant to Group decision making, thus enriching the context within which center boards, managers and scientists determine center-specific research policies, strategies, methodologies and priorities, etc. This emphasis enables the Group to take into account NGOs’ experiences and perspectives in the formulation of its policies, priorities and strategies. Such perspectives contribute to ensure that the science promoted by the centers are relevant to the needs and circumstances of poor farmers in the developing world.
The Committee also provides inputs to the CGIAR on the best ways to improve farmer-scientist collaboration; broaden the list of candidates for center boards, review panels, and other CGIAR bodies; and strengthen consideration of gender issues. In addition, the Committee advises the CGIAR on possible ways to engage in a broad-based, worldwide consultation process with interested NGOs, covering issues of common interest; and recommends ways of strengthening the CGIAR’s linkages with the rest of the global agricultural research system, including national agricultural research systems (NARS) and NGOs engaged in farm-level research and development activities.
Membership
The composition of the Committee seeks a reasonable balance along several dimensions: geographic coverage (South-North balance among regional perspectives); thematic interests (macro-policy issues and farm level concerns; agricultural and environmental concerns); outreach capability (to reach global, regional and national networks of NGOs); and gender (perspective; male-female balance on the Committee). Committee members serve in their personal capacity, not as representatives of special interests or specific constituencies among the wider NGO community. They are, however, expected to consult with the wider NGO community and bring their concerns into the CGIAR.
In 1996, the Committee was chaired by Robert Blake (USA). Since November 1996, upon completion of Mr. Blake’s term, Miguel Altieri (Chile) has served as Chair. Other members of the Committee are Kamla Chowdhry (India), Bernd Dreesmann (Germany), Yuexin Du (China), Carmen Felipe-Morales (Peru), Assetou Kanoute (Mali), Jeffrey McNeely (United Kingdom), Jeanot Minila Mfou’ou (Cameroon), Carlos Perez (USA), Didier Pillot (France), and Ranil Senanayake (Sri Lanka). In terms of geographic coverage and gender, seven of the present 11 members are from the South and four are females.
Procedures
The NGO Committee has targetted to have a total of 12 members (eight from the South and four from the North; six females and six males). Candidates for membership are identified through wide consultation with the NGO community. Upon recommendation of the NGOC, candidates are formally invited by the CGIAR Chairman to serve as members for initial renewable 2-year terms. Periodic rotation of Committee members ensures a balance between members from the South and North, and provides opportunities for drawing out a variety of perspectives. The Committee Chair is supported by a Secretary appointed by him and working independently of the CGIAR Secretariat.
The NGO Committee meets at least twice a year and reports to the Group at its mid-term and annual meetings. Like other committees, it formulates and undertakes its own work program on an annual basis. Activities include but are not limited to visits to the centers, holding of workshops and consultation meetings with NGOs and other stakeholders, elaboration of position papers on various research and policy issues, and encouraging concrete collaborative partnerships between NGOs and CGIAR centers.. Committee members interact with various components of the system, particularly the CGIAR’s Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), Private Sector Committee, and the centers.
The Committee’s work program and budget are presented for endorsement to the CGIAR at the Group’s annual meeting (International Centers Week). The funds allocated by the CGIAR members for the Committee’s work are transferred to the Chair and are utilized under his/her authorization. The budget is managed in a decentralized way, with no micromanagement by any other unit of the CGIAR system. Specific principles and modalities to guide implementation of NGOC’s work program and budget are contained in a letter addressed to the Committee Chair by the CGIAR Secretariat on November 11, 1996.
The Committee arranges its own support service, and is assisted as required by a focal point in the CGIAR Secretariat.
NGOC Activities Since Establishment
The report of the first meeting of the NGO Committee was tabled at International Centers Week 95, and has provided the basis for follow-up action by the Committee and its members. During 1996, Committee members - sometimes accompanied by local NGOs - have visited a number of centers to gain a better understanding of the research programs and approach of the CGIAR scientists. In most cases, some form of local NGO consultation was organized in the host countries of these centers. In recent months, NGO Committee members have met with the centers and other NGOs. The visits provide the local NGOs an opportunity to learn more about the NGOC; enable the centers to learn more about the NGOs work and the NGOs’ impressions of the centers’ research work; and discuss ideas on how the centers could work better with the NGOs.
During its visit to the Philippines in March, 1996, the NGOC met with the Technical Advisory Committee. As TAC provides independent advice to the CGIAR on strategic issues and on the quality and relevance of its research programs, NGOs’ inputs to this committee is considered essential. This dialouge continued at the mid-term meeting held in Cairo in May 1997.
In May, 1996, the NGOC attended the CGIAR mid -term meeting where it presented its observations drawn from its visits to the centers along with its recommendations on how to proceed to establish better collaborative links with NGOs.
The Committee participated in the Global Forum on Agricultural Research that was held at ICW96. It was a unique gathering of the various components in the global agricultural research system which explored the needs and opportunities for agricultural research, the scope of collaboration and measures to strengthen partnerships. The Committee, through its Chair, provides the NGO perspectives on various issues that are now being tackled by the Global Forum Steering Committee (GFSC). The GFSC was created to translate the Forum’s Plan of Action into program of activities.
During the mid-term meeting in Cairo, Egypt, the NGOC provided important inputs on issues related to biotechnology especially social, ethical, and biosafety concerns. It also conveyed its position on some of the issues to be addressed by the CGIAR system external review process, particularly on the participation of civil society in CGIAR’s future .
August, 1997