The Alliance submitted to the Executive Council Meeting 17 in November 2009 and presented to the full CGIAR membership at the Business Meeting in December 2009 the draft Consortium Constitution. The Alliance has since formulated the Constitution in appropriate legal language while maintaining the substantive content and meaning. The Consortium Board will obtain international legal status for the Consortium during the course of 2010. Up until the time this status is obtained and a host country agreement is signed, the Consortium will function as a contractual joint venture. Every Center is reviewing the Constitution at a series of Center Board Meetings from March to June 2010 will sign a Consortium Establishment Agreement upon deciding to join the Consortium. The Boston Consulting Group was commissioned by the Alliance to provide a design of the Consortium Office including its functions (under the Constitution) and a possible location.

The Consortium Board, at their meeting in Nairobi 1-3 March, started the process on the selection of a host country for the Consortium. Five sites were selected as possible locations on the basis of nominations and as a result of the Board’s discussion: Addis Ababa, Delhi, Montpellier, Nairobi and Rome. Each of these countries will be asked to submit a formal expression of interest which the Consortium Board will consider. Negotiations and a decision on the host country for the Consortium are expected by the middle of 2010.

The Consortium Office will work under the direct leadership of a full-time CEO. The recruitment of the CEO will start in March 2010 through an international search process with the intent that the Consortium Board will select the CEO and have the CEO take office in the latter half of 2010.

The report prepared by the Boston Consulting Group recommended a focused, streamlined and cost effective Consortium Office operation. As part of the design of the Consortium, the Alliance also engaged Accenture Development Partnership to undertake a review and analysis of the opportunities for common administrative, financial and research support services. Preliminary findings indicate there are clear opportunities in this area. The results of all this work have been completed and were reviewed by the Alliance at their meeting in October 2009 and are being considered by the new Consortium Board.