CHAPTER 1: GENERAL POLICY AND DIRECTION

(All amounts in US$ 000)

Changes in Resources

142. As explained in Part I above, the major apparent change stems from the elimination of the hitherto separate heading for programme management, 1.9. The corresponding resources have been distributed over the other Major Programmes under the Chapter, to which the small administrative unit, formerly budgeted under 1.9, provides services. Other resource changes are explained below.

Major Programme 1.1: Governing Bodies

(All amounts in US$ 000)

Programme 1.1.1: Conference and Council

143. Programme 1.1.1 covers the direct costs of sessions of FAO Governing Bodies, i.e. Conference and Council, as well as Council Committees. Expenditures relate primarily to costs for documentation, interpretation and short-term staff, in addition to the travel of government representatives, as provided for in the Financial Regulations. The programme also includes provisions related to the McDougall Memorial Lecture and commemorative awards.

Programme 1.1.2: Conference Services

144. Programme 1.1.2 covers the cost of the Secretariat for Conference and Council sessions, including preparation of agendas, schedules of documents, and providing meeting room facilities. These services are also provided for other meetings at Headquarters. It serves as the focal point for relations with all Intergovernmental Organizations (IGOs) outside the UN system, excluding funding institutions such as the regional banks. This involves policy advice and liaison, maintenance of reference materials and documentation.

145. Within this programme, GIC⁴ will continue to ensure effective meetings management and efficient utilisation of translation, interpretation and printing services, including supportive computerised information systems. The more balanced use of languages has resulted in significant increases in translation volumes; new technologies and reorganised work processes have been implemented to manage this workload and improve services to clients.

146. It is recalled that interpretation services and translation of documents and internal printing activities are carried out under two self-financing pool accounts. The expected level of resources to be managed through these pool accounts is in excess of US$ 10 million.

Programme 1.1.3: Protocol Services

147. Programme 1.1.3 covers liaison and protocol work at Headquarters, i.e. liaison with Permanent Representatives and Missions accredited to FAO, liaison with the host government regarding implementation of the Headquarters Agreement, and the issuance of travel documents, visas and identity cards.

Programme 1.1.9: Programme Management

148. Programme 1.1.9 provides for the cost of divisional direction in GIC and that proportion of the costs of the Office of Assistant Director-General, General Affairs and Information Department (GI) which can be attributed to management of this major programme.

Changes in Resources

149. A shift in resources to Programme 1.1.9, together with a limited amount of additional funds, is to contribute to the cost of the new GI⁵ Department post of Information Technology Officer (ITO). Through internal shifts from non-staff resources, GIC will cover the needed upgrading of a post of Protocol Liaison Officer, and the creation of a new post of Secretary to the Independent Chairman of Council, G-3.

Major Programme 1.2: Policy, Direction and Planning

(All amounts in US$ 000)

150. This major programme includes the provisions for the immediate Office of the Director-General (ODG) (1.2.1); the Office of Programme, Budget and Evaluation (PBE) (1.2.2); the Office of the Inspector-General (AUD); the portion of the total costs of the Legal Office (LEG) as relates more specifically to legal services to the Organization; and that portion of the cost of the Office for Coordination of Normative, Operational and Decentralized Activities (OCD) as relates to its overall coordination responsibilities. The remaining costs of the latter two offices are budgeted under Programme 3.1.3: Legal Assistance to Member Nations, Major Programme 3.4: FAO Representatives, and Programme 3.5.3: Cooperation Agreements with Member Nations and Support to ECDC⁷ and TCDC⁸.

151. Programme 1.2.3: Audit and Inspection, covers the activities of the Office of the Inspector-General. It is recalled that AUD also has outposted staff in the Regional Offices which are taken into account under this programme.

152. Programme 1.2.4 covers the "in-house counsel" work of the Legal Office, which includes advice to the Director-General, technical departments and Governing Bodies of the Organization on legal matters, servicing of the Committee on Constitutional and Legal Matters (CCLM), support to the preparation of international legal agreements at the global and regional levels, and the handling of cases before the ILO Administrative Tribunal.

153. Under Programme 1.2.5, OCD will continue to support the decentralization policy, i.e. to ensure that functional relationships between Headquarters and decentralized offices are conducive to overall cost-effectiveness and due responsiveness of services to Member Nations. OCD will continue to monitor the implementation of the decentralization policy and related coordination arrangements. It will provide information and guidance to other FAO units, both at Headquarters and in the field, on coordination issues. This involves, inter alia, the preparation of documents on decentralization issues for consideration by Governing Bodies and senior management and support to Regional Offices in the organisation of Regional Conferences. Other activities are the six-monthly Management Letters to FAORs⁹ containing feedback and guidance from Headquarters and the management of the Small-scale Facility for FAORs. Work on partnership programmes continues to be covered under Programme 3.5.3.

Changes in Resources

154. The 2002-03 allocation under Programme 1.2.2: Programme Planning, Budgeting and Evaluation, included a one-time provision for the development of the comprehensive budget preparation and work planning system (PIRES¹⁰), which can, therefore, be reprogrammed for other purposes in 2004-2005. This has been used, in part, to regularize three temporary posts under 1.2.1 Director-General's Office and also to strengthen work under 1.2.3 Audit and Inspection.

Major Programme 1.3: External Coordination and Liaison

(All amounts in US$ 000)

155. Programme 1.3.1 covers the work of the unit, placed under the Special Advisers to the Director-General (SAD), for FAO's coordination and cooperation with other organizations of the UN system, and FAO's contributions to several UN system-wide mechanisms, e.g. the Joint Inspection Unit (JIU), the International Civil Service Commission (ICSC) and the Chief Executives Board (CEB) subsidiary bodies.

156. Programme 1.3.2 covers the Liaison Offices with the United Nations (in New York and Geneva), for North America (in Washington D.C.), with the European Union and Belgium (in Brussels), and with Japan (in Yokohama).

Changes in Resources

157. The increase includes a new post in SAD, to enable this unit to face a greatly expanded workload linked to UN system cooperation and coordination, in effect regularizing temporary arrangements used so far. It may also be noted that a technical adjustment was made transferring posts from Programme 1.2.1 to 1.3.1 that relate more directly to work under 1.3.1.

⁴ Conference, Council and Protocol Affairs Division

⁵ General Affairs and Information Department

⁶ Zero real growth

⁷ Economic Cooperation among Developing Countries

⁸ Technical Cooperation among Developing Countries

⁹ FAO Representatives

¹⁰ Programme Planning, Implementation Reporting and Evaluation Support System