New Board, new vision: CGIAR stands ready to address global challenges with renewed energy

The inaugural meeting of the CGIAR Integrated Partnership Board (IPB or the Board; Composition-CGIAR), held in Washington, DC, from 18 to 20 October 2024, marked a pivotal moment for CGIAR.

The Board expressed enthusiasm and resolve to collectively drive CGIAR forward in a spirit of openness and renewal. The Board is united in its commitment to constructive engagement and motivated by a shared resolve with Centers, donors, and other CGIAR stakeholders to recognize, build on, and amplify the important work done in the past and reconcile this with future strategy.

CGIAR's 2030 Research & Innovation Strategy was a core focus for the Board. The Board also reviewed the design of the 2025-2030 Portfolio and looks forward to receiving the final proposals for approval. The Board is grateful to all staff involved in creating the Strategy and Portfolio, which directly addresses critical global issues like food and nutrition security, climate adaptation and mitigation, gender inequality, youth in agriculture, poverty reduction, and biodiversity. The research outcomes will significantly scale CGIAR's impact on global food, land, and water systems.

For the Board, strong partnerships with global and regional stakeholders amplify CGIAR's reach and are key to its impact. Agility and responsiveness are critical to meeting the needs of smallholder farmers while addressing broader systemic challenges. As such, CGIAR's ability to navigate complex issues is a clear strength.
The Board reviewed the resource mobilization strategy, which is essential for securing the funding to achieve CGIAR's ambitious goals. Members discussed the need to diversify funding, strengthen relationships with key donors, and pursue innovative finance mechanisms.

Professor Lindiwe Majele Sibanda, IPB Chair, said: "My fellow Board members and I are aligned around, and motivated by, a common goal: to make CGIAR more effective and efficient in creating scientific solutions to some of the most intractable global problems facing future generations."

Juergen Voegele, System Council Chair, said: "As CGIAR embarks on a new chapter, I was pleased to meet with the new Integrated Partnership Board, a dynamic group of leaders committed to guiding CGIAR's strategic direction and advancing its vital work. Deploying the critical mass of science from across the entire CGIAR system, this new Board will make a big difference."

Further updates on the IPB's priorities and a new vision for CGIAR will be regularly communicated on cgiar.org.