GFAR's SC Unanimously Decides to Move GFAR from FAO to IFAD/Alliance Bioversity-CIAT (CGIAR)

GFAR's SC Unanimously Decides to Move GFAR from FAO to IFAD/Alliance Bioversity-CIAT (CGIAR)

Some of GFAR's Steering Committee members and Secretariat staff.

GFAR’s Chair, Dr. Ravi Khetarpal, announced that GFAR’s Steering Committee on 29.6.2023 unanimously confirmed the decision taken on 2.3.23 to move GFAR from FAO to IFAD / Bioversity International. He expressed GFAR’s sincere gratitude to FAO for its hosting for many years and also to both co-founders of GFAR - FAO and IFAD - for co-facilitating GFAR. He also highlighted that GFAR will continue collaborating with all partners.

The decision was taken after a year-long process of consultations including several SC meetings.

Thanks to funding from the European Commission’s Directorate General for International Partnerships (EC DG INTPA), GFAR has been able to restart and revitalize the network of now 900 members from 13 constituencies from the Global South. GFAR looks forward to receive funding for the future work of GFAiR (the acronym change is a decision taken by GFAR Steering Committee on 5.6.23 in order to capture innovation in its name and show that GFAR’s work is value driven) via IFAD.

GFAR will now enter a transition phase before starting as GFAiR in February 2024 after the current project / EC Trust Fund in FAO will have come to an end.

“We look forward to moving into an important new phase for GFAR / GFAiR. After deliberating on many parameters for the future hosting of GFAR / GFAiR we have been able to agree on a hosting model which is doable for all partners and desirable for GFAR / GFAiR. GFAR / GFAiR is an open forum and will continue working with all relevant stakeholders. We have been ensured by our co-facilitating and founding partners FAO and IFAD that they are supporting a smooth transition and that they remain in technical alignment with our work and also by IFAD to act as a conduit for our funding flowing from EC via IFAD to Bioversity International. We want to thank all past and present members and partners for their support and look forward to working together with all of them to transform the agrifood system” said Dr. Ravi Khetarpal.