LIST OF DECISIONS, DIRECTIVES AND RECOMMENDATIONS
OF THE COUNCIL
Elected three Vice-Chairmen for its Session: Waleed A. Elkhereiji (Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of), T.A. Anumudu (Nigeria) and Joong In Chun (Korea, Republic of) (para. 5)
Elected Adel Mahmoud Aboul-Naga (Egypt) as Chairman of the Drafting Committee with the following membership: Bangladesh, Brazil, Egypt, France, Indonesia, Japan, Libya, Mexico, Spain, Sweden, Tanzania, United States of America and Zaire (para. 6)
Requested the Chairman of the Council to send a message of condolence on its behalf to the family of Dr B.R. Sen, former Director-General of the Organization who had died in Calcutta on Saturday 12 June 1993 (para. 9)
Called for intensified global efforts for rational management and sustainable development of marine and inland fisheries resources and aquaculture (para. 17)
Endorsed the report of the Eighteenth Session of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) in its entirety (para. 19)
Reiterated strong support for a successful outcome of the Uruguay Round of Multilateral Trade Negotiations with the objective of achieving a more equitable system of international trade (para. 23)
Endorsed the priorities identified in the Committee's Report for developing FAO's programme on food security and sustainability problems (para. 30)
Reaffirmed its support for the activities of the Food Security Assistance Scheme (FSAS), including the development of comprehensive food security programmes (para. 31)
Endorsed the CFS's decision to defer a decision on the issue of the frequency of its sessions, in view of ongoing deliberations in the UNGA on restructuring and revitalizing the UN in the economic and social fields (para. 33)
Agreed that as Rome was the base for UN agencies dealing with food issues, it should remain the centre of international discussions in the field of food and agriculture (para. 33)
Concurred with the CFS that follow-up to the UNCED and especially the implementation of the Plan of Action of the ICN, as reflected in the Programme of Work and Budget of the Organization for the next biennium, were important new factors in the work of the Committee in the future (para. 33)
Endorsed the recommendations of the report of the Twelfth Session of the Committee on Agriculture (para. 35)
Supported the overall objectives and priorities of the Major Programme Agriculture (para. 36)
Recommended increased efforts to increase the enrolment of girls and women in agricultural schools at the vocational, intermediate and higher levels (para. 38)
Endorsed the view expressed by COAG when debating the issue on the "Role of Financial Services in Rural Development: Changing Perspectives" that there had been changes in the role of rural financial intermediation in recent years, and stressed that rural finance should have a high priority in FAO's work (para. 39)
Requested FAO to make funds available to facilitate the travel of TCDC experts (para. 41)
Endorsed COAG's recommendation to abolish the Panel of Experts on Emergency Action Against the Desert Locust and other Crop Pests (para. 42)
Recommended the abolition of the Advisory Panel on Epizootiology (para. 42)
Recommended that a draft Resolution on the Abolition of the Panel of Experts on Emergency Action Against the Desert Locust and Other Crop Pests and of the Advisory Panel on Epizootiology be submitted to the Conference for adoption (para. 42)
Agreed that the Secretariat would finalize the text of the Principles of Plant Quarantine as related to international trade in close consultation with Council members for submission to the Twenty-seventh Session of the Conference (November 1993) (para. 43)
Recommended that the Conference establish a Committee of Experts on Phytosanitary Measures to consider the harmonization mechanism as agreed by COAG that would consist of experts nominated by Regional Plant Protection Organizations (RPPOs) and a limited number of experts from members not represented by RPPOs, and appointed by the Director-General (para. 43)
Requested mat the Secretariat take into account the size of the RPPOs in determining the membership of the Committee of Experts (para. 43)
Endorsed the proposal of COAG to limit its next session to five or six working days (para. 44)
Requested that consideration be given by the Secretariat to exchanging the dates of the session of the Committee on Food Security with those of COAG when preparing the document containing the Calendar of FAO Governing Bodies and other Main Sessions to be considered at the Hundred and Fifth Session of the Council so that COAG considerations may be incorporated in the preparation of the next PWB and Medium-Term proposals (para. 44)
Endorsed the Report of the Fifth Session of the Committee on Plant Genetic Resources (PGR) (para. 45)
Recommended that FAO collaborate with the interim Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity and considered mat the FAO Conference should provide recommendations to the Conference of the Parties to the Convention (para. 46)
Endorsed the Resolution CPGR 93/1 adopted by the Commission on Plant Genetic Resources recommending that the Director-General be requested to provide a forum for negotiations among governments for the adaptation of the International Undertaking on Plant Genetic Resources in harmony with the Convention on Biological Diversity (para. 47)
Recognized regular and extraordinary sessions of the Commission would be needed to implement the Resolution, and that this would have considerable budgetary and extra-budgetary financial implications (para. 47)
Recommended that a draft Resolution on Revision of the International Undertaking on Plant Genetic Resources be submitted to the Conference for adoption (para. 47)
Expressed strong support for initiating preparatory activities so that the Fourth International Technical Conference on Plant Genetic Resources recommended by the Twenty-sixth Session of the FAO Conference, could be held (para. 48)
Agreed that this preparatory process would include an assessment on the state of the world's plant genetic resources and a costed Plan of Action on PGR to address the issues and emphasized the urgent need to initiate this work as a participatory and country-driven process (para. 48)
Urged member countries to make further pledges of financial support in order to complete preparations for and facilitate the holding of the International Technical Conference as soon as possible (para. 48)
Requested those member countries who had pledged to make funds available immediately so that the Secretariat would be able to initiate, in July 1993, preparations for the Conference (para. 48)
Agreed with the Commission's request to the Director-General to negotiate and seek agreement with the International Agricultural Research Centres (IARCs) to put their active and base collections under the auspices of FAO (para. 50)
Agreed that the Code would be voluntary and requested that the Director-General submit a draft Resolution on the International Code of Conduct for Plant Germplasm Collecting and Transfer to the Conference for adoption (para. 52)
Endorsed the Report of the Twentieth Session of the Committee on Fisheries (para. 55)
Recommended that the proposed reduction in the level of the budget of the Fisheries Department for 1994-95 be reconsidered (para. 55)
Requested FAO to elaborate the draft Code of Conduct as a matter of priority and noted that this process should not be hindered by efforts to develop the proposed Agreement on the Flagging of Vessels Fishing on the High Seas to Promote Compliance with Internationally Agreed Conservation and Management Measures (para. 58)
Supported the establishment of an Advisory Committee on Fisheries Research (ACFR) to replace the existing Advisory Committee on Marine Resources Research (ACMRR) and requested the Director-General to submit his proposals as to structure, composition and functions to the Sixty-first Session of the Committee on Constitutional and Legal Matters (CCLM) in September 1993 (para. 60)
Decided to establish an open Technical Committee under Rule XXV. 10 of the General Rules of the Organization (GRO) to further review the draft agreement and, if possible, reach technical agreement on a final text (para. 66)
Decided that, in addition to members of the Council, FAO members that were not members of the Council and observers from non-Member Nations and from interested fisheries management organizations should also be invited to participate freely in the discussions of the Technical Committee (para. 66)
Reaffirmed its commitment to expedite the elaboration and adoption of the Code of Conduct (para. 69)
Decided that it would not be appropriate to discuss the substance of the draft agreement elaborated by the Technical Committee in view of the fact that the Council members had not had time to consult with their Governments and the various Ministries concerned on the new text (para. 70)
Requested the Director-General to take the necessary steps to bring the draft agreement before the Twenty-seventh Session of the Conference in November 1993 for its consideration and approval under Article XIV of the Constitution and Rule XXI. 1 (GRO) (para. 70)
Decided that the draft agreement should be referred to the Committee on Constitutional and Legal Matters (CCLM) at its Sixty-first Session in October 1993 to review its formal constitutional and legal aspects, including matters relating to the participation of member organizations in the agreement (para. 71)
Endorsed the report of the Eleventh Session of the Committee on Forestry (COFO) (para. 74)
Requested the Organization to exercise its lead technical role in follow-up to UNCED through, inter alia, its Committee on Forestry, its Regional Forestry Commissions, and the Committee on Forest Development in the Tropics (CFDT) (para. 75)
Supported the view of the Committee on Forestry that linkages between forestry and nutrition and the interaction between forestry and agriculture were of interest well beyond the confines of the forestry sector (para. 78)
Welcomed the request of the Committee on Forestry to bring these linkages to the attention of the Committee on Agriculture (COAG) and the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) (para. 78)
Recommended that, within the context of no programme growth for the Organization, FAO maintain and strengthen its lead technical role in forestry (para. 80)
Unanimously endorsed the view of COFO and of the Programme Committee, that a special case be made for forestry and that the highest priority be accorded to forestry in any eventual revision of budgetary allocations for the 1994-95 biennium (para. 80)
Recommended that Member Nations give consideration to increasing the forestry budget in subsequent biennia (para. 80)
Accepted the proposals submitted by the Independent Chairman for the establishment of a TFAP/CG and decided to establish it under Article VI. 5 of the FAO Constitution (para. 83)
Agreed to the specific features, as proposed by the Independent Chairman, and as found in para. 84 of this report on the establishment of the TFAP/CG (para. 84)
Accepted the proposal that all participants would participate fully in the work of the TFAP/CG (para. 85)
Requested the Director-General to take such action as necessary, including securing extra-budgetary resources, to convene the first meeting of the TFAP/CG (para. 86)
Encouraged FAO members and TFAP partners to provide the necessary funds in convening the TFAP/CG's first meeting (para. 86)
Endorsed the Eighteenth Annual Report of the CFA and also supported the pledging target for the regular resources of WFP for the 1995-96 biennium at US$ 1 500 million (para. 92)
Adopted a Resolution on the Target for WFP Pledges for the Period 1995-96, to which was attached a draft Resolution on the same question for approval by the Conference (para. 93)
Agreed that the WFP Audited Accounts 1990-91 be included in the draft Resolution to the Conference that it had approved at its Hundred and Second Session (November 1992) (para. 94)
Agreed to forward a consolidated Resolution on Audited Accounts 1990-91 to the Conference for adoption (para. 94)
Encouraged continued full support by FAO to the work of the Commission on Sustainable Development (para. 96)
Agreed that FAO should actively participate in the International Conference on Population and Development, the World Summit for Social Development, the Fourth World Conference on Women and the UN Conference on Human Settlements - Habitat II, and contribute to their preparatory processes (para. 100)
Called upon FAO to strengthen its work in the area of agricultural commodities and trade due to the importance of these issues in the economies of developing countries in particular, and in the world economy in general (para. 101)
Expressed its support for the ICN follow-up proposed by FAO and emphasized the need for strong follow-up at the country level, as well as close collaboration with WHO and other involved international agencies in ICN follow-up activities (para. 106)
Called for active involvement of non-governmental organizations and the private sector in ICN follow-up activities, and underlined the multi-disciplinary and multisectoral nature of the programmes and activities to improve nutrition (para. 106)
Strongly supported the special role of FAO in promoting food and agriculture based approaches to improve food supplies, access to food, and food trade in domestic and international markets (para. 106)
Agreed that the subject merited discussion in the first instance by the Programme and Finance Committees themselves in their separate and joint sessions, and that the views, reactions and recommendations of these Committees could then constitute a basis for further discussion by the Council at future sessions (para. 113)
Agreed that the documents prepared for Committees should give appropriate attention to the field related aspects of the programme and activities of the Organization so that Member Nations could provide the necessary oversight and guidance on policy matters (para. 118)
Concluded that the Committees should continue to review in an integrated manner both Field and Regular Programme activities, noting that the reports on Programme Evaluation and Programme Implementation, as modified by the Conference at its Twenty-sixth Session, facilitated this process. Ways of further improving these arrangements should continue to be considered by the Programme Committee (para. 118)
Approved the Provisional Agenda and the general arrangements for the Conference, including the Provisional Timetable (para. 120)
Established the deadline for the receipt of such nominations at 12.00 hours on Friday 3 September 1993 and requested that they be circulated by the Secretary-General to all Member Nations by Friday 10 September 1993 (para. 123)
Agreed on the merits of the Programme Evaluation Report being able to examine, at the same session, the Programme Evaluation Report, the Medium-term Plan and the proposals for the Summary Programme of Work and Budget (para. 126)
Considered that improvements in the Programme Evaluation Report should be made progressively, keeping in view the cost benefit of such improvements (para. 129)
Called for further assistance to developing countries to facilitate their participation in the preparation of international standards and in their effective application so as to take full advantage of new international agreements on trade in food and agricultural products (para. 137)
Supported especially the link between the Regular and Field Programmes and welcomed the emphasis on FAO's assistance to building up national capacities (para. 141)
Urged that attention be given to refining present FAO priorities in Eastern Europe and to adjusting its programmes to the new situations (para. 143)
Urged the Organization to accelerate efforts and to further pursue innovative approaches in strengthening the capacity of developing countries to fully exploit ECDC/TCDC potentials (para. 146)
Underlined more particularly the need for positive reallocation of resources to be accorded to forestry activities, in view of the central importance of conservation and improved management of forests in a context of unprecedented environmental threats, linked to rapid deforestation and desertification (para. 147)
Recognized mat the Fiftieth Anniversary of the founding of FAO in Quebec City, Canada, on 16 October 1945, would be celebrated during the period of coverage of the Medium-term Plan (para. 152)
Welcomed the offer by Canada to mark this important event by a number of initiatives (para. 153)
Requested the Director-General to make every effort to redress the aspects regarding the net overall reductions for the Major Programmes Forestry and Fisheries in the full Programme of Work and Budget which would be submitted to the Twenty-seventh Session of the Conference in 1993 (para. 163)
Agreed with the priority given to the countries in transition to market-based economic systems in Central and Eastern Europe and the corresponding increase in resources for the Regional Office for Europe, while reiterating its expectation that this should not be at the expense of the extensive requirements of other Regions (para. 168)
Agreed that the proposals in the Summary Programme of Work and Budget embodied a package, which had been framed with the intent of keeping FAO on a firm course throughout the forthcoming biennium, while reducing the burden on Member Nations in terms of assessed contributions (para. 179)
Stated its expectation that the Director-General would find it possible to redress a number of net reductions affecting technical and economic programmes and the TCP, when formulating the full Programme of Work and Budget (para. 179)
Invited the Director-General to proceed to finalize his proposals for the full Programme of Work and Budget on the basis of the Summary and the Council's reactions to it (para. 180)
Agreed that the proposals were in line with the principle that support costs should be borne to a reasonable extent by Trust Funds, while recognizing the complementarity of Trust Funds to Regular Programme activities (para. 184)
Encouraged the Secretariat to pursue the introduction of the proposed arrangements, linked to efforts to streamline procedures and to minimize costs, so as to remain competitive (para. 187)
Welcomed the progress made through this study for an analytical approach to costs, and further recognized that the Director-General's proposals would, if adopted, make transparency a permanent feature of the new regime (para. 188)
Requested the Director-General to consider ways in which the arrangements could be simplified without loss of benefits of the proposed approach (para. 189)
Agreed that special consideration needed to be given to unilateral Trust Funds from developing countries, particularly from the least developed countries, and to the Associate Professional Officer programme and asked that criteria be developed for the application of such arrangements (para. 192)
Requested the Director-General to review and revise his proposals in the light of the views expressed by the Council and to submit his revised proposals to the Twenty-seventh Session of the Conference in November 1993 (para. 193)
Approved the Annual Report of Budgetary Performance to Member Nations for the year 1992 (para. 197)
- Scale of Contributions 1994-95
Recommended a draft Resolution on the Scale of Contributions 1994-95 for adoption by the Conference (para. 199)
Endorsed the approval given by the Finance Committee to the extension, in the short term, of the coverage of the Terminal Payments Fund to cover a portion of the costs of separation of staff occupying any Support Cost-funded post (para. 201)
Agreed to mandate the Secretariat to pursue the issue of the special measure related to the Post Adjustment problems resulting from the Italian lira devaluation with the ICSC by providing additional information at its next session to permit the ICSC to evaluate the situation in greater detail (para. 203)
Suggested that it would be useful to have a new in-depth cost of living survey (para. 204)
Urged all Member Nations to pay their outstanding arrears and current assessed contributions in full as soon as possible, in order to enable the Organization to continue to fulfil its mandate (para. 215)
Approved the Revised Calendar of FAO Governing Bodies and Other Main Sessions 1992-93, as given in Appendix I to this Report (para. 217)
Decided that the unexpired term of Ms. D. Maung (Myanmar) appointed as member of the Committee should be completed by Mr Pinit Korsieporn, Alternate Permanent Representative of Thailand to FAO (para. 219)
Concluded that it would be opportune for the CCLM to review the situation once again at its Sixty-first Session in October 1993 and report to the Council at its Hundred and Fourth Session in November 1993, with a view to the formal adoption of the Agreement at that session (para. 226)
Recommended that the draft Resolution, containing the new text of paragraph 10 of the Appendix to Conference Resolution 46/57 which had been proposed by the CCLM, be transmitted to the Conference for adoption (para. 231)
Decided to transmit the proposed Draft Cooperation Agreement to the Twenty-seventh Session of the Conference in November 1993 for confirmation (para. 236)
Adopted the proposal by the CCLM that in future sessions the EEC should continue to be seated immediately after all Nations, Members of the Council, in the fiftieth seat in the same area (para. 242)
Agreed that both CCLM and the Finance Committee should be kept informed of future developments on this matter (para. 244)
Approved the request made by the Czech Republic, the Russian Federation, the Slovak Republic and the Ukraine to attend as observers the Hundred and Third Session of the Council (para. 245)
Agreed also to the Director-General's proposal to invite the Russian Federation to attend as observer the Thirty-sixth Session of the Intergovernmental Group on Rice (Rome, 28 June -1 July 1993) (para. 247)
Authorized the Director-General to invite Eritrea, the Slovak Republic, the Czech Republic, the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to participate, on request, in an observer capacity, at Council sessions as well as regional and technical meetings of the Organization of interest to them (para. 249)
Decided that its Hundred and Fourth Session should be convened in Rome from 2 to 4 November 1993 (para. 255)