Governing Bodies Servicing (CSG)

Governing Bodies Servicing (CSG) provides the Secretariat of the Conference and the Council, and supports all Governing and Statutory Bodies of FAO. It houses the Multilingualism expertise of the Organization, delivering corporate language goods and services. CSG also provides Protocol and Meetings services to the Organization.
This division is comprised of five branches:

• The Member Communication and Liaison branch (CSGC) acts as a port of call for Members, ensuring the continuous delivery of information through dedicated communication platforms, such as the Members' Gateway and relevant internet websites. This includes substantive and logistical information pertaining to meetings of Governing Bodies, as well as other matters of interest to Members. CSGC is also responsible for the official correspondence of the Organization, and it manages the Rome-based Agency Calendar of Governing Bodies and other meetings.


• The Secretariat Services branch (CSGS) administers the Secretariat functions of the Conference and the Council. This includes matters relating to modalities, papers, reports and verbatim records. CSGS also supports secretariats of other Governing and Statutory bodies, including the Regional Conferences and the Technical Committees inter alia on governance mechanisms and document monitoring. It supports the office of the Independent Chairperson of the Council, including with regard to inter-sessional and other consultative activities.


• The Language Services branch (CSGL) enables Multilingualism of the Organization by providing interpretation, translation, and terminology goods and services in all FAO languages across the span of corporate governance, normative, operational and communication functions. CSGL also supports the provision of FAO products in local languages, and is responsible for quality language assurance within the Organization.


• The Meetings Services branch (CSGM) carries out the scheduling and programming of all Governing and Statutory Body meetings of the Organization. It is responsible for overseeing and supporting the planning and provision of logistical facilities for the conduct of all such physical and virtual meetings.


• The Protocol Services branch (CSGP) acts as liaison between the Organization, the Permanent Representations and the Host Government, and provides administrative services regarding visas, privileges and immunities for staff and accredited Member representations. It ensures that applicable Protocol is observed in the relations with Members and the activities of the Organization.