CGIAR Systemwide Livestock Programme:
Governance and Management
Principles
The governance and management of the CGIAR Systemwide Livestock Programme (SLP) follows the guiding principles adopted by the CGIAR in 1994 for the management of its systemwide and ecoregional programmes. These principles are to:
* Have a clear system of accountability
* Maintain clear responsibility and reporting lines
* Promote collective decision making
* Delegate decision making to the lowest possible operational level
* Ensure transparency in decision making
* Identify transaction costs and ensure that they are met
* Minimise transaction costs, to the degree consistent with effective co-ordination
* Maximise cost/benefit ratios
* Provide incentives for entrepreneurship
* Promote full participation and ownership among the various partners
* Maintain flexibility in problem emphasis and institutional capacity
* Foster compatibility with the management procedures of partners
* Specify full-cost budgets for funding by partners and donors.
Membership
The successful implementation of a systemwide programme requires the participation of centres across the CGIAR system, clear and agreed delineation of responsibilities and sharing of credit accordingly. In the SLP this is achieved by preserving the primacy of the roles of participating centres. The following centres are members of the Programme:
* Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT)
* Centro Internacional de Mejoramiento de Maíz y Trigo (CIMMYT)
* Centro Internacional de la Papa (CIP)
* International Centre for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA)
* International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT)
* International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)
* International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA)
* International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)
* International Rice Research Institute (IRRI)
* International Water Management Institute (IWMI)
* World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF)
* Africa Rice Center (WARDA)
Governance
ILRI’s Board of Trustees has overall responsibility for the SLP. A specially constituted inter-centre Livestock Programme Group (LPG) serves as the SLP’s Steering Committee. The LPG provides direction to the programme and oversees its implementation and co-oridnation. The responsibilities of the LPG are to:
* Serve as an advisory body and clearing house for research proposals
* Determine the SLP’s priority research areas
* Evaluate, approve and allocate available resources to SLP projects
* Agree on which centres or other partners are best placed to lead in priority research thrusts, and allocate responsibility for convening consortia to support such lead institutions
* Ensure the global coherence of SLP research investments and their efficient use
* Promote awareness of the importance of crop–livestock systems research.
The LPG consists of a senior management representative from each of the participating centres, with the representative from ILRI, the convening centre, serving as the Chair. To support the Programme’s implementation, the LPG has an Executive Committee, with one member rotating every year. The LPG meets once annually to review progress and approve work plans and budgets. The Science Council of the CGIAR oversees the LPG’s operations and the coherence of the Programme project portfolio.
Programme Management
The SLP has a full-time co-ordinator whose job is to facilitate the implementation of the Programme’s strategy and research activities. The co-ordinator’s responsibilities are to:
* Lead the implementation of the Programme’s business plan
* Compile and review proposals and make recommendations to the LPG
* Prepare annual work plans and budgets for the programme
* Lead and co-ordinate the preparation of Programme reports
* Promote the SLP and its achievements through public awareness efforts
* Submit contracts for the disbursement of funds
* Ensure that reports are prepared and submitted to the CGIAR and donors as per their requirements
* Facilitate information sharing among project partners and between them and the LPG
* Inform the LPG on Programme developments
* Maintain and expand relationships with the donor community
* Facilitate programme reviews and assist in setting up an internal performance monitoring system
* Provide support to implement any needed change in organisational culture.
The SLP Coordination is located in the Addis Ababa campus of ILRI, the convening centre. It is supported by a Programme Assistant employed by the Programme. ILRI provides administrative support in particular with the administration of SLP funds and information systems.
Project Management
Each SLP Project is managed by a Lead Principal Investigator (LPI) and supervised by the Research Director of the lead centre. Through the Programme Co-ordinator, the Lead Principal Investigators submit annual technical and financial reports and work plans to the LPG. The SLP Co-ordinator monitors project implementation and progress.
