Report to the Annual General Meeting of the CGIAR from the Standing Panel on Impact Assessment (SPIA) of the Science Council

This report to the Annual General Meeting of the CGIAR was delivered by the StandingPanel on Impact Assessment (SPIA) of the Science Council, which retains the composition of the interim Science Council’s SPIA for a one year transition period. In addition to the usual summary of progress and activities during 2002-03, this report also provides some reflections on SPIA/IAEG experience to-date emphasizing key impact assessment needs of the System, and proposes several new initiatives to help maintain continuity as the new SPIA is inaugurated. The report also emphasizes the continuing need for close working relations between the impact assessment function and two other major functions of the SC - monitoring and evaluation of on-going activities, and planning for future activities.This report was presented during the Business Meeting at AGM 2003.