The International Potato Center’s Vision exercise, finalized in 2003, reaffirmed CIP’s commitment to putting Center science squarely at the service of people and the planet. Despite the complexity of this commitment, and the vast concerns and issues it embraces, the exercise helped us to reaffirm our Center’s capabilities, as well as our staff and partners’ shared determination to contribute to the challenges laid out by the UN in the Millennium Development Goals (MDG).
The MDG provided CIP with the context for a very thorough process of self examination, helping us to identify the areas—within the broad range of challenges they set forth—where we were already closely aligned with the proposed targets, as well as those where we needed to increase our focus or reshape our program to produce the results that our mission demands of us. Thanks to the strong leadership of Dr. Pamela Anderson, CIP’s Deputy Director General for Research, we ended the year with a totally revamped research structure, realigned to provide maximum impact in the action areas identified by our Vision plenary. This new structure gives us a solid framework within which we can move forward to fine-tune our research activities: eliminating the superfluous (not in terms of absolute value but rather in terms of direct contribution to our carefully chosen targets), heightening capacities in key areas, and building the expertise and partnerships needed to face the challenges we have singled out head on. With six new Research Divisions, eight solid Partnership Projects, and a portfolio of emerging Country Development Projects, CIP is now fully prepared to make our new Vision a reality. Our donors have recognized this readiness by committing funds to important new undertakings and renewing their support for efforts already underway. Many of these initiatives are reported on in this publication.
As we progressed through this intense process of realignment, we were reminded that renewal is most effective when it is based on solid recognition and reinforcement of proven strengths. With this in mind, we grouped CIP’s new program structure solidly around our longstanding core research areas: impact assessment and enhancement, genetic resources conservation and characterization, crop enhancement and improvement, and natural resources management. Only one of the new Research Divisions represents an area that is, as such, new to CIP: human health. This is not to say that concerns for human health are new to us. Rather, the Vision exercise helped us to appreciate CIP’s ample experience and effectiveness in working to improve human health, the enormous potential of our mandate crops for contributing even more significantly to it, and the viability—through partnering and pairing of strategic capabilities—of making a solid impact in this vital area of concern.
On another front, the Vision exercise confirmed the soundness of one of CIP’s founding principles: the power of partnership. For us and for so many of our colleagues worldwide, time has proven that the only way to address the complex problems of the developing world, and to maximize each of our individual contributions to their solutions, is through innovative and effective cooperation. This is why we have raised the profile of partnership within our new program, giving renewed impetus to initiatives that will make key contributions to pressing concerns that would otherwise be far too vast for us to tackle. Among the Partnership Programs included in our new program are two CIP-led system-wide programs, five regional initiatives, and one global research network. CIP’s partnerships also include active engagement in the three CGIAR Pilot Challenge Programs.
For CIP, 2003 also marked a return to financial stability. After several years of shortfalls resulting from unfavorable exchange rates and reductions in income, we were able to ensure funds well over budgeted amounts and to rebuild our financial reserves. This was possible largely thanks to cost reduction measures initiated in 2002, combined with increased cost recovery from restricted projects. CIP foresees a healthy financial situation in 2004 with overall growth in revenues coming from an increased number and value of restricted projects, and a stronger pipeline of pending proposals.
On the system level, we are encouraged by the CGIAR’s move to establish a strong Science Council capable of making enlightened recommendations to donors on priority setting and resource allocation. This, together with the consolidation of the Future Harvest Alliance office to integrate efforts across the system, will help us to make great strides, collectively and as individual Centers, toward our shared goals and mission.
In closing, I am most pleased that our Board of Trustees has elected Pamela Anderson to succeed me when I retire as Director General in 2005. Pamela’s dedication and talent—and the opportunity we will have to work side by side in ensuring a smooth transition for CIP—will certainly contribute to making CIP’s new Vision a source of positive, sustainable changes for the people and the planet we strive to serve.
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Hubert Zanstra
Director General |
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