CGIAR Center Directors Committee Minutes, Presiding Chair: P. Sanchez

The Minutes of the CDC Meeting in Beijing record discussions between the CDC and CG Chair and Executive Secretary on the CGIAR iin sub-Saharan Africa and restructuring entities in the region, leadership of the CGIAR, World Bank funding and restricted funding, Position papers prepared by members of the CDC in areas identified by the Consultative Council are reviewed and discussed for presentation to the group at MTM99. The CDC also review position papers prepared by other entities of the system to reach a CDC position for MTM99. In a meeting with the TAC Chair the issues ranged from special funds allocated by the World Bank for TAC defined initiatives rather than optimizing unrestricted funding for the IARCs, to the apparent lack of interest in MTPs and EPMRs. In discussions with the CBC, emphasis is placed on a functional approach to a CGIAR Strategy in sub-Saharan rather than a structural approach promoted by the system review, trends towards downstream research rather than upstream research, the board/management divide, systemwide undertakings without an appropriate funding structure to support it. Also recorded in the minutes are progress reports on PARC and Future Harvest, IAEG, AIARC, and the Gender and Diversity Program..