Letter from CGIAR Chairman Ismail Serageldin on the Meeting of the Consultative Council, May 20, 2000

Letter dated May 22, 2000 from CGIAR Chairman Ismail Serageldin to CGIAR Members immediately prior to the 2000 Mid Term Meeting. The letter reported on the Consultative Council meeting held two days earlier. TAC Chair Emil Javier also presented a companion paper to TAC's vision statement He articulated seven planks of CGIAR strategic planning (one added at the meeting) and the concept of the CGIAR heartland.Council members broadly supported the presentation, particularly its approach to the management of natural resources. They were comfortable with the TAC suggestion of task forces, but thought that priority setting should not be based exclusively on a geographic perspective. The Council agreed to ask the CBC and CDC to develop an action plan, organizational options, and potential financial arrangements. It recommended that the Group adopt the seven elements of strategy, also called "planks," and the definition of a CGIAR heartland.