Report of the NGO Committee to CGIAR International Centers Week 1999

Report to ICW 1999 by the CGIAR NGO Committee, which held its ninth meeting in October 1999 during International Centers Week. The report describes activities since MTM 1999, under the headings of publication of reports, and participation in workshops and conferences. Activities planned for the coming months are described, including co-sponsorship of a workshop in Berkeley, California, on "Ecological impacts of transgenic crops."The Committee had undertaken a restructuring to reduce the number of members, and produce a balance of six out of eight members from the South. It was collaborating with the Global forum on Agricultural Research (GFAR) and encouraged an increase in the number of NGO and farmer representatives in GFAR. Sharpening the pro-poor research mission of the CGIAR was critically important. The Committee made several suggestions for moving in this direction, using both traditional research methods and biotechnology.The report was presented orally to ICW 1999 by the Committee Chair, Miguel Altieri. This written version was circulated as an annex to the summary report of ICW 99.