Annual Report 2006/07 - ETH - North-South Centre North-South ...

An introduction to ZILLivestockNetLivestockNet is a Swiss network of university, private sector,NGO and government stakeholders working in livestockand development. Its overall goal is to improve Swiss actionsand to strengthen the Swiss position in livestock anddevelopment issues.The specific objectives of LivestockNet are• to enhance exchange of information between the members;• to discuss issues of common interest;• to link global and regional initiatives and operationalin-country work;• to catalyse work in thematically focussed groups;• to provide support and a sounding board for decision-makingthrough advice, reference and links to other networks andinstitutions;• to enhance the interest and the position of Swiss actors andprogrammes in livestock and development; and• to play an advocacy role and provide advice on policies.LivestockNet is a formal group of interested professionals workingin livestock and development, legally organised as an association.Members normally convene two times per yearfor a one-day meeting with time for informal interactions. Thenetwork establishes a working programme and the memberscontribute to the work required by this programme. It operateson a “give-and-take” principle, based on the inputs and commitmentsof all its members. The chair rotates between the membersand is currently held by Fritz Schneider (SHL, Zollikofen).Networking with Swiss partnersIn 2006, the members of LivestockNet voted to transfer theirsecretariat to the ZIL office. This transfer became effective inJanuary 2007 under the responsibility of the ZIL ProgrammeFacilitator Mathias Egloff, adding a 10 % position to his ZILmandate. This change came at an important time in the internationallivestock policy arena: In September 2007, the FirstIntergovernmental Conference on Animal Genetic Resourceswill be hosted by Switzerland in Interlaken. LivestockNet will bepresent with a stand at the public exhibition to promote itsactivities on livestock for development.ZIL continued its commitment to the Swiss Forum forInternational Agricultural Research (SFIAR), and its collaborationwith the various members of this Forum, e.g. Intercooperation,InfoAgrar and the Federal Office for Agriculture(BLW). Notably, the Swiss College of Agriculture (SHL) inZollikofen and the Centre for Development and Environment(CDE) of the University of Berne remained key partners, notonly in the ERA-ARD project (p. 22), but also through a numberof bilateral linkages and joint participation in workinggroups such as the ZIL and RFPP Selection Committees, andthe Commission for Partnerships with Developing Countries(KFPE).SDC has remained a most reliable and generous partner anddonor to ZIL, primarily thanks to the great understanding andcommitment of Willi Graf, as the direct counterpart of ZIL, aswell as the support of the SDC management.Networking with international partnersThe commitment of ZIL and its management to its partners inthe international agricultural research community hasremained as strong as before. Each individual ZIL membermaintains his or her own network of research partners, andvisits the partner institutions regularly for project supervisionand the development of new research ideas. Most contacts aremaintained through individual visits of our international partnersto the ETH Zurich, most notably in 2006 and 2007 by theirparticipation in the two Progress Fora. In addition, ZIL receivedthe key speakers at its Annual Conferences, and individualvisits of the Director Generals of IFPRI and CIAT, Joachim vonBraun and Joachim Voss, respectively, as well as JohnMcDermott, the Director of Research of ILRI.The CGIAR is still the most important partner for ZIL, primarilyin direct research collaboration, but also on the strategic levelin setting the international agricultural research agenda. TheZIL Executive Manager not only routinely attends the AnnualGeneral Meetings of the CGIAR – she also serves on the Boardsof Trustees of IITA and WARDA.12