Wellbeing & Me

A one-month program of online events – the CGIAR Wellbeing & Me campaign – has wrapped up, after welcoming hundreds of CGIAR colleagues from all around the world, offering new insights and perspectives on wellbeing, both physical and mental.

The program, which ran through October 2023, worked with external organizations, Kamwell and Talking Menopause, to present leading professionals in their respective fields. It dove deep into a range of topics such as understanding and reducing stress, financial wellbeing, sleep, creativity, fear of failure and menopause, as well as face yoga, tai chi, and other forms of physical wellbeing.

“CGIAR is full of passionate individuals who care deeply about the world around them,” said Fiona Bourdin-Farrell, CGIAR’s Global Director of People and Culture. “I am proud to be a part of the organization.”

“Our mission – to transform the world’s food, land, and water systems in a climate crisis – could not be more important, but we will do it better and more effectively when we also take care of our individual mental health and wellbeing,” she added.

The initiative, which was run by the Gender equity, Diversity and Inclusion function with the Wellness@CGIAR Employee Resource Group (ERG), took inspiration from the theme of this year’s World Mental Health Day on 10 October: “Mental health is a universal human right”.

Sessions and workshops were recorded, many with French and Spanish interpretations, and all are now available on the Wellbeing & Me program page via the GDI Knowledge Hub. Together with the reference materials, which are also accessible to all CGIAR staff, the recordings can be reached on the program page HERE.

Wellbeing & Me began on 3 October 2023 when Dr. Barbara Mariposa, known as Dr. B, opened the program with a session on Understanding and Reducing Stress. Participants said they enjoyed the well-paced presentation, which was full of practical tips backed by scientific research.

“It was good for discovering yourself,” one participant said. “The examples were relatable to me and the presenter was excellent. My concentration was at a maximum.”

On 2 November the program concluded with a session on How To Get Back Up When Life Knocks You Down, by Alex Williams, a healthcare professional who uses his own experience and childhood trauma to help others “get back on their feet.”

“I wish more people took time out of their busy schedules to take part in these sessions,” said one participant. “This was my favorite event!”

See more of our participants’ feedback below

Access the event recordings and download reference materials HERE(CGIAR staff only). 

Additional resources accessible to CGIAR staff

Browse the Wellbeing and Mental Health section on the Knowledge Hub for more resources and:

• Find out how to be a mental health ally: HERE.
• Explore CGIAR’s counseling services: HERE.
• Learn about the CGIAR Ombuds Office: HERE.