CGIAR International Centers Week, Washington, D.C., July 30 - August 3, 1973: Informal Summary of Proceedings

Informal summary of proceedings of CGIAR International Centers Week and Group meeting in Washington, DC, July 30 to August 3, 1973, chaired by Richard Demuth. ICW plenary sessions were devoted to center presentations of proposals for 1974. The Group meeting heard a report of the African Livestock Subcommittee on progress in the establishment of a Kenya-based International Laboratory for Research on Animal Diseases (ILRAD) and Ethiopia-based International Livestock Center for Africa (ILCA). Responding to a UNCTAD resolution asking the Group to find ways of increasing the competitiveness of natural raw materials with products with synthetic and other substitutes, the Group affirmed its priority for research on food crops. Budgeting and accounting practices to increase the uniformity of center budgets were reviewed. Members also considered ways to improve and streamline review of annual center programs and budgets. The Chairman appointed a subcommittee headed by David Bell of the Ford Foundation to make recommendations on reviews of the centers. TAC Chairman, Sir John Crawford, made an informal presentation of TAC's recommendations concerning centers' 1974 program proposals. The Group agreed to consider financial support for WARDA, conditioned on stronger scientific management. Mr. Demuth agreed to chair a subcommittee including representatives of FAO and TAC to consider expansion of support for the conservation of plant genetic resources. Sir John reported on progress in considering research possibilities in the Middle East, and on TAC thinking about protein oriented research in Latin America, tropical fruits, soybeans, trypanosomiasis, and aquaculture. He also summarized and the Group discussed a preliminary paper on CGIAR research priorities. Annexes: List of Participants; Schedule of Events; Agenda; CGIAR Chairman's letter to UNCTAD; TAC Chair statement on research priorities; center and CGIAR requirements for 1974; donor allocations