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XII. RELATIONS WITH INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

R e s o l u t i o n   o f   E c o n o m i c   a n d   S o c i a l   C o u n c i l

The Council noted the resolution whereby the Economic and Social Council:

Invites the specialized agencies concerned, and the Regional Economic Commissions in consultation with the FAO, to study suitable measures to bring about an increase in food production by the elimination of supply shortages such as those of oil, coal, steel, electricity, chemicals, which directly or indirectly affect the production of fertilizers and agricultural machinery and the availability of transport.

Requests the FAO to make a report to the seventh session of the Council on progress achieved in co-ordination of these studies, and

Requests the FAO to present a factual report to the first session of the Council following the 1948 annual conference of FAO, on the measures which have been taken by Member States, Regional Commissions and the Specialized Agencies to alleviate the World Food Crisis, and to recommend specifically what further action might appropriately be taken in this field.”

Although recognizing that the Director-General must have a free hand in preparing these reports, the Council commends to his attention the recommendations which have been made on the matter by the Policy Committee on Production and Distribution (CL 2/30).

Work with the competent international organizations should be concentrated on a limited number of the most essential specific production and supply problems of each region of the world. A high order of priority should be accorded to problems concerning fertilizers; transport; machinery, equipment, and spare parts; comparatively small-scale irrigation equipment such as pumps, pipes, fluming, and well-sinking machinery; pesticides; incentive goods, financing arrangements; manpower; and rural health.

Many of the problems indicated above call for action which lies outside the terms of reference of FAO, and while the Organization can define the agricultural problems, it must depend upon other organizations to define and to deal with those affecting industry and transport.

The Council further considered the Report of its Committee on Relationships with International Organizations, in which particular attention is drawn to developments in the field of co-ordination.

The Council considers that co-operation within regions is of paramount importance. It regards co-operation between FAO and the economic commissions of the Economic and Social Council as essential, particularly in view of the fact that FAO and the regional economic commissions share a substantial, if varying, field of interest. It believes this can best be achieved by different arrangements most appropriate to the problems involved. In this connection, the Council adopts the following resolution:

THE COUNCIL

having considered the co-operation to date with the Economic Commission for Europe and the Director-General's proposals for further appropriate co-operation with the Economic Commission for Europe and other Regional Commissions,

expresses its appreciation of such co-operation, and

recommends that the Director-General continue to seek to establish further co-operative arrangements, as required by particular problems and as meet with the approval of the Member Governments in the region concerned.

The Council notes with approval the resolutions adopted at the Sixth Session of the Economic and Social Council relating to co-ordination and co-ordination machinery, and requests the Director-General to continue to keep it informed of developments in co-ordination activities likely to be of special significance to the future of FAO.

In this connection, it attaches the utmost importance to the development of close relations at the secretariat level and the initiation of joint work programs where appropriate.

The Council is also greatly interested in the possibility of securing, through the establishment of joint technical advisory committees, a more efficient and integrated approach to problems in certain fields which are of concern to more than one specialized agency.

The Council accepts the view of the Committee that the establishment of an FAO Office at United Nations headquarters is premature and instructs the Director-General to explore, in consultation with the Committee on Financial Control, the possibility of setting up jointly with certain other specialized agencies a small office for certain routine administrative services.

The Council, aware of the importance of relationships between the Organization and nongovernmental organizations within its fields of interest, requests the Director-General to report to the next session of the Conference on the effectiveness and from of the relationships so established.

The Council endorses the recommendation of the Committee that the World Federation of United Nations Associations should be granted Category 1* relationship to FAO and agrees to submit this recommendation to the next session of the Conference.

* At the Copenhagen Conference, nongovernmental organizations in Category 1 were defined as “important international organizations with interests covering a large part of FAO's field of activity and of a standing that renders their views on policy a matter of great interest to governments and to FAO.”


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