Q. GRANTING OF OBSERVER STATUS (IN RESPECT OF INTERNATIONAL GOVERNMENTAL AND NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS)

Granting of Observer Status¹

1. At its eighth session the Conference requested the Council to consider and suggest amendments to the Constitution and General Rules of the Organ ization for the purpose of eliminating any possible ambiguity with respect to the question of observer status, with special reference to the definition of such status, the establishment of criteria for the granting of the status and the consideration of all juridical and practical aspects of the problem.

Resolution No. 44/57

Observer Status in Respect of International Organizations
THE CONFERENCE

Decides:

1. that in future intergovernmental organizations that do not have an agreement with FAO and non-governmental organizations in liaison status with FAO may be invited to send observers to Conference and Council sessions if, in the judgement of the Director-General, there are concrete reasons for inviting them which would forward the work of the Organization,
2. that the status of observers sent to FAO meetings by intergovernmental organizations that have relations with FAO shall not be less than that accorded to the observers of non-governmental organizations in consultative status with the Organization; and

Notes that subject to the foregoing interpretation the provisions of the Constitution and General Rules of the Organization which apply to international organizations and the FAO policy statement concerning relations with international non-governmental organizations adopted at its seventh session² provide adequate criteria for the granting of observer status to international organizations and adequately define the status of their observers.

1 Paragraph 497 and Resolution No. 44/57 of the Report of the ninth session of the Conference. See also paragraph 2 on page 159 regarding observer status in respect of nations.

2 Incorporated in this volume under heading "FAO Policy Concerning Relations with International Non-governmental Organizations": see pages 175 to 182.