tlm_nov2013

=Theme Leaders Meeting= =12 November 2013= =Venue: ILRI Nairobi campus, Mara House - Sokoni meeting room= =Time: 10.00 - 11.30am= More meetings

Agenda
1. Discussion of CRP Program meeting types and formats (TR) 2. Report back on 2013 POWB submission to Consortium (TR) and 2013 PPAs (PR) 3. 2013 ILRI budget execution exercise – Status report from ILRI Focal Points. Discussion on how to handle carry over into 2014. 4. Status of 2014 POWBs –Status Reports from focal points for ILRI and Centers. Discussion of key dates for final Theme POWBs and associated narratives and need for CRP Gender Budget and associated narrative. Information: new template for 2014 POWB for the CO. 5. Information update on 2015 budget development, extension to the CRPS and next cycle proposal (TR) 6. Report back on meeting of the Management Unit & Cross-Cutting Area Leaders (PR) 7. Discussion of Planning Cycle for 2015 a. Week of Feb 3 – TLs and VCCs retreat b. April- June – Value Chain meetings and Theme Meetings (TR) 8. 2013 Annual Report – key dates, processes, performance indicator data collection, 2013 logframe circulated for comment (PR) 9. Evaluations – 10. SPAC Review of the CRP Logframe and IDOs – outstanding responses required and next steps (TR) 11. SPAC and PPMC Meetings December 2013 in Tanzania and PPMC – attendance, focus, agenda (TR)
 * a. Report on trip to Rome
 * b. 3 CRP-commissioned external evaluations identified and preparations for the 1st upcoming evaluation on value chain approach.
 * c. Independent External Evaluation of CRP3.7 – likely foci and experience of FTA CRP (PR)

Notes and Actions
Phil Toye Tom Randolph Pat Rainey Esther Ndungu Cathy Kolverson Diana Brandes - van Dorresteijn Stuart Worsley Evelyn Katingi-Manon Acho Okike - via Skype Jens Peter - via Skype If 1. was accepted then the main common issues will be scheduled first for input by both focal points and theme leaders and then just focal points meet in the latter part of the meeting. Acho suggested a single meeting where theme leader and focal leader participate. Phil wanted to keep to one meeting and identify the focal / theme leader agenda while Stuart wished to combine the meetings. || Three meeting types were agreed: 1. A monthly meeting every 2nd Tuesday of the month with Theme Leaders, Focal Points for ILRI, WorldFish and ICARDA with a request to Michael Peters to consider appointing An Notenbaert as CIAT Focal Point to manage the time zone difference. 2. The Management Unit and cross cutting area leaders to meet approximately every 6-8 weeks (gender, capacity development,, partnership, MEL, communications). Next one is scheduled for Friday 15th November, 2013. 3. ILRI-specific meetings with DDGs, Program Leaders and Focal Points every quarter. || 2013 deliverables for CIAT under review by Pat. All funds for 2013 can now be disbursed. || Pat to complete the CIAT PPA. || Handling of 2013 carry-over: Any carry-over cannot be programmed yet as an integral part of the 2014 budget as we will only know the amounts at the end of 2013. 20% of the funds can be carried over to 2014. || Pat to continue monitoring Center financial reports to ensure no over/under-spending. Themes to budget in terms of the official 2014 allocations and have plans in mind for the funds that will likely be carried over from 2013 (shadow budget) Tom and Pat to summarize the 2013 carry-over plans and share. || ICARDA and CIAT - still pending. ILRI: Gender to be competed by Friday. Animal Health - have a draft being refined Genetics - staff allocations still not sorted out. Feeds and Forages - unclear. VCD: -draft has been prepared but finer details missing e.g. names+time%
 * Present**
 * **Agenda** || **Discussion** || **Action** ||
 * Discussion of CRP Program meeting types and formats (TR) || Options discussed were (1) having one major meeting due to overlapping roles and issues (theme leader and focal person assignments) and (2) separate Theme Leader meeting and ILRI Focal Points meeting.
 * POWB 2013 for CO || Finalized despite differences in ILRI Theme level POWBs and ILRI Budgets and Grants Office documentation || Tom to submit tomorrow (13/11/2013) ||
 * PPAs || 2013 PPAs for ICARDA and WorldFish are with the ILRI legal office and have been sent for final review to the Centers.
 * 2013 ILRI Budget Execution Exercise || All Themes (except for Feeds and Forages) have completed this exercise and have plans in place and under execution for spending/committing under-spend by end of 2013. Genetics Theme needs to check their burn rate.
 * Status of 2014 POWBs || WorldFish; 90% done; more information on Egypt and Bangladesh expected to be available in mid-December

There was discussion about the apparent correlation between ability to get a POWB completed and research clarity. There was a feeling by some that the Genetics agenda needs to be better articulated and that they then might be able to prepare a POWB. || **DUE DATE FOR 2014 POWB SUBMISSION IS 15TH NOVEMBER** Jens-Peter: to send draft week of 18th November. Pat: follow up with ICARDA and CIAT on their submissions. Kathy and Keith: submit by 15th November Phil: refine deliverables and ensure adequate planning of ASSP work. Genetics and Feeds and Forages: Pat/Tom to follow up closely. Acho: fix up staff time allocations and submit. Tom and Pat: email to ILRI management on status of 2013 and 2014 POWBs Stuart: to discuss with VCCs about budget for partner multi-stakeholder meetings || A draft of activities due by December 15th, 2013. || **DUE DATE FOR 2015 POWB SUBMISSION IS 15TH DECEMBER** Tom to discuss with ILRI B&G on whether ILRI will undertake a 2015 budget exercise. Centers to figure this out with their management too and communicate outcomes. || Each Theme to prepare a 2-pager on how their research supports the work in Tanzanian value chain following Stuart's guidance on the subjectl. Presence of Theme Leaders and Center representatives at the SPAC field visit discussed. A session of the PPMC meeting will be on resource mobilization. || Pat to send detailed SPAC/PPMC schedule to Theme Leaders. Theme Leaders to confirm their attendance in Tanzania 9-11th December to Esther Ndungu. Theme leaders to send a two page narrative of what they are doing in Tanzania to Stuart before the end of November. Tom to follow up on more substantive responses to the SPAC Logframe review. || - Rigorous evaluations expected - Preparations for the 1st CRP-commissioned external evaluation (CCEE) on the value chain and targeting themes underway with Keith Child provisionally nominated as the Evaluation Manager, suggestions for members of the Evaluation Reference Group and draft TOR in preparation. Issue Brief will be presented to the PPMC in December. - The Livestock and Fish Independent External Evaluation (IEE) of the whole program scheduled for late 2014 and will likely cover program coherence and relevance, science quality, prospects of delivery results etc.. Voluminous documentation required. || Program to get well organized for the evaluation by ensuring all key documents are in good shape and finalized. Bilateral project mapping exercise to continue as this is likely to be a key element of the IEE. || __April - June 2014__: Theme and Value Chain planning meeting, starting with the value chain meetings Objectives are broader and more ambitious than just the 2015 POWB and focus on the longer-term strategy and planning for the transition of the next cycle. Proposed to have a one day write-shop for resource mobilization concept notes for big program ideas and value-added propositions. || Theme Leaders to start communicating their meeting dates ||
 * Information update on 2015 POWB || Next cycle of CRPs will start in 2017 so POWB for 2015 will be submitted according to original CO schedule. Theme Leaders and Centers should sketch a general activity plan for 2015 as it will be revised in the course of 2014. For budget, assume the same allocation with 5% growth until further communication.
 * SPAC and PPMC Meetings in December 2013 || SPAC meeting theme: focus on how science/research supports our value chain work in Tanzania. Will also include follow-up discussion as needed on logframe review
 * Report back on the Management Unit and Cross-cutting area leaders meeting || Meeting took place because Management Unit and Cross-cutting areas now have logframes with deliverables and all the cross-cutting staff were on board. Three key actions arising from the meeting were: 1. Building on PPMC decision to reframe the roles of the Value Chain Coordinators, set up a working group under Acho's leadership to develop profile, review TOR and propose funding modalities; 2. Value Chain Coordinators to develop Value Chain Strategies for 2014 to capture the work across all themes and the cross-cutting areas and 3. Resource mobilization - how to help people develop concept notes and come up with a more systematic resource mobilization strategy. || Acho to include a gender representative on the VCC working group. ||
 * 2013 Annual Report || Pat outlined the tight schedule of deliverables from Value Chain Coordinators through Centers and Themes. All templates and reference documents to be posted on the wiki before 1st December. Performance Indicator data will be collected in December. || All to respond to Pat's request to check the consolidated 2013 logframe that shows all Center's work as this is a key document against which the reports will be written. ||
 * Evaluations || PR reported on the meeting that she and Keith Child attended on the evaluation community of practice organized by the Independent Evaluation Arrangement (IEA) in Rome. Key points were:
 * Planning cycle for 2015 || __Early February 2014__ - meeting of Theme Leaders,focal persons and Value Chain Coordinators to discuss bigger strategy issues. Will possibly all meet together to ensure value chain inputs are heard.
 * Activity Leaders || TR suggested there be an Activity Leader for each activity documented in the log frame as has been done by Gender Theme. This will assist with activity-level budgeting as this person can liaise with the PMOs on staff time allocations and other related expenses that must be budgeted. || Tom to articulate the proposal and share with ILRI management and Centers. ||