2023 2023 CGIAR Annual
Report

Dear members of the CGIAR community,

During 2023, the challenges that shape CGIAR’s mission and strategy were all too present. Levels of hunger and malnutrition continued to increase, and temperatures rose, with 2023 the hottest year on record. Extreme weather, conflict, environmental degradation, among other factors, affected food, land, and water systems and the lives and livelihoods that depend on them.

But 2023 was also a year in which CGIAR and its valued partners around the world continued to pioneer and deliver solutions that address the most urgent challenges, highlight the need for increased investment in agricultural research and investment, and partnered to deliver and scale impact.

The theme for the CGIAR 2023 Annual Report is nutrition, health, and food security, one of CGIAR’s five Impact Areas. Highlighted in this year’s report, which showcases work from across our integrated partnership, are many innovations and projects changing lives and delivering returns on funder investments. We improved tilapia in Nigeria, advanced food system policy in Vietnam, and boosted common bean access in Zambia — to name but a few key results.

This year’s report also profiles progress in two countries: Ghana and Guatemala, where we achieved exceptional outcomes, particularly advancing their contribution to climate adaptation and mitigation, improving food security for smallholder farmers and rural households.

We successfully launched our With Science We Can campaign and investment case at COP28 in the United Arab Emirates, securing pledges of over $900 million. The investment case offers a clear articulation of how, with the right funding, research and innovation can deliver food, nutrition and climate security for all. This is supported by a recent study highlighting the return on investment in CGIAR innovations, which reports that CGIAR-related crop technologies in developing countries delivered an annual economic benefit of $47 billion, with a cumulative impact of $1,334 billion over 60 years.

We participated in major dialogues on the impact of climate change on agriculture, food security, and food systems from the AIM4C Summit to Climate COP28, reaffirming the need for urgent action to meet global targets, including the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement.

At the start of 2023, Professor Lindiwe Majele Sibanda took on the role of System Board Chair. Towards the end of the year, we welcomed Dr Ismahane Elouafi as CGIAR Executive Managing Director, joined soon after by Guillaume Grosso as Deputy Executive Managing Director. We thank Professor Andrew Campbell and Dr. Claudia Sadoff for ensuring a smooth transition throughout the year.

We were also pleased to welcome the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) back into CGIAR’s integrated partnership. ICRISAT will play a vital role in delivering our shared goal of a food-and-nutrition secure future in the semi-arid tropics.

We invite you to explore these results and more in the CGIAR 2023 Annual Report, which showcases action and progress across our five Impact Areas in our six major regions, through our 31 Research Initiatives.

You can also explore the depth of our impact across various areas by reviewing the Results Dashboard. For a closer look at specific Initiatives and Impact Areas and their outcomes, you can find individual Annual Reports for each. We also invite you to review reports on internal performance, coordination, and practice change.

As always, we extend deep gratitude to our dedicated staff, partners, funders, and wider stakeholder community who all share our vision of a food, nutrition, and climate secure future for all. Working together, we are making huge strides towards making this vision a reality.

Warm regards,

Ismahane Elouafi, CGIAR Executive Managing Director

Lindiwe Majele Sibanda, Chair, CGIAR System Board