73. The Conference welcomed the improved format of this version of the biennial Programme Implementation Report (PIR), which also benefited from the now established practice of posting detailed information on the status of implementation of various outputs on the FAO Internet Website.

74. The Conference underlined the importance of this comprehensive report and its complementarity to the Programme Evaluation Report. It looked forward to further improvements in the future, which would stem in particular from the enhanced programming process, including the introduction of the Strategic Framework and a revamped Medium-Term Plan. It noted that the PIR should remain of a primarily quantitative nature, and singled out attention to results and reporting of achievements by Strategic Objectives, Priority Areas for Inter-disciplinary Action (PAIAs), Cross Organizational Strategies, efficiency improvements, and human resource management as possible avenues for improvements. Further expansion of information on field activities and coverage of efficiency gains and their effective impact were also considered important.

75. The Conference observed that the delivery in terms of outputs had been quite satisfactory during the past biennium, despite overall resource constraints. The Conference recognized that several factors had influenced the rate of implementation among the various types of outputs.

76. Among key aspects highlighted in the document, the Conference noted the declining trend of delivery under non-emergency field activities. It was satisfied that this aspect was kept under close scrutiny by the Council, through the Programme and Finance Committees, including the measures being undertaken to reinvigorate the Field Programme. In connection with the Field Programme, many Members reiterated the importance of the Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP) and the Special Programme for Food Security (SPFS) in meeting the requirements of beneficiary countries. Members looked forward to the evaluation of the latter to be finalized and considered by the Programme Committee in May 2002.

77. In observing that relatively limited information had been provided on FAO's work in this area, Members from the Africa Region called for an active involvement of FAO in the fight against Animal Trypanosomiasis. They also emphasized the broader question of transboundary pests and diseases, and signalled their expectation of a more adequate coverage of achievements in this area in the future.

78. The Conference accordingly adopted the following Resolution:

RESOLUTION 4/2001
Plan of Action for the Pan African Tsetse and Trypanosomiasis Eradication Campaign (PATTEC)

THE CONFERENCE,

Acknowledging that tsetse flies which affect 37 African countries and cause an estimated annual loss of US$ 4.5 billion were one of Africa's greatest constraints to socio-economic development, severely affecting human and livestock health, limiting land use, causing poverty and perpetuating underdevelopment on the African continent,

Realizing that elimination of tsetse flies would significantly contribute to increased productivity of crops and livestock and reduce rural poverty on the African continent,

Recognizing decisions AHG/Dec. 156 (XXXVI) of 12 July 2000 and AHG/Dec. 169 (XXVI) of 11 July 2001 by the Heads of State and Government of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) to free Africa of tsetse flies, and their endorsement of and commitment to the OAU's Plan of Action for the Pan African Tsetse and Trypanosomiasis Eradication Campaign (PATTEC),

Taking note that the PATTEC was officially launched in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, during the Second Orientation Workshop for the Directors of Animal Resources and Veterinary Services on Policy and Strategy for Tsetse Eradication held on 29-30 September 2001,

Noting the recommendations made by the FAO Liaison officers meeting for West and Central Africa, in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso on 29 September 2001, inviting the international community to fully support the PATTEC initiative,

Recalling that the World Food Summit Plan of Action of 1996, adopted in Rome on 13 November 1996, recommended that Governments, in partnership with all actors of civil society, and with the support of international institutions, seek to ensure effective prevention and progressive control of plant and animal pests and disease, including those which are of transboundary nature,

Considering the acknowledgement of the problem by the Secretary-General of the United Nations in his recent report to the United Nations Economic and Social Council, and the Resolution E/2001/L.34 adopted by the United Nations Economic and Social Council on 25 July 2001, calling upon all Member Nations, organizations of the United Nations System and the international community to fully support the Organization of African Unity's Pan-African Tsetse and Trypanosomiasis Eradication Campaign,

Acknowledging the Resolution GC(45/RES/12, adopted on 21 September 2001 by the Forty-fifth Session of the Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency, welcoming the OAU's Plan of Action of the eradication of tsetse flies from Africa and calling upon Member Nations to provide technical, financial and material support to African Member Nations in their efforts to eradicate tsetse flies,

Considering that the Twenty-ninth Session of the FAO Conference in adopting Resolution 5/97 on the Programme against African Trypanosomiasis (PAAT) endorsed the objectives and structures for PAAT in recognition of its concern over the considerable adverse impact of Trypanosomiasis on agricultural production and human welfare, and for PAAT's potential to contribute to the objectives of the World Food Summit Plan of Action,

Supporting the significant joint efforts undertaken by FAO, IAEA, OAU and WHO through PAAT,

Recognizing the important contribution that FAO was making in the fields of pest and disease control and in food and agricultural production,

1. Welcomes the OAU initiative for the progressive control and ultimate eradication of tsetse flies from Africa as an important tool to increase animal and agricultural production in affected countries,
   
   
2. Urges affected Member Nations to include tsetse flies eradication in their Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers,
   
   
3. Requests FAO, in cooperation with Member Nations and relevant international organizations, to support African Member Nations in their efforts to effectively combat the human and animal diseases and their vectors, and in particular to support the OAU's initiative of PATTEC,
   
   
4. Requests the Director General to report on the progress made in the implementation of this Resolution to the Council and the Conference at its Thirty-second Session.

(Adopted on 12 November 2001)

79. The Conference also noted the request for the preparation of a comparative study of staff recruitment practices of FAO and the United Nations (UN), focusing in particular on geographical distribution aspects, which should be submitted to the Council at its Hundred and Twenty-third Session.

80. In conclusion, the Conference concurred with the general endorsement of the document by the Council in November 2000.

81. The Conference welcomed and endorsed the Report in its new format, which represented the first such biennial reporting under the revised evaluation regime in the context of the Strategic Framework and the new programme model. It noted that the Report contained summaries of the main programme evaluations that had been considered by the Programme Committee during the biennium. In particular, it appreciated, in addition to its concise and informative nature, the transparent nature of the reporting, covering comments of FAO management, the Programme Committee and external review panels where these were organized. Similarly, the Conference welcomed the pro-active role of the Programme Committee in advising the Director-General on the evaluation subjects, detailed review of the individual evaluations and reviews, and in promoting follow-up action by management on the issues and recommendations arising from the evaluation process.

82. The Conference reiterated the importance of evaluation as a major instrument for learning within FAO, and identifying areas of comparative advantage for FAO, forming an integral part of the corporate management process. It expressed general satisfaction with the progress being made in evolving an appropriate evaluation system in the context of a more strategically-oriented planning, programming and budgeting approach recently introduced. It noted: that evaluation was increasingly framed in relation to the Strategic Framework and the Medium-Term Plan; that the independence of evaluation work was being strengthened through cost-effective use of external expertise inputs; that it would be appropriate to consider the creation of an independent evaluation service; and that feedback from evaluation into the programme planning process was also enhanced, particularly through the active role of the Programme Committee in this respect as well as by the increasingly more pro-active attitude of management, including the programme managers concerned. Nevertheless, the Conference endorsed the Programme Committee's call for further improvement in the analysis of programme results and impact. It also underlined the importance of strengthening of feedback from evaluation to the programme management process.

83. The Conference appreciated the five topics covered in this Report. It agreed, in particular, on the importance of the two thematic topics, FAO's policy assistance and training activities, and encouraged follow-up action by management on the main recommendations. It highlighted the need for improving field project formulation and design, and was informed that this problem was being addressed through the FAO Field Programme Committee as part of the concerted efforts to reform methodologies and procedures for FAO's Field Programme.

84. The Conference welcomed a number of forthcoming evaluations including for the SPFS, the decentralization process and the CODEX Joint Food Standards Programme. With regard to the CODEX evaluation, the Conference took note that there would be an external component to its review.

85. The Conference considered the Programme of Work and Budget proposals for the 2002-2003 biennium, appreciating the concise format of the document facilitated by placing detailed information on FAO's Internet Website. It welcomed the new section on Regional Dimensions, as well as the expanded explanations of the links with extra-budgetary funded activities.

86. The Conference recognized that this Programme of Work and Budget embodied the first attempt to fully apply the new programming model to technical and economic programmes. It was also satisfied that the proposals were consistent with the longer-term orientations in the Strategic Framework 2000-2015, and with the substance of the Medium-Term Plan 2002-2007²⁰, as endorsed by the Council. As to possible future improvements, the Conference concurred with the Council's recommendation that the budgetary aspects of the Strategies to Address Cross-organizational Issues be made more explicit in the next versions. The Conference welcomed the Council's request at its Hundred and Twentieth Session that the Programme Committee should examine the feasibility of developing preliminary information on Programme of Work and Budget proposals and submit them to the Committees on Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.

87. The Conference recognized that the proposals had been developed in terms of two scenarios, covering Real Growth (RG) and Zero Real Growth (ZRG). Some Members regretted the lack of additional scenarios, in particular a Zero Nominal Growth (ZNG) scenario, as had been requested by some Members during the Joint Meeting of the Programme and Finance Committees and the Council.

88. The Conference recalled that a key parameter affecting budgetary decisions in the Organization was the impact of exchange rates. It further recalled that the US Dollar-Italian Lira (and now Euro) spot rate on the day of the vote of the Budgetary Appropriation had traditionally been used to finalize the approved budget. The Conference noted that the forward purchase contract entered into by the Secretariat in July 2001, at the rate of  € 1 to US$ 0.88 (or Lira 2,200 to US$ 1) had effectively removed uncertainties linked to the exchange rate. It observed that another favourable consequence was to minimize greatly the estimate for cost increases, thereby leading to much lower budget levels under both the RG and ZRG options since consideration of the Summary²¹ by the Council in June, and to a substantial narrowing of the difference between ZRG and ZNG. The Conference was satisfied that the Finance Committee had endorsed the cost increase estimates and related assumptions.

89. The Conference agreed that the continued search for efficiency savings should be an on-going concern of management, e.g. by taking account of streamlining possibilities and exploiting the potential offered by technical innovations. Many Members considered that FAO had exhausted realistic possibilities to generate substantial efficiency savings as the result of the extensive reforms and streamlining measures undertaken in the recent past, and underlined that the identification of savings should not be detrimental to the effective delivery of approved programmes. Other Members considered that there was scope for additional efficiency gains and stressed their expectation of vigorous efforts in this direction, particularly at a time when Members could face difficulties in meeting their financial obligations to the Organization.

90. Some Members requested that the question of the adoption of the Euro as the functional accounting currency be examined by the Finance Committee.

91. Many Members reiterated their request concerning a comparative study of staff recruitment practices across the UN System, focusing in particular on geographical distribution aspects.

92. The Conference recognized that the Council had already highlighted a number of priority areas at its Hundred and Twenty-first Session, held in the preceding week. It reiterated the Membership's consistent support to these priorities.

93. Members from the Africa Region reiterated the views on animal trypanosomiasis, as expressed in paragraphs 77 and 78 above.

94. The Conference reaffirmed the need to pursue effectively measures for balanced use of all FAO languages. It noted the positive steps aimed at improved balance in the use of FAO languages in all pertinent FAO activities as included in the Programme of Work and Budget proposals, and looked forward to further progress during 2002-2003.

95. The Conference emphasized the importance of a reinvigorated FAO Field Programme, especially of a non-emergency nature, in linking Headquarters and field activities given the declining trend of non-emergency field activities experienced in the recent past. The essential contributions of FAO's Decentralized Offices were underscored in this context. The Conference also reiterated the need to continue to ensure an appropriate balance between FAO's normative and operational work. Many Members expressed concern about what they perceived as imbalances in the distribution of resources of benefit to respective regions, and requested FAO to allocate the resources based on regional effective needs.

96. During their interventions, Members expressed their preferences in relation to the budget level, recalling similar interventions made at the Hundred and Twenty-first Session of the Council during the previous week.

97. Many Members strongly supported RG, recalling the commitments made at the World Food Summit and highlighting the vast and complex problems experienced in various regions, including those linked to recurring emergencies, persistent poverty or the need to integrate more fully into and benefit from global economic development. They stressed that this range of problems translated into pressing demands for FAO's assistance. In reiterating their conviction that the Organization had practically exhausted the potential offered by efficiency savings, they considered that the resumption of Real Growth was the only way forward and the correct signal from FAO's Governing Bodies at this juncture.

98. Other Members supported ZNG. Some of them highlighted in particular the impact of economic difficulties and stringency in public expenditures experienced in their countries. Some pointed out that ZNG was an objective they pursued throughout the UN System as a matter of policy. Some stressed the negative impact of sharply increased assessments on their capacity to meet financial obligations. Some were also of the view that the favourable impact of exchange rates, coupled with the active search for further savings and efficiencies, made ZNG achievable without damage to the substance of FAO's work.

99. Other Members expressed support to ZRG as a possible compromise solution.

100. Other Members expressed the view that the budget level should be considered in relation to the content of the programme and priorities proposed.

101. The Conference recalled that it had adopted at its last Session Resolution 3/99, which foresaw the use, for specific purposes, of payments by the major contributor during 2000-2001 of arrears in assessed contributions. The Conference recognized that a significant payment of arrears by the major contributor was now more likely to occur in the next biennium.

102. As the authority embedded in this Resolution would lapse at the end of 2001, the Conference addressed an updated, while broadly similar, Draft Resolution prepared by the Secretariat to authorize the use of a portion of expected arrears' payment for specific items. It reiterated that the one-time payments of arrears expected from the major contributor could only be used for one-time expenditures and that its decision would not set a precedent. It noted that this Draft Resolution also took account of some recent changes in the accounting policy for After Service Medical Coverage (ASMC) costs.

103. The Conference then adopted the following Resolutions:

RESOLUTION 5/2001 Budgetary Appropriations 2002-03 THE CONFERENCE, Having considered the Director-General's Programme of Work and Budget: Approves a total net Appropriation of US$ 651 758 000 for the financial period 2002-03; a) Appropriations* are voted for the following purposes: US$ Chapter 1: General Policy and Direction 51 823 000 Chapter 2: Technical and Economic Programmes 292 348 000 Chapter 3: Cooperation and Partnerships 120 819 000 Chapter 4: Technical Cooperation Programme 95 195 000 Chapter 5: Support Services 52 578 000 Chapter 6: Common Services 38 395 000 Chapter 7: Contingencies 600 000 Total Appropriation (Net) 651 758 000 Chapter 8: Transfer to Tax Equalization Fund 95 083 000 Total Appropriation (Gross) 746 841 000       b) The appropriations (gross) voted in paragraph (a) above, shall be financed by assessments on Member Nations, after deduction of Miscellaneous Income in the amount of US$ 6 695 000, thus resulting in assessments against Member Nations of US$ 740 146 000.      c) In establishing the actual amounts of contributions to be paid by individual Member Nations, the assessment of each Member Nation shall be reduced by any amount standing to its credit in the Tax Equalization Fund provided that the credit of a Member Nation that levies taxes on the salaries, emoluments and indemnities received from FAO by staff members shall be reduced by the estimated amounts of such taxes to be reimbursed to the staff member by FAO. An estimate of US$ 3 000 000 has been withheld for this purpose.       d) The contributions due from Member Nations in 2002 and 2003 shall be paid in accordance with the scale adopted by the Conference at its Thirty-first session, which contributions, after the deduction of amounts standing to the credit of Member Nations in the Tax Equalization Fund, result in net amounts payable totalling US$ 648 063 000.       _____________________________________ *Calculated at € 1 = US$ 0.880 (Lira 2,200 = US$ 1) (Adopted on 9 November 2001)

RESOLUTION 6/2001
Use of Arrears

THE CONFERENCE,

Noting the continued pressure to constrain public expenditure and the consequences for the Organization's Assessed Contributions,

Recognizing that the demands placed upon the Organization in respect of its programmes exceed the level of the effective working budget as defined in its Programme of Work,

Noting that the Director-General had, as a consequence, been unable to accommodate a number of important capital and other one-time expenditures under the budget as approved by the Conference,

Noting that additional funds could become available to the Organization during the biennium 2002-2003 in the form of payments of arrears of contributions, in particular by the major contributor,

Notwithstanding the continuing generous support of Trust Fund donors to the work of the Organization and recognizing that some of the purposes mentioned below could benefit from voluntary contributions,

1. Requires that the Director-General apply such arrears as may be paid by the major contributor to a proportional reduction in the accumulated deficit as shown in the accounts of the Organization as at 31 December 2001 (excluding the cumulative impact of amortization of the liability for After Service Medical Coverage) equal to the proportion of payments made by the major contributor of its total arrears in Assessed Contributions,
   
   
2. Reaffirms the principle of Financial Regulation 6.1 that any cash surplus in the General Fund at the close of any financial period shall be allocated among Member Nations,
   
   
3. Urges Member Nations to pay their assessments in full, on time and without conditions and to immediately pay all arrears,
   
   
4. Authorizes the Director-General, notwithstanding Financial Regulation 6.1, to use part or the whole of the balance of such payments of arrears for the following purposes, after providing for the implementation in full of the Programme of Work and Budget for the 2002-2003 biennium under Resolution 4/2001, and to carry forward such funds to the following biennium if necessary, subject to the receipt of such arrears:
   
   

	Item	Estimated Cost (US$ 000)
1.	Biotechnology and biosecurity	4,000
2.	Natural resource assessment and conservation, with particular emphasis on Forestry	4,300
3.	Enhanced Language coverage through translation of reference texts into official languages including Codex Alimentarius	2,700
4.	Multilateral trade	2,500
5.	Statistical data - improvements in quality and coverage	1,800
6.	Fisheries and Other Plans of Action	2,400
7.	Information Technology (IT) infrastructure to support technical and other work of the Organization	7,500
8.	Corporate administrative systems	25,500
	Total	50,700

5. Establishes Chapter 9 of the Programme of Work and Budget, "One-time Expenditures funded from Arrears", to manage such expenditures.

(Adopted on 9 November 2001)

 

104. The Conference expressed satisfaction with the strengthening of the cooperation between the Arab Organization for Agricultural Development (AOAD) and FAO.

105. The Conference noted that the Council, at its Hundred and Twenty-first Session in October-November 2001, had endorsed the Agreement. The Conference confirmed the Agreement, as set out in Appendix F to this Report.

106. The Conference took note of the Audited Accounts 1998-1999 and the Report of the External Auditor, as reviewed by the Finance Committee at its Ninety-sixth Session and by the Council at its Hundred and Twenty-first Session, and adopted the following Resolution:

RESOLUTION 7/2001
FAO Audited Accounts 1998-1999

THE CONFERENCE,

Having considered the Report of the Hundred and Twenty-first Session of the Council,

Having examined the 1998-99 FAO Audited Accounts and the External Auditor's Report thereon,

Adopts the Audited Accounts.

(Adopted on 13 November 2001)

107. The Conference noted that the Council had recommended that the FAO proposed Scale of Contributions for 2002-2003 be derived from the UN Scale of Assessments in force during 2001.

108. The Conference noted that a Working Group had been established in accordance with the recommendations of Council to examine if there were feasible transitional arrangements that could alleviate the burden on Members as a result of the change in the Scale of Contributions for 2002-2003, and to identify how recommended arrangements could be funded.

109. The Working Group reported to Conference that after considering a variety of proposals, it had been unable to identify a satisfactory source of funding for such transitional arrangements.

110. The Conference further noted that some Members had proposed a Draft Resolution inviting Member and non-Member Nations and private donors to make voluntary contributions to mitigate the impact of the increases in the contributions of Member Nations resulting from the change in the ceiling rate of assessments for 2002-2003.

111. One Member Nation expressed reservations on the Scale that had been adopted for 2001, noting that it did not include transitional measures and that its method of adoption had been inconsistent with the traditional practices of the Organization.

112. The Conference then adopted the following Resolutions:

RESOLUTION 8/2001
Scale of Contributions 2002-2003

THE CONFERENCE,

Having noted the recommendations of the Hundred and Twenty-first Session of the Council,

Confirming that as in the past, FAO should follow the United Nations Scale of Assessments subject to adaptation for the different membership of FAO,

1. Decides that the FAO Scale of Contributions for 2002-2003 should be derived directly from the United Nations Scale of Assessments established for those years, in force during 2001,
   
   
2. Adopts for the use in 2002 and 2003 the Scale as set out in Appendix G of this Report.

(Adopted on 13 November 2001)

RESOLUTION 9/2001
Invitation to Make Voluntary Contributions

THE CONFERENCE,

Recognizing that the adoption of the Scale of Contributions from 2002-2003 entailed increases in the contributions of many Members, including developing countries,

Recalling that, pursuant to Resolution 55/5 adopted during the Fifty-fifth Session of the United Nations General Assembly, a voluntary contribution was made with a view to temporarily addressing the increases in the rate of assessment of Member Nations resulting from the change in the ceiling rate of the Scale of Assessments of that Organization,

Invites Member Nations, as well as non-Member Nations and private donors, to make voluntary contributions in accordance with the Financial Regulations of the Organization to mitigate the impact of the increases in the contributions of Member Nations resulting from the change in the ceiling rate of the Scale of Assessments for 2002-2003.

(Adopted on 13 November 2001)

113. Article XVIII.6 of the Constitution provides that:

"A Member Organization shall not be required to contribute to the budget specified in paragraph 2 of this Article, but shall pay to the Organization a sum to be determined by the Conference to cover administrative and other expenses arising out of its membership in the Organization (...)"

114. At its Twenty-sixth Session in 1991, the Conference fixed the sum to be paid by the European Community for the 1992-1993 biennium at US$ 500 000. At its Twenty-seventh Session in 1993, the Conference again set the amount of the payment due by the EC for the 1994-1995 biennium at US$ 500 000: this sum was arrived at by taking the lump-sum payment set by the Conference in 1991, increasing it in line with the standard cost increase coefficient adopted for the 1994-1995 budget and adjusting it in line with the comparative movement of the US and Italian currencies. The Conference further decided that the sums paid by the EC in respect of administrative and other expenses should be paid into a trust or special fund to be established by the Director-General under Regulation 6.7 of the Financial Regulations.

115. At the request of the Conference, the Finance Committee, at its Seventy-eighth Session in April 1994, considered further the methodology for the calculation of the sum to be paid by Member Organizations to cover administrative and other expenses arising out of their membership in the Organization. The Committee:

"(...) recommended that, in future, the Conference should continue to set the payment due for administrative and other expenses arising out of membership in the Organization at a lump-sum, calculated on the basis of the lump-sum set for the preceding biennium, adjusted to take into account cost increases in line with the rest of the budget, and the setting of the US Dollar/Italian Lira `budget rate'. This would of course be without prejudice to the reimbursement of expenses incurred in respect of services not normally granted to FAO Members without special payment."

116. This recommendation was supported by the Council at its Hundred and Seventh Session in November 1994. On the basis of the methodology recommended by the Finance Committee and supported by the Council, the Twenty-eighth Session of the Conference in 1995 set the payment due for the 1996-1997 biennium at US$ 525 000.

117. On the basis of the same methodology, the Twenty-ninth Session of the Conference in 1997 set the payment for the 1998-1999 biennium at US$ 545 000. In 1999, the Thirtieth Session of the Conference set the payment due for the 2000-2001 biennium at US$ 558 000. Using the same methodology and taking the cost increases at their average of 0.46% as used in the budget proposed by the Director-General in document C 2001/3 after adjustment of the rate of exchange to reflect the forward rate of Euro 1 = US$ 0.880 (Lit. 2,200), the lump sum payment due by the EC to cover administrative and other expenses arising out of its membership in the Organization would be US$ 560,000 for the 2002-2003 biennium.

118. In view of the above, the Conference agreed to set the lump-sum payment due by the EC to cover administrative and other expenditures arising out of its membership in the Organization at US$ 560 000 for the 2002-2003 biennium.

119. As for previous biennia, it was proposed that the sums paid by the EC in respect of administrative and other expenses should be paid into a trust or special fund established by the Director-General under Regulation 6.7 of the Financial Regulations.

120. The Deputy General Secretary of the Association of Professional Staff (APS) spoke on behalf of the three Staff Representative Bodies underlining the importance of adequate safety and security measures for the staff worldwide. He expressed concern about the reduction of staff costs through abolition of posts and downgrading resulting from the financial constraints of the Organization in recent biennia, with consequent effects on promotion and workload. He emphasized that staff were committed to the goals of the Organization and the implementation of FAO's Programme of Work.

121. The Conference adopted the following Resolution:

RESOLUTION 10/2001
Liabilities for After-Service Medical Coverage

THE CONFERENCE,

Having considered the Report of the Hundred and Twenty-first Session of the Council,

Having noted the unfunded liability for past services,

Having noted the progress made to date in funding the liability for After-Service Medical Coverage (ASMC) since the application of the Conference Resolution 10/99,

Approves to extend the application of Conference Resolution 10/99 to cover the Termination Payments liability in the event that the liability for ASMC becomes fully funded, so that

1. any income generated from the investments held in respect of the Separation Payments Scheme, Staff Compensation Plan and ASMC shall be applied as originally foreseen to ensure that adequacy of those funds to extinguish the respective liabilities;
2. should there be an excess in the investment income of the Separation Payments Scheme, Staff Compensation Plan and ASMC over the requirements for these funds then this should in principle be earmarked for the unfunded Termination Payments liability; and
3. following the past practice to establish separate funds for After-Service benefits, the investments in the Separation Payments Scheme, Staff Compensation Plan and ASMC exceeding the liabilities shall be earmarked for Termination Payments Fund.

(Adopted on 13 November 2001)

 

128. The Conference elected Kenya to the Council seat for the Africa Region for the outstanding period November 2001 to November 2003.

129. The Conference then elected the following Member Nations as Members of the Council:

Period November 2001 to 31 December 2004

Period 1 January 2003 to November 2005

130. The Conference had before it three nominations for the office of Independent Chairman of the Council.

131. The Conference, after a secret ballot, appointed Aziz Mekouar (Morocco) to the office of Independent Chairman of the Council and adopted the following Resolution:

RESOLUTION 11/2001
Appointment of the Independent Chairman of the Council

THE CONFERENCE,

Having proceeded to a secret ballot, in accordance with the provisions of Rule XII of the General Rules of the Organization:

1. Declares that Aziz MEKOUAR is appointed Independent Chairman of the Council for a period of two years, that is, until the end of the regular session of the Conference to be held in 2003;
   
   
2. Decides that the conditions of appointment, including the allowances attached to the office of the Independent Chairman of the Council, shall be as follows:
   
   
1. An annual allowance of the equivalent of US$ 22 000 to cover the representation expenses and secretarial assistance in the Chairman's home station, on the understanding that the Director-General will provide secretarial assistance when the Chairman attends sessions of the Conference, Council, Programme Committee or Finance Committee; one-half of the allowance shall be payable in US dollars, the balance being payable, in whole or in part, in the currency of the home station of the Chairman, or in Euros, according to his desires;
   
   
2. a per diem allowance at a rate equivalent to that for the Deputy Director-General, while the Chairman is absent from his home station on Council business;
   
   
3. Travel expenses, including the above per diem allowance, shall be defrayed by the Organization, in conformity with its regulations and existing practice, when the Chairman attends sessions of the Council, of the Programme and Finance Committees, of the Conference, or when he is invited by the Council or by the Director-General to travel for other purposes.

(Adopted on 13 November 2001)

 

132. In accordance with Article 6(c) of the Regulations of the UN Joint Staff Pension Fund, the Conference appointed two members and two alternate members to the Staff Pension Committee for the periods specified as follows:

For the period 1 January 2002 - 31 December 2004
Member	Chris Richard First Secretary Alternate Permanent Representative of the   United States of America to FAO
Alternate Member	Milan Paksi Counsellor Permanent Representative of the   Slovak Republic to FAO
For the period 1 January 2003 - 31 December 2005
Member	Mohamed Said Mohamed Ali Harbi Counsellor Permanent Representative of the Republic   of Sudan to FAO
Alternate Member	Muhamad Nahar Sidek Assistant Agricultural Attaché of Malaysia   to FAO

133. The Conference took note of the confirmation of memberships of:

Alternate Member

Kiala Kia Mateva Counsellor Alternate Permanent Representative of the Republic   of Angola to FAO

for the period 1 January 2002 to 31 December 2002, to replace and complete the term of office of Mr Gaspard Kabura, First Counsellor of the Embassy of the Republic of Burundi to FAO, and

Member

Mrs Dolores Margarita Cedeño Pérez Minister Counsellor Alternate Permanent Representative of the   Dominican Republic to FAO

for the period 1 January 2002 to 31 December 2003, to replace and complete the term of office of her predecessor Mr Juan Borg, who was nominated by the Conference in 1999.

 

134. The Conference decided that its Thirty-second Session should be held in Rome from 29 November to 10 December 2003.

135. The Conference welcomed the informal Ministerial Meeting on Experiences with the Foot-and-Mouth Disease, held parallel to the Thirty-first Session of the FAO Conference. The Conference recognized the widespread and increasing impact of epidemic animal diseases, like Foot-and-Mouth Disease, on agricultural development, trade and food security. The Conference noted the summarized presentation by the co-chairs of this meeting. The Conference stressed the need to continue the work at the national, regional and international level (both by FAO and OIE) to combat the Foot-and-Mouth Disease, involving all relevant stakeholders.

136. The Conference noted that the debate on this matter could be carried forward during the Brussels Conference on Foot-and-Mouth Disease in December 2001.