Nominations and applications are invited for the role of Chair and Vice Chair, the Global Forum on Agricultural Research and Innovation, for a 3-year period.

The Global Forum on Agricultural Research and Innovation (GFAR) is a multi-stakeholder movement made up of over 600 self-identifying partner organizations who share the common vision of making agri-food research and innovation more effective, responsive and equitable towards achieving Sustainable Development outcomes. Partners in GFAR come from all around the world and across all relevant sectors from public, private and civil society organizations and networks, as well as international organizations.

GFAR inspires and catalyses new forms of multi-stakeholder dialogue, strategic partnerships and collective actions across these extensive networks, helping to enable the transformation and strengthening of agri-food research and innovation for development systems and processes around the world. GFAR works through a bottom-up and development-centred agenda, together addressing strategic challenges that no one organization can resolve alone.

These prestigious and influential roles are open to all suitably qualified candidates.

Candidates should be widely recognized as leaders and advocates, actively advancing agriculture or rural development within public, private or civil sectors at national, regional or global level with demonstrated engagement with multiple stakeholders and a high profile in generating, supporting, transforming, adapting or using agricultural knowledge research or innovation in support of development.

The Chair of GFAR will inter alia perform the following functions:

• Preside at all meetings of the GFAR Partners Assembly, Steering Committee and at other relevant meetings of the Global Forum.
• Provide leadership to the Steering Committee in determining the policies under which the Executive Secretary operates the Secretariat and the annual Program of Work.
• Be concerned with both internal and external GFAR matters.
• In internal matters, the Chairperson will interact closely with the Executive Secretary.
• In the external dimension, the Chair may represent GFAR as appropriate, including in the governing bodies of the CGIAR.
• The Chair is also expected to assist the Executive Secretary in developing and maintaining relations with funders and all GFAR constituencies.

The Vice-Chair will

• Assist the Chair in his/her tasks and represent GFAR at the Chair’s request.

The successful candidate must be able to recognize and value the perspective of others and also build operational consensus for collaborative actions.

The positions are unpaid and only travel costs can be reimbursed.

Nominations or Applications with Curriculum Vitae should be submitted by 06 September 2021, to the Search Committee Chair, Ms Prof. Dr. Hildegard Lingnau, FAO, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 0153, Rome, Italy or sent by email to gfar-secretariat@fao.org.

We welcome recommendation letters to be attached for reference.

Expiry date: Monday, 6 September, 2021