Press Release September 1999

In welcoming the decision, Dr. Ronald P. Cantrell, the director general of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), which is part of the CGIAR, congratulated Dr. Javier on his appointment and described his selection as well-deserved recognition.

"The CGIAR advisory committee provides independent but strategic scientific advice and guidance to investors in setting their agricultural priorities and resource allocations," Dr. Cantrell explained.

"Dr. Javier's distinguished national and international career as a scientist, administrator, and government leader, and his involvement with the CGIAR system as chair of the TAC Secretariat Review Team and vice chair of the IRRI Board of Trustees (BOT), will help reposition the international panel as an important mechanism for scientific research and economic development," Dr. Cantrell added.

The CGIAR was established in 1971 to help contribute to food security and eradicate poverty in developing countries through research, partnerships, capacity building, and policy support. It promotes sustainable agricultural development based on environmentally sound management of natural resources.

An informal association of 58 public and private sector members, it supports a network of 16 international agricultural research centers, including IRRI. The World Bank, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the United Nations Development Program, and the United Nations Environment Programme are co-sponsors of the CGIAR.

"He (Dr. Javier) is naturally suited to join the eminent line of TAC chairs established by the renowned Australian scientist, Sir John Crawford. He is particularly suited to provide the CGIAR with strategic advice and guidance as it confronts the challenges that lie ahead," Dr. Ismail Serageldin, the CGIAR chair, said in formally announcing the appointment in Washington last week.

Dr. Javier is scheduled to attend a TAC meeting at the International Service for National Agricultural Research (ISNAR) headquarters at The Hague, in the Netherlands, later this month as an observer. He will also join IRRI and CGIAR officials during International Centers Week in Washington, D.C. in October. Dr. Javier will assume his new post as TAC chair on 1 January 2000.

Dr. Javier was president of the UP System from 1993 to 1999 and served as Philippine minister of science from 1985 to 1986. He also served as the director general of the Taiwan-based Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center and was a member of the World Food Prize Selection Committee. He is a member of the Philippine Academy of Science and Technology, the Third World Academy of Science, and the World Academy of Arts and Sciences.

back to top