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Advisory Group

The Advisory Group provides advice and sets priorities on matters related to the development and dissemination of GGCE to the technical teams. It includes representatives of the Crop Trust and CGIAR, as well as representatives of national and regional genebanks investing in the development and dissemination of GGCE.

Membership​

The Advisory Group consists of permanent members from the Crop Trust and from CGIAR genebanks, currently:

  • Sarada Krishnan, Director of Programs, Crop Trust
  • Vania Azevedo, Interim director, Genebank Accelerator, CGIAR

and two rotating members, representatives from non-CGIAR genebanks that are implementing GGCE:

  • Maarten van Zonneveld, Head of Genetic Resources, World Vegetable Center
  • César Tapia, Head of INIAP-DENAREF, Ecuador

Role and Responsibilities​

The Advisory Group advises on matters related to the following aspects:

Scope and strategy​

  • Scope of GGCE based on the needs of genebanks conserving a variety of crops using a range of different conservation technologies and given the funding available.
  • Priorities for GGCE development and for monitoring its progress.
  • Strategies to engage with key stakeholders.
  • Communication with and among the technical teams supporting the development and deployment of GGCE.
  • Proper management, attribution, and licensing of the source code.
  • Integration with relevant other systems (e.g. Genesys, GLIS, GIGWA, EBS, etc.)
  • Capacity-building needs and efforts.
  • Fundraising efforts.

Composition and Terms of Reference of the Advisory Group:​

  • What organizations that contribute to GGCE development could be asked to join the Advisory Group.
  • How to ensure proper representation of stakeholders in the Advisory Group.

Bylaws​

Rotating members will serve for terms of up to three years, renewable to a maximum of three consecutive terms. When a vacancy arises for any reason, nominations for new members are submitted by the departing member or organization or community represented by the departing member. Remaining members shall select the new member from the list of nominations to ensure overall balance amongst its membership, in particular with regard to stakeholder representation, diversity in relevant disciplinary backgrounds, donor representation, and gender.

The Advisory Group shall elect one of its members as a rotating Chairperson for meetings.

The meetings and operation of the Advisory Group will be facilitated by the Crop Trust. The Advisory Group shall meet as required and twice in the first year, in person or by means of teleconference as appropriate, convened by its Chairperson. The Chairperson sets the agenda for the meeting, in consultation with other Advisory Group members, and circulates the documentation by email at least one week before the meeting. The technical teams at the Crop Trust and CGIAR shall keep the Advisory Group informed of relevant technical matters. A majority of the members shall constitute a quorum for meetings of the Group.

The Advisory Group shall make every effort to reach agreement by consensus. The Advisory Group may, as appropriate, draw on external technical advice, for example from germplasm health and genebank QMS experts, system engineers, or other individuals, organizations, or networks in areas relevant to GGCE goals.

Meeting notes will be shared with Advisory Group members for finalization and approval. Final notes shall be openly accessible in summary form from the GGCE website. A mailing list, established with consensus of all list members, shall be used for Advisory Group communication, to ensure members can participate in discussions. Past communication shall be accessible by means of mailing list archives.