P. FAO POLICY CONCERNING RELATIONS WITH INTERNATIONAL NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS

P-5: Procedure for Selecting the Organizations with which FAO May Enter into Formal Relationship

P-6: Scope of Arrangements for Consultation, Cooperation and Liaison

Preamble

1. In implementation of the provisions of the resolution on relationship with non-governmental organizations of the fifth session of the Conference, as amended by Resolution No. 74/51 of the sixth session of the Conference, Resolution No. 37/53 of the seventh session and Resolution No. 39/57 of the ninth session, the arrangements for consultation, cooperation and liaison with international non-governmental organizations shall be established and conducted in the following manner.

Purposes

2. Such arrangements for consultation, cooperation and liaison are intended to enable FAO to secure expert information and advice and technical cooperation and assistance from international non-governmental organizations and to enable organizations which represent important sections of public opinion and are authorities in their fields of professional and technical competence to express the views of their members.

3. Arrangements made with such organizations shall be designed to advance the purposes of FAO by securing maximum cooperation from international non-governmental organizations in the execution of its programme.

Forms of Relationship

4. Formal relations with an international non-governmental organization may take one of three forms according to the importance of its field of activity in relation to the activities of FAO, whatever the degree of cooperation envisaged in the common field of activity. These are consultative status, specialized consultative status or liaison status.

General Arrangements

5. The Organization established relationships with certain international non-governmental organizations in order to secure their advice and to associate them effectively with the work of the Organization.

Organizations eligible for consultative status

6. In order to be eligible for consultative status, an international non-governmental organization shall:

be international in its structure and scope of activity, be sufficiently representative of the field of interest in which it operates, and be of a recognized standing that renders its views on policy a matter of great interest to governments and to FAO;
be concerned with matters covering a substantial portion of FAO's field of activity;
have aims and purposes in conformity with the general principles embodied in the Constitution of FAO;
have a permanent directing body, authorized representatives and systematic procedures and machinery for communicating with its membership in various countries.

Organizations eligible for specialized consultative status

7. In order to be eligible for specialized consultative status, an international non-governmental organization shall:

be international in its structure and scope of activity, and representative of the specialized field of interest in which it operates;
be concerned with matters covering a particular portion of FAO's field of activity;
have aims and purposes in conformity with the general principles embodied in the Constitution of FAO;
have a permanent directing body, authorized representatives and systematic procedures and machinery for communicating with its membership in various countries.

Organizations eligible for liaison status

8. In order to be eligible for liaison status an international non- governmental organization shall:

be international in its structure and scope of activity and be sufficiently representative of the field of interest in which it operates;
be concerned with matters covering a portion of FAO's field of activity and be in a position to give practical assistance in that field;
have aims and purposes in conformity with the general principles embodied in the Constitution of FAO;
have a permanent directing body, authorized representatives and systematic procedures and machinery for communicating with its membership in various countries.

Procedure for Selecting the Organizations with which FAO May Enter into Formal Relationship

9. Before any form of formal relationship is established with an international non-governmental organization, such organization must supply FAO with the information requested by the Director-General.

Consultative status

10. The Conference will at each session examine and take a decision upon the proposals submitted by the Council concerning the organizations seeking consultative status. Consultative status becomes effective upon approval by the Conference and upon acceptance by the organization of the conditions laid down under paragraphs 18, 19 and 20 hereunder. In a year in which there is no Conference session the Council may examine and take a decision on applications for consultative status, subject to review by the Conference at its next session.

11. In deciding upon applications of international non-governmental organizations for consultative status, the Conference will be guided by the following principles:

An organization whose primary objectives are related to those of another specialized agency of the United Nations may only be admitted to consultative status after consultation with such agency;
Consultative status will not normally be granted to individual organizations that are members of a larger organization authorized to represent them; and, when such an organization is formed, its member organizations shall cease individually to enjoy consultative status.

Specialized consultative status

12. The Director-General may grant specialized consultative status to international non-governmental organizations at his discretion and upon acceptance of the conditions laid down under paragraphs 21 and 22 hereunder. He will report thereon to the Council and consult with the Council when he considers it necessary.

13. In granting applications for specialized consultative status, the Director-General will be guided, as appropriate, by the principles that apply to applications for consultative status (paragraph 11 above).

14. When several international non-governmental organizations are active in any field of FAO's activity, in principle only one should be granted specialized consultative status; no action should be taken until the division or divisions concerned have ascertained which organization is likely to be of most assistance in promoting FAO's objectives. Every opportunity will be taken to encourage such organizations to form themselves into a federation or an association.

Liaison status

15. The Director-General may grant liaison status to international non- governmental organizations at his discretion in accordance with the provisions of paragraph 8 above. He shall report thereon to the Council and will consult with the Council when he considers it necessary.

16. In granting liaison status to international non-governmental organizations, the Director-General will be guided as appropriate by the principles that apply to the granting of consultative status.

Scope of Arrangements for Consultation, Cooperation and Liaison

17. An invitation to an FAO meeting and representation thereat by an observer shall not imply the granting to an international non-governmental organization of a status different from that which it already enjoys.

Organizations granted consultative status

18. The privileges of such international non-governmental organizations when participating in Conference, Council and other meetings shall be those specified in paragraph 3 of Rule XVII of the General Rules of the Organization.

19. An organization in consultative status:

shall be entitled to send an observer (without the right to vote) to a session of the Conference and Council, who may be accompanied by advisers; to receive from the Director-General, in advance of the session, all documents bearing on policy or technical questions; to circulate to the Conference its views in writing, without abridgement; to speak before the technical committees of the Conference but not to participate in discussions unless requested by the Chairman; and, upon request addressed to the Director-General and with the consent of the General Committee of the Conference, to speak before the Conference itself;
may be invited by the Director-General to participate in experts'meetings, technical conferences or seminars on subjects which fall within its fields of interest, and if it does not so participate it may submit its views in writing to any such meeting or technical conference;
will receive non-confidential documentation and information about meetings planned on subjects agreed upon with the Secretariat;
may submit, under the authority of its governing body, written statements on programme matters, not exceeding 2 000 words, in one of the languages of FAO, to the Director-General, who may communicate them to the Council.

20. On the other hand, an organization in consultative status shall undertake:

to cooperate fully with FAO for the furtherance of the objectives of the Organization;
in cooperation with the competent services of FAO, to determine the ways and means of coordinating activities within the field of FAO, with a view to avoiding duplication and overlapping;
for this purpose, to invite a representative of the Director-General to attend and participate in the meetings of its governing bodies, general assemblies and appropriate technical meetings, and to arrange for coordination at secretariat level;
to contribute, as far as possible, and at the request of the Director-General, to the promotion of a better knowledge and understanding of FAO's programmes and activities through appropriate discussions or other forms of publicity;
to send FAO its reports and publications on an exchange basis;
to keep FAO informed of changes in its structure and membership, as well as of important changes in its secretariat.

Organizations granted specialized consultative status

21. An organization in specialized consultative status:

shall be entitled to send an observer to appropriate technical meetings with the approval of the Director-General, to receive appropriate publications, and to submit memoranda to the Organization on technical aspects of the FAO programme of mutual specialized interest; it shall be provisionally invited, subject to approval, as appropriate, by the Conference and Council, to send an observer to Conference sessions and in appropriate cases to Council sessions;
may be invited by the Director-General to participate in experts meetings, technical conferences or seminars on subjects which fall within its field of interest; and if it does not so participate it may submit its views in writing to any such meeting or technical conference;
will receive non-confidential documentation and information about such meetings;
may submit to the Director-General, under the authority of its governing body, written statements on programme matters coming within its specialized competence, not exceeding 2 000 words, in one of the languages of FAO, which statements the Director-General may place before the Council.

22. On the other hand, an organization in specialized consultative status shall undertake:

to cooperate fully with FAO for the furtherance of the objectives of the Organization within its specialized field;
in cooperation with the competent services of FAO, to determine the ways and means of coordinating activities in such specialized field, with a view to avoiding duplication and overlapping;
for this purpose, to invite a representative of the Director-General to attend and participate in the meetings of its governing bodies, general assemblies and appropriate technical meetings, and to arrange for co ordination at secretariat level;
to contribute, as far as possible, and at the request of the Director-General, to the promotion of a better knowledge and understanding of FAO's programmes and activities through appropriate forms of pub licity;
to send FAO its reports and publications on an exchange basis;
to keep FAO regularly informed of its programme of work, the meetings it plans to hold and of any changes in its structure, membership and secretariat.

Organizations with liaison status

23. The methods and scope of collaboration between an organization that has been granted liaison status and FAO shall be determined and agreed by an exchange of correspondence between such organization and the Director-General.

24. The Director-General may invite organizations in liaison status to send observers to specialized meetings held under the auspices of FAO when he is satisfied that such participation may make a significant contribution to the meeting concerned. The rights of any such observers shall be determined in the aforementioned exchange of correspondence but in no case shall they exceed those accorded to observers of organizations in specialized consultative status.

25. Organizations in liaison status 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 that would forward the technical work of the Organization.

Review of Relationship

26. The Conference may terminate arrangements for consultative status which are no longer considered necessary or appropriate in the light of changing programmes or other circumstances. In special cases which may arise between Conference sessions the Council is empowered to terminate such arrangements, subject to review by the Conference.

27. The Director-General may terminate arrangements for specialized consultative status which are no longer considered necessary or appropriate in the light of changing programmes or other circumstances, and will report such action to the Council.

28. An organization in consultative or specialized consultative status which has not shown any interest or has not attended any meetings during a period of two years may be deemed not to have sufficient interest to warrant the continuance of such relationship.

29. The Director-General may terminate arrangements for liaison status which are no longer considered necessary or appropriate by him in the light of changing programmes or other circumstances and shall report such action to the Council.

30. The Director-General shall include in his report to the Conference information on the relations between FAO and international non-governmental organizations established in accordance with the present principles and procedures.

31. The Conference shall review at each session the list of organizations approved for consultative status.

32. The Conference shall review these principles and procedures every two years and shall consider, as necessary, any amendments which may seem desirable.