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From strength
to strength
It is fitting that the CGIAR Research Programme
Forests, Trees and Agroforestry
kicked off in 2011, the
International Year of Forests. The ground-breaking
initiative is set to contribute to the sustainable
management of tropical forests while improving
the livelihoods of forest-dependent communities all
over the world. The CGIAR Fund Council gave the
new programme its unconditional endorsement.
As lead centre, CIFOR spent much of the year
overseeing an intense process of operational
planning with CGIAR partners Bioversity
International, International Center for Tropical
Agriculture and World Agroforestry Centre.
CIFOR is well positioned to lead the CGIAR’s effort
to address the challenges facing the world’s forests.
The Center’s strategy and structure are completely
in line with the aims of the CGIAR programme.
The depth and range of CIFOR’s partnerships
have been greatly enriched in recent years, largely
owing to worldwide research initiatives such as the
Poverty and Environment Network and the Global
Comparative Study on REDD+. Our understanding
of the key issues around forestry has progressed
significantly as a result of dedicated policy research.
The staff have grown from strength to strength as
CIFOR has attracted extraordinary new recruits,
from post-docs to senior scientists. Donor
confidence in CIFOR is self-evident: the Center’s
budget has nearly doubled in the past 5 years.
The big news towards the end of 2011 was that
Director General Frances Seymour would leave
CIFOR in mid-2012. She has been instrumental in
dramatically raising the standard and visibility of
the work of the organisation and its impact on
forest-related policy worldwide. From this position
of strength, I am sure that CIFOR will attract
some of the world’s top talent to compete for the
chance to lead the organisation to the next level of
performance and achievement.
Prof. M. Hosny El Lakany
Chair of the Board
© Neil Palmer/CIAT