Prof. Dr Adel El-Beltagy, Director General, opened the retreat and briefed the group on its objectives.

ICARDA Management Committee members traveled to Lattakia for a retreat held on 24–25 October. The retreat was held in Meridien Hotel, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, in a tranquil environment as the beach season had just ended. Each day the retreat started at 8:30 a.m. and ended at 10:30 p.m., with a lunch break from 12 noon to 1:00 p.m. and an Iftar/dinner from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m.

Prof. Dr Adel El-Beltagy, Director General, led a team of 20 management committee members, including the ADGs, Mega-Project Directors, Unit Heads, and others to Lattakia for the retreat. The objectives of the retreat were to review the progress of work over the past 10 months since the new, six mega-project portfolio was implemented in January 2005; address issues of integration of various teams; discuss funding prospects during the next five years and actions that need to be taken to safeguard the financial health of ICARDA; and review the Center's draft Strategic Plan for 2006–2015.

Opening the retreat, Prof. Dr El-Beltagy said: "We need to have a clear vision, be task-oriented and understand how to interplay among us to optimize our work and performance. We need to have more transparency, ability to think aloud, and remove any barriers to our progress. ICARDA's interest should take priority over anything else. We exist because we are collectively conducting research that touches the livelihoods of the people living in the dry areas. New tools of science and technology are now available to accelerate our progress.

In conducting the retreat, Prof. Dr Adel El-Beltagy (center) was assisted by Prof. Dr Magdy Madkour (right), ADG (IC); and Dr William Erskine (left), ADG (Research).

"We need to ask ourselves where we have reached since January 2005 when ICARDA's new research portfolio was implemented. Interlaced within the new portfolio are research support units, interest groups, and task forces. Both the interplay and integration of these components of the portfolio are important. Integration is an important issue. Without integration we will be lost. How are we going to coordinate and synergize and get into an integration mode? This is one of the key issues we will address at this retreat.

"The functions of some Research Support Units are of a general, service-all nature (GISU, CBSU, CODIS and HRDU), but others are more specific (GRU and Seed Unit). The Units that form a part of mega-projects should grow stronger within those mega-projects to serve the Center better. We have six Interest Groups (BIG, FPIG, SEG, IPM, WIG and CLIG) and five Task Forces (Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Sudan and Palestine), but not all of them have been equally active. There is a need to work more aggressively and make meaningful contributions.

"To ensure ICARDA's sustainability over the next five years, we should be up-to-date with progress vis-a-vis projections (physical facilities and resources), identify gaps, and develop an action plan along with the division of labor (tasks). Priority setting is currently under way with NARS to guide our projections. Members of the Management team should devote about 35% of their time to develop proposals with the partners concerned for funding. ADG (R) and ADG (IC) will continue to work closely with the scientists. Resources must grow in the next five years, as the gaps are perceived to be huge. An action plan for the next five years must be carefully developed.

"Regional programs are essential components of ICARDA's organization, and all Regional Coordinators are, therefore, members of the Center's Management Committee. Their responsibilities cover both research and international cooperation; it is, therefore, important that they are fully involved and their activities are in harmony with the activities of all mega-projects to maintain the research continuum between developing-country NARS, advanced NARS, and ICARDA. Given the mandate of MP-2 in Latin America and the potential to meet the needs of the region, we need to review the mandate and location of our Latin America Regional Program. Sincere relationships between the players in this continuum are crucial to our success. I see the WANA region as the body and LARP and CAC-RP as the wings of the bird we call ICARDA. We must maintain the two wings of this bird."

The retreat in progress.

The DG presented the budget status of ICARDA and emphasized the urgent need for action with new project proposals to not only maintain (scenario 1) but also enhance (scenario 2) the funding support and protect the financial health of the Center.

Although the private sector and NGOs are among ICARDA's stakeholders, they are not as strong in the dry areas as elsewhere, he said. In the case of NGOs, ICARDA has to be selective. The Center should also be alert to the possibility of linking to the private sector, particularly in the seed sector, where appropriate opportunities become available. There is a need to "educate" the private sector to be able to see beyond profit-making to how it can serve the people better by linking with a research institution such as ICARDA.

ICARDA's participation in global conventions has been increasing and should be further strengthened, Prof. Dr El-Beltagy said. Looking ahead, he said: "ICARDA is in the process of developing a Strategy for 2006–2015. The nucleus group has done a fine job with the assistance of Dr Lukas Brader. A working draft is ready and will be reviewed at this retreat, he said."

The draft Strategic Plan will be shared with NARS leaders and the regional fora at a CWANA NARS meeting scheduled to be held early next year, in which Dr Mahmoud Solh, Director General Designate of ICARDA, will be fully involved. With his input and full participation the draft will be refined and then submitted to the Board of Trustees for review and approval at their May 2006 meeting.

During the retreat, Prof. Dr Magdy Madkour, ADG (IC); Dr Elizabeth Bailey, Project Officer; Dr Theib Oweis, Director, MP-1; Dr S. Rajaram, Director, MP-2; Dr Francis Turkelboom (representing Dr Richard Thomas), Acting Director, MP-3; Dr Colin Piggin, Director, MP-4; Dr Kamel Shideed, Director, MP-5; Dr Ahmed Sidahmed, Director, MP-6; Dr Eddy De-Pauw, Head of GISU; Dr S. Varma, Head of CODIS; Dr Samir Ahmed, Head of HRDU; Dr Murari Singh (representing Dr Zaid Abdul-Hadi), Acting Head of CBSU; and Dr Tony van Gastel, Head of Seed Unit, made presentations. Dr Shideed also presented the draft Strategic Plan.

For more information contact: Dr William Erskine