FORTY-FIFTH SESSION

INTRODUCTION

1. The Forty-Fifth Session of the Council of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations was opened in Rome on 15 November 1965 by the outgoing First Vice-Chairman, Mr. A. Davatchi (Iran).

2. Mr. M. Cépède (France) and Mr. M. Khurshid (Pakistan) were appointed First and Second Vice-Chairman respectively.

3. The Agenda of the Session as adopted is set out in Appendix A to this Report.

ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE THIRTEENTH CONFERENCE SESSION

Additional Items for the Provisional Agenda of the Conference Session

4. The Council considered document C 65/13, and agreed to the following additional items for the Provisional Agenda of the Thirteenth Session of the Conference.

5. The items “Establishment of a Committee on Tropical Forestry” proposed by the Governments of Liberia and Venezuela, and “Emergency Fund for the Control of Plant Pests and Diseases” arising from the Fourteenth Session of the Finance Committee had been referred by the Director-General to the Technical Committees on Forestry and Agriculture respectively. The Council confirmed the action of the Director-General and noted that these items would accordingly be dealt with under Item 11 of the Provisional Agenda of the Conference.

6. The Council also recommended to add under Item 13, “Interagency Relations and Consultations on Matters of Common Interest”, two new sub-items as follows:

4. “FAO/IBRD Co-operative Program”
5. “Joint Activities with the Inter-American Development Bank”.

7. Finally, the Council having reached the decision within the powers delegated to it by the Conference on the salary scale for professional category and above, considered it would not be necessary to include this item on the Conference Agenda. Accordingly Item 19(a) could be deleted and sub-items (b) and (c) would become (a) and (b) respectively.

McDougall Memorial Lecture

8. The Council noted that the selection committee had chosen Professor Karl Gunnar Myrdal, Professor of International Economy at the University of Stockholm, to deliver this year's McDougall Memorial Lecture.

9. The Council also noted that the McDougall Memorial Lecture was scheduled for the morning of Monday 22 November.

Timetable for the Session.¹

10. The Council concurred with the Director-General's proposal that the ceremony commemorating the Twentieth Anniversary of FAO should take place on Saturday 20 November, and not on Monday 22 November as shown in the tentative timetable.

11. The Council agreed that in order to enable the Director-General to communicate the views of the Conference on the World Food Program to the United Nations General Assembly before that body discussed the World Food Program, Item 8 of the Provisional Agenda, originally scheduled for consideration by Commission I on Monday 6 December, should be considered by that Commission on Thursday 2 December. As a result, Item 6(b) “Commodity Problems” would be dealt with on Friday 3 December and Items 6(c) “Relations between CCP and UNCTAD”, 6(d) “1970 World Census of Agriculture” and 10 “Article XI Reports” would be postponed until Monday 6 December. The Report of Commission I on the World Food Program would be submitted to Plenary for adoption on Monday 6 December.

¹ See C 65/2 - Rev. 1 for final revised timetable.

Ad Hoc Working Party on Activities under EPTA and UNSF

12. Further to the recommendation made at its Forty-Fourth Session, that an Ad Hoc Working Party undertake a review of broad policy questions relating to the management and procedure governing EPTA and UNSF, the Council recommended that this Working Party be established by Commission II at the first meeting of that Commission (scheduled for the morning of Tuesday 23 November), that the Ad Hoc Working Party hold its first meeting on the afternoon of 23 November and submit its report to Commission II not later than Monday 29 November.

13. Since one of the recommendations of the Ad Hoc Working Party might well be the establishment of a new Technical Committee of the Conference for future years, Commission III was requested to postpone consideration of Item 17(n) “Technical Committees of the Conference” until Wednesday 1 December, in order to permit the views of Commission II on this question to be taken into account.

Admission of Observers

14. The Council noted that the Government of Bulgaria had submitted a request to attend the Thirteenth Conference Session in an Observer capacity. It further noted that, in accordance with the “Statement of Principles Relating to the Granting of Observer Status to Nations” (FAO Basic Texts, Vol. II, page 5, Section B, paragraph 1): “Nations which, while not Member Nations or Associate Members of the Organization, are members of the United Nations may, on request, and subject to the provisions of paragraph B 4, ¹ be invited by the Conference or the Council to be represented by an observer at a session of the Conference or Council.”

15. The Council noted that under the terms of Rule X of the General Rules of the Organization, this was a matter for consideration by the General Committee.

Nominations made under Rule VII of the General Rules of the Organization

16. The Council confirmed the nominations provisionally made at its Forty-Fourth Session as follows:

17. The Council also nominated the following eleven Member Nations to be members of the Nominations Committee:

Australia
Ceylon
Colombia
Costa Rica
Ghana
Iran
Kuwait
Japan
Netherlands
Senegal
Yugoslavia

18. The Council requested the Nominations Committee to convene on the morning of 19 November and to report its recommendations to the Conference at the first plenary meeting on the morning of 20 November.

19. With regard to the informal meeting of nongovernmental organizations scheduled to take place on the afternoon of Monday 22 November, the Council nominated L. Malfettani, President of the Agricultural Committee of the International Co-operative Alliance, to be Chairman of this informal meeting.

¹ Paragraph B 4 is not applicable in the case of Bulgaria.

COMMODITY QUESTIONS

20. The Report of the Thirty-Ninth Session of the Committee on Commodity Problems (CL 45/6) was presented by the Chairman of the Committee. The Council noted that the Committee had held a short session in November to consider matters of concern to its program arising out of recent intergovernmental discussions on commodity questions and matters whose consideration by the Committee might facilitate the proceedings of the Conference.

21. In its report the Committee had drawn the attention of the Council to its discussions on the relationship between FAO and other organizations concerned with commodity matters, especially the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), and to its consideration of future work on the part of FAO in relation to the UNCTAD Recommendation A. II. 6 and to the Argentine proposals for the modification of the World Food Program. The Council generally endorsed the Report of the Committee on Commodity Problems (CCP).

22. The Council noted with satisfaction that a pattern of fruitful co-operation between FAO and UNCTAD was developing at secretariat level and had been extended and confirmed at the intergovernmental level, as indicated in the Report of the First Session of the UNCTAD Committee on Commodities. It expressed the desire that this co-operation should continue to progress on a pragmatic basis and thus contribute to the achievement of the common goals of FAO and UNCTAD. The Council considered that the basis was being laid for a real complementarity between its Committee on Commodity Problems and the UNCTAD Committee on Commodities with the CCP continuing to discharge its responsibilities under FAO. The Council believed that the expertise accumulated in FAO in the agricultural commodity field would be most useful to the UNCTAD bodies and requested the Director-General, under the general guidance of the CCP, to respond as fully as possible to UNCTAD requests for co-operation.

23. Some delegated pointed out that close collaboration between the CCP and the UNCTAD Committee on Commodities could be promoted if arrangements could be made for the Chairman of the CCP and the Chairmen of the FAO Study Groups to participate on occasion in the relevant deliberations of UNCTAD on agricultural commodity questions.

24. The Council concurred with the conclusions reached by the CCP with regard to further study of the UNCTAD recommendation and the Argentine proposal for the modification of the World Food Program. It noted that the CCP had taken into account the discussion in the Intergovernmental Committee of the World Food Program which had referred the whole matter to its parent bodies. The Council agreed with the CCP that the UNCTAD and Argentine proposals raised a number of general issues which were of fundamental interest for FAO though they involved some other organizations as well. The Council approved the suggestions of the CCP for follow-up action in FAO and requested the Director-General to examine as soon as possible the best way in which a comprehensive study of the issues raised could be initiated. Specifically, the Director-General was requested to prepare an outline of the scope of a comprehensive study, a review of the relevant work already done or under way in FAO or elsewhere on these matters, and an indication of further work needed. In the light of this preliminary review, the CCP would be in a position to make further recommendations at its next session.

25. The Council noted that the CCP, in response to a request by the Government of Tanzania, had requested the Director-General to convene a further ad hoc meeting on hard fibers.

26. Some delegates expressed the view that, since the Council at its Forty-Fourth Session had indicated that the CCP was well qualified to assist the Council in the development of the work on the Indicative World Plan for Agricultural Development, the Council should now request the CCP to give its views on how best it could perform this function. Other delegates, however, considered that, since future work on the Indicative World Plan would be examined by the Conference at its forthcoming session, no further action should be taken by the Council at this stage.

WORLD FOOD PROGRAM

27. In accordance with the decision taken at its Forty-Fourth Session, the Council reconsidered the question of a target for voluntary contributions to the World Food Program (WFP) for the three years 1966 to 1968, and the percentage which should be in the form of cash and services. These two figures had previously been left blank in operative paragraph 2 of the draft text submitted by the Council in Resolution 3/44 for consideration and possible adoption by the Conference. The Council noted that the United Nations Economic and Social Council, in its Resolution 1080 (XXXIX) of 30 July 1965, had recommended a target figure of $275 million of which not less than 33 percent should be in cash and services.

28. It was emphasized in the course of the debate that setting a target was intended primarily to provide governments with a basis for working out their contributions. While a target should be realistic in terms of both needs and potential resources, it could never be based on an accurate estimate of contributions likely to be forthcoming since many donor governments only decided at a relatively late stage on the size of their pledges; furthermore, a target could not be considered as a ceiling on contributions. In the present instance, the final decision on the target would be taken only by the Conference and the United Nations General Assembly. The Council decided to recommend the same figures as those put forward by ECOSOC by inserting “$275 million” and “33” in the two blank spaces in operative paragraph 2 of the draft resolution for the Conference.

29. The Council decided to recommend the adoption by the FAO Conference of the proposals advanced by the Intergovernmental Committee of the World Food Program (document CL 45/7 - Rev.1, paragraphs 7 to 10) concerning the procedure for elections to that Committee. The original operative paragraph 5 of the draft resolution submitted to the Conference would thus be eliminated and replaced by four new paragraphs suggested by the Intergovernmental Committee in its report. At the same time, the Council decided that its endorsement of the new text suggested by the Intergovernmental Committee should be brought to the notice of the United Nations Economic and Social Council, which would be considering the recommendations of the Intergovernmental Committee in the near future. It was understood that the action taken by the Economic and Social Council would in turn be brought to the attention of the Conference when it came to consider the Agenda item relating to the World Food Program.

30. The Council also modified the wording of operative paragraphs 6 of its original draft resolution for the Conference, to take account of the fact that the Intergovernmental Committee had already carried out a review of the Program's General Regulations. There again the Council decided that its action should be brought to the notice of the Economic and Social Council.

31. Finally, the Council decided that at its Forty-Sixth Session it would consider, in the light of the decisions taken by the Conference, the revisions in the WFP General Regulations proposed by the Intergovernmental Committee, and would also hold elections to the Intergovernmental Committee.

32. The Council decided to submit for adoption to the FAO Conference at its Thirteenth Session, the following draft resolution as amended by the Council at its present session:

DRAFT RESOLUTION FOR THE CONFERENCE

(Text contained in Council Resolution 3/44, as modified by the Council at its Forty-Fifth Session)

Continuation of the World Food Program

THE CONFERENCE

Conscious of the vast and growing needs of the peoples of the developing countries, of the pressing requirement for assistance in their economic and social development, and of the suffering caused by hunger and malnutrition;

Recalling General Assembly Resolutions 1496 (XV) of 27 October 1960 and 1714 (XVI) of 19 December 1961 and FAO Conference Resolution 1/61 of 24 November 1961 concerning the establishment of an experimental World Food Program;

Having considered the report of the Intergovernmental Committee on the future of the World Food Program as transmitted by the Council;

Having studied the report of the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization on the future development of the Program (document C 65/10) as well as the report of the Executive Director of the World Food Program (document C 65/10 Appendix);

Having considered the results obtained by the Program during its initial phase and the contribution which it is making toward achieving the goals of the United Nations Development Decade and of the FAO Freedom from Hunger Campaign;

Taking note with satisfaction of the contributions of foodstuffs, money and services already made by Member States of the United Nations and Member Nations and Associate Members of FAO, as well as the co-operation of recipient countries in the elaboration and implementation of development projects, in which for the first time food aid is being utilized for development in a multilateral framework;

Recognizing the potentialities of this Program, in which the United Nations and FAO have co-operated through the joint UN/FAO Administrative Unit;

Appreciating the co-operation and assistance extended to the Program by the interested Specialized Agencies and operating programs of the United Nations, and by a number of other intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations; and

Having considered Resolution 1080 (XXXIX) of the Economic and Social Council and Resolution 3/44 of the FAO Council:

1. Decides to extend the UN/FAO World Food Program, established in virtue of General Assembly Resolution 1714 (XVI) and FAO Conference Resolution 1/61, on a continuing basis for as long as multilateral food aid is found feasible and desirable, on the understanding that the Program will be regularly reviewed before each pledging conference and that if circumstances so require it may be enlarged, curtailed or terminated at the end of any period for which resources have been pledged.

2. Establishes for the three years 1966, 1967 and 1968 a target for voluntary contributions of $275 million, of which not less than 33 percent should be in cash and services, and urges Member States of the United Nations and Member Nations and Associate Members of the Food and Agriculture Organization to make every effort to ensure the early attainment of the target.

3. Requests the Secretary-General in co-operation with the Director-General of FAO to convene a pledging conference at United Nations Headquarters as soon as feasible.

4. Decides that the next following pledging conference, subject to the review provided for in paragraph 1 above, should be convened in 1967, at which time governments would be invited to pledge contributions for 1969 and 1970, with a view to reaching such target as may be recommended by the General Assembly and the FAO Conference.

5. Re-affirms its previous decision to the effect that the UN/FAO Intergovernmental Committee of the World Food Program shall comprise 24 Nations members of FAO or the United Nations, 12 of these Members to be elected by the Economic and Social Council and 12 Members by the FAO Council, it being understood that outgoing Members shall be eligible for re-election.

6. Requests the Economic and Social Council and the FAO Council as soon as possible after the adoption of this resolution by the General Assembly and the FAO Conference to elect 12 Members each, four Members each for a term of one year, four Members each for a term of two years, four Members each for a term of three years.

7. Decides that thereafter all the Members of the Intergovernmental Committee shall be elected for a term of three years and requests the Economic and Social Council and the FAO Council to make such provisions as will ensure that the terms of office of four Members elected by the two Councils respectively shall expire in each calendar year.

8. Further requests the Economic and Social Council and the FAO Council when electing Members of the Intergovernmental Committee to take into account the need for balanced representation of economically developed and developing countries and other relevant factors such as the representation of potential participating countries, both contributing and recipient, equitable geographical distribution and the representation of both developed and developing countries having commercial interests in international trade in foodstuffs, especially those highly dependent on such trade.

9. Requests a review of the General Regulations of the Program in the light of the present resolution and calls upon the Economic and Social Council and the FAO Council to take appropriate action thereon.

CONSTITUTIONAL AND LEGAL MATTERS

Establishment of a Committee on Fisheries

33. The Council had before it the Report of the Fifteenth Session of the Committee on Constitutional and Legal Matters (CCLM) dealing with the draft Conference resolution on the establishment of a Committee on Fisheries which the Council, at its Forty-Fourth Session, had decided to submit to the Conference for adoption (document CL 45/4).

34. The Council had requested the CCLM to review the text of this draft resolution and to report to it at its Forty-Fifth Session.

35. The Council noted and endorsed the amendments to the draft Conference resolution proposed by the CCLM, and decided to incorporate them in the resolution for submission to the Conference except for the text, as amended by the CCLM, of paragraph 7 of the new Rule to be added after Rule XXIX of the General Rules of the Organization, where the Council preferred the following text;

“7. Any recommendation adopted by the Committee which affects the program or finances of the Organization shall be reported to the Council with the comments of the appropriate subsidiary committee of the Council. The reports of the Committee should, as in the case of certain other Committees established under Article V of the Constitution, also be placed before the Conference.”

36. The Council accordingly decided to submit to the Conference for adoption the following amended draft resolution:

DRAFT RESOLUTION FOR THE CONFERENCE

Committee on Fisheries

THE CONFERENCE

Noting that one of the major proposals prepared by the Director-General in response to Resolution 8/63 adopted at the Twelfth Session of the Conference is for the establishment of a permanent Committee on Fisheries within the framework of FAO;

Agreeing with the view expressed by the Council at its Forty-Third Session that the desired ends in international collaboration in fisheries might best be achieved through the establishment of a permanent Committee on Fisheries, consisting of selected Member Nations to deal with these matters and to advise the Conference and Council as well as the Director-General on the formulation, implementation and co-ordination of policy and on the Organization's programs and activities in this field;

Agreeing further with the recommendation made by the Council at its Forty-Fourth Session that in view of the considerations set out in the Director-General's proposals and the comments made at the Ad Hoc Committee on Conference Resolution 8/63 established by the Council at its Forty-Third Session, a Committee on Fisheries should be established by amending Article V of the Constitution, and the composition and terms of reference of such Committee to be governed by a Rule to be added to the General Rules of the Organization;

Also agreeing with the further recommendation by the Forty-Fourth Session of the Council that non-member Nations should be eligible for membership in the subsidiary bodies of the Committee on Fisheries in the same way as they are for membership in Commodity Study Groups,

Adopts the following amendment to Article V.6 of the Constitution (words underlined to be added):

“6. To assist the Council in performing its functions, the Council shall appoint a Program Committee, a Finance Committee, a Committee on Commodity Problems, a Committee on Fisheries and a Committee on Constitutional and Legal Matters. These Committees shall report to the Council and their composition and terms of reference shall be governed by rules adopted by the Conference.”

Amends the General Rules of the Organization by adding after Rule XXIX a new Rule, the text of which shall read as follows:

RULE XXIX

Committee on Fisheries

1. The Committee on Fisheries provided for in paragraph 6 of Article V of the Constitution shall be composed of not more than thirty Member Nations elected by the Council for a period of two years at the session of the Council immediately following the regular session of the Conference. In selecting the members of the Committee the Council shall give due consideration to the desirability of ensuring adequate representation both of nations with special interests in fisheries and of nations having interests in different parts of the oceans and inland waters. The Council shall, as well, give due consideration to continuity of experience in matters dealt with by the Committee. The members of the Committee shall be eligible for re-election. The Committee shall elect its own Chairman from among its members.

2. Nomination of any Member Nation for election to the Committee shall be submitted in writing by one or more Member Nations to the Secretary-General of the Conference or Council by a deadline to be determined by the Chairman of the Council in time to be circulated on the morning of the day set for the election. A Member Nation may nominate itself. Member Nations nominated shall signify their willingness to serve on the Committee if elected. Members of the Committee should, as far as possible, be represented by their most senior officers responsible for fisheries.

3. The provisions on voting arrangements of Rule XII of these Rules shall apply mutatis mutandis to the election of members of the Committee.

4. The Committee shall determine the date and place of its sessions. Normally the Committee shall hold two sessions during each biennium, to be convened by the Director-General in consultation with the Chairman of the Committee. One of these sessions shall be convened sufficiently in advance of the sessions of the Council held approximately midway between the regular sessions of the Conference, in order that the report of the Committee may be circulated to the Members of the Council, in accordance with the provisions of Rule XXV.7(a) of these Rules.

5. If required, the Committee may hold additional sessions on the call of its chairman or the Director-General or on request submitted in writing to the Director-General by a majority of the members of the Committee.

6. The Committee shall:

   1. Review the programs of work of the Organization in the field of fisheries and their implementation;

   2. Conduct periodic general reviews of fishery problems of an international character and appraise such problems and their possible solutions with a view to concerted action by nations, by FAO and by other intergovernmental bodies;

   3. Similarly review specific matters relating to fisheries referred to the Committee by the Council or the Director-General, or placed by the Committee on its Agenda at the request of a Member Nation in accordance with the rules of procedure of the Committee, and make recommendations as may be appropriate;

   4. Consider the desirability of preparing and submitting to Member Nations an international convention under Article XIV of the Constitution to ensure effective international co-operation and consultation in fisheries on a world scale;

   5. Report to the Council or tender advice to the Director-General, as appropriate, on matters considered by the Committee.

7. Any recommendation adopted by the Committee which affects the program or finances of the Organization shall be reported to the Council with the comments of the appropriate subsidiary committees of the Council. The reports of the Committee should, as in the case of certain other Committees established under Article V of the Constitution, also be placed before the Conference.

8. The Director-General or his representative shall participate in all meetings of the Committee and may be accompanied by such officers of the staff of the Organization as he may designate.

9. The Committee may adopt and amend its own rules of procedure, which shall be consistent with the Constitution and the General Rules of the Organization.

10. The Committee may, when necessary, establish sub-committees, subsidiary working parties or study groups subject to the necessary funds being available in the relevant chapter of the approved budget of the Organization, and may include in the membership of such sub-committees, subsidiary working parties or study groups Member Nations that are not members of the Committee and Associate Members. The Council may admit to membership of sub-committees, subsidiary working parties and study groups established by the Committee nations which, while not Member Nations or Associate Members of the Organization, are members of the United Nations. Former Member Nations of the Organization that have withdrawn leaving arrears of contributions shall not be admitted to membership until such time as they have paid up all such arrears, or the Conference has approved an arrangement for the settlement thereof, or unless the Council in special circumstances decides otherwise with respect to such admission.

11. The subsidiary bodies referred to in the preceding paragraph may adopt or amend their own rules of procedure, which shall be approved by the Committee on Fisheries and shall be consistent with the rules of the Committee.

37. In the course of the debate on the Report of the Committee on Constitutional and Legal Matters, several delegations indicated that their Governments would have to raise certain additional points when the draft resolution came up for consideration by the Conference.

Agreement with the Government of Kenya concerning the Establishment of a Sub-Regional Office for the East/South Zone of the African Region

38. The Conference, at its Ninth Session (1957) requested the Director-General to take the necessary steps to set up a Regional Office for Africa. Following consultations with Governments, the Director-General proposed and the Council, at its Twenty-Ninth Session (October/November 1958), agreed to the establishment of a Regional and two Sub-Regional Offices in Africa.

39. The Conference, at its Tenth Session (1959), approved the Agreement with the Government of Ghana establishing the African Regional Office in Accra, and at its Eleventh Session (1961) it noted with approval the Director-General's efforts in negotiating with the Governments concerned the establishment of a Sub-Regional Office in East Africa.

40. At a meeting held on the occasion of the African Regional Conference in Addis Ababa (September 1964), the representatives of the governments directly concerned unanimously decided that the Director-General should determine the most suitable site for the Sub-Regional Office which would cover the East-South Zone of the African Region. After considering all relevant factors, the Director-General chose Nairobi in Kenya as the site for this Sub-Regional Office.

41. The Director-General, after negotiations with the Government of Kenya, prepared a draft Agreement for the establishment of the Sub-Regional Office. This draft Agrement was submitted to the present session of the Council for its approval in virtue of the authority regarding regional site agreements delegated to it by the Conference by Resolution 69/51.

42. The Council, nothing that the address of the Sub-Regional Office had been left blank in Section 4 of the draft Agrement, was of the opinion that if the designation of the premises to house the Sub-Regional Office had not been determined before the Agreement was signed, it should be stipulated in the Agreement that such designation would be made in a subsequent exchange of letters. After making a minor drafting amendment to Section 12, the Council, welcoming the establishment in Nairobi of a Sub-Regional Office for the East-South Zone of the African Region, approved the draft Agreement as amended, and adopted the following resolution:

Resolution 1/45

Agreement between the Government of Kenya and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations regarding the Sub-Regional Office for the East/South Zone of the African Region, of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

THE COUNCIL

Considering that the Twenty-Ninth Session of the Council had agreed to the establishment of two Sub-Regional Offices in Africa;

Considering further that the Eleventh Session of the Conference had urged the Director-General to set up a Sub-Regional Office in East Africa as soon as possible:

Noting that the Director-General had been asked by the Governments directly concerned to determine the most suitable site for this Sub-Regional Office, that he had chosen Nairobi as the site and had negotiated a draft Agreement with the Government of Kenya;

Having examined the draft Agreement and welcoming the establishment in Nairobi of a Sub-Regional Office for the East-South Zone of the African Region;

Approved, under the authority delegated to it by Resolution 69/51 of the Sixth Session of the Conference, the Agreement the text of which appears as Appendix C to this Report.

BUDGETARY MATTERS

Transfers in the 1964–65 Budget

43. The Council approved the between-Chapter transfer reported by the Director-General to meet the increased cost of communications in 1965 (document CL 45/5).

Program of Work and Budget, 1966–67: Supplementary Estimate of Mandatory Costs, Including Salaries of the Professional Category and Above (see documents CL 45/2, C 65/46 and C 65/3 - Sup. 5)

44. The Forty-Fourth Session of the Council recommended to the Conference in Resolution 2/44 that “the level of the Budget for 1966–67 should be $47, 715, 000, as proposed by the Director-General in his Draft Program of Work and Budget plus an amount necessary to meet the increase in professional salary levels that may be voted by the UN General Assembly in 1965, estimated to be approximately $1,740,000....”.

45. The Council, having authorized the Director-General to implement the recommendations of the International Civil Service Advisory Board (ICSAB) on the remuneration of staff in the Professional category and above, concurred in the submission by the Director-General in document C 65/3 Supp. 5 of an amount of $1,740,000 as a Supplementary Estimate to the Program of Work and Budget 1966–67, noting that this amount would be distributed to the appropriate User Chapters, and in particular, to their provision for “Personal Services.”

46. The Council also concurred in the Supplementary Estimates submitted in C 65/3 Supp.5, covering:

1. $450,000 for the cost of the additional post adjustment (class 6) for Professional staff and above which was expected to become effective in Rome on or before 1 January 1966, and which the Council had authorized the Director-General to introduce on the date on which it would fall due; and

2. $69,000 in Chapter V under “Communications” to cover the unforeseen increases in postal rates in Italy during the 1966–67 biennium.

47. The Council amended in the light of the above its Resolution 2/44 as follows:

Program of Work and Budget 1966–67

“THE COUNCIL

Aware of its responsibility to make recommendations to the Conference on policy issues regarding the draft Program of Work and Budget submitted by the Director-General for the following financial period;

Aware also of the great effort that will be necessary if the peoples of the world are to be adequately fed, and of the important role of FAO in this effort;

Recognizing the need for maintaining a reasonable balance between the funds member countries must devote to their national programs and those they allocate for work through international organizations;

Recommends to the Conference that the level of the Budget for 1966–67 should be $47,715,000, as proposed by the Director-General in his draft Program of Work and Budget plus an amount necessary to meet the increase in professional salary levels that may be voted by the UN General Assembly in 1965, estimated to be approximately $1,740,000, which increase would be applicable in FAO because of its adherence to the common salary system in the United Nations family, and plus an amount of $519,000 to cover the costs of class 6 post adjustment in Rome as well as the unforeseen increases in the cost of communications. Thus the total for the biennium would amount to $49, 974, 000, and therefore any changes in the draft Program of Work should be accommodated within this level.”

Emergency Fund for the Control of Plant Pests and Diseases

48. Without discussing the merits of the proposal, the Council noted the report of the Finance Committee on an emergency fund for the control of plant pests and diseases, and forwarded to the Conference the following draft resolution proposed by the Director-General, as amended by the Finance Committee:

DRAFT RESOLUTION FOR THE CONFERENCE

Emergency Fund for the Control of Plant Pests and Diseases

THE CONFERENCE

Having examined the proposal of the Director-General on the establishment of an emergency fund for the control of sudden outbreaks of plant diseases and pests in accordance with the recommendation of the Conference at its Twelfth Session;

Noting with concern that an increasingly large number of important disease and pest outbreaks are continuing to occur in many countries despite the strengthening of preventive measures;

Further noting the need of many countries to receive immediate assistance to rapidly mobilize all possible national and international control means for eradicating or preventing the spread of dangerous pests and diseases;

Recommends the establishment of an emergency fund in the form of a trust fund aiming at an amount of US $500,000 to be used in providing staff and supplies to the national organizations requiring emergency assistance when serious pest and disease outbreaks occur that may have international repercussions,

Authorizes the Director-General to:

1. Request Member Nations and Associate Members to make voluntary contribution to the trust fund and to its replenishment;

2. Use monies standing to the credit of the trust fund up to a maximum of $100,000 in any one year in each of the following regions for the purposes outlined above, unless otherwise recommended by the Advisory Committee:

   Near East
   South East Asia and the Pacific
   Central America
   South America
   North Africa, and
   Africa South of the Sahara

3. Establish an advisory committee for providing the Director-General with technical and scientific advice on emergency outbreaks of pests and diseases and measures required to keep them under control;

Requests the Director-General to report on the progress of this operation at the Forty-Seventh Session of the Council.

FINANCIAL MATTERS

Financial Position of the Organization

49. The Council considered the Report of the Fourteenth Session of the Finance Committee (CL 45/2) on the financial position of the Organization, brought up-to-date as at 31 October 1965.

Scale of Contributions

50. The Council noted that since its Forty-Fourth Session the UN Committee on Contributions had modified the scale of contributions recommended for the years 1966–67, in order to incorporate changes in UN membership. The Council was informed that the only change which would affect the FAO scale was the recommendation that since Singapore became independent in August 1965, the assessment of Malaysia be reduced by 0.03 percent as a Member of the United Nations for 1966–67, which converted to the FAO scale represented a reduction by 0.04 percent.

51. The Council agreed that the course for the Conference was to adopt the scale now recommended by the Twenty-Fourth Session of the Committee on Contributions with Malaysia's contribution shown at 0.16 percent.

52. The Council also noted that the assessment of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland for the biennium 1964–65, was erroneously shown in Appendix D of the Report of the Twelfth Conference Session at 0.90 percent, and decided that this should be amended to read 0.09 percent.

Status of Contributions

53. The Council was pleased to note the satisfactory collection rate of the current year's contributions, over 95 percent having already been received. While the total of contributions in arrears was less than one year ago, there were still some important amounts outstanding (Appendix D). The Council therefore appealed to Member Governments to regularize their position.

54. The Council further noted that as the arrears position of Bolivia, Haiti, Paraguay and Uruguay exceeded the contributions due from them for the two preceding calendar years, these countries would have no vote at the forthcoming Session of the Conference unless the Conference decided otherwise, in accordance with Article III-4 of the Constitution.

55. With regard to the arrears due from Bolivia, the Council re-affirmed the recommendation contained in paragraph 167 of the Report of its Forty-Fourth Session. ¹ The Council was informed that at 15 November 1965 an amount in the equivalent of $6, 305.80 had been paid by Bolivian Government out of the total of $9, 999 due in 1965 in terms of the above recommendation.

56. The Council was informed by the Director-General that the stringent measures which he took in response to the recommendations of the Council and Finance Committee involving program curtailments, had enabled him to meet the unbudgeted increased salary costs from savings, and that there was therefore no necessity to draw on the Working Capital Fund for this purpose.

Audited Accounts for 1964:

Expanded Program of Technical Assistance
United Nations Special Fund
European Commission for the Control of Foot-and-Mouth Disease
World Food Program

57. In accordance with the recommendation of the Finance Committee, the Council forwarded the above accounts to the Conference for adoption in terms of the following resolutions:

¹ The relevant paragraph reads:

167. Arrears from Bolivia. The Council considered the proposal of the Government of Bolivia to liquidate its arrears of contributions over a ten-year period at the same time meeting current assessments when due. Providing that the instalment due in 1965 and the current contribution for 1965 will be paid before the Thirteenth Session of the Conference, the Council, stressing it was not establishing a precedent, recommended the following draft resolution to the Conference:

Draft Resolution for the Conference

Arrears from Bolivia

The Conference

Noting that the Government of Bolivia had made a proposal, at a time when its arrears of contributions amounted to $28,930.71, that its arrears be liquidated over a period of ten years while at the same time paying its current contribution when due;

Further noting that the first instalment amounting to $2,893.14 due under such an arrangement as well as the contribution due for 1964 had been received in 1964;

Decided that: (a) Notwithstanding Financial Regulation 5.5 Bolivia's arrears shall be settled through the payment of ten annual instalments;

(b) The first instalment, amounting to $2, 893.14, having been paid in 1964, the following eight instalments shall be of equal amounts of $2, 893.00, and the final instalment payable in 1973 shall be $2,893.57;

(c) The annual payment of the instalments referred to above together with the payment of each current contribution in the calendar year of assessment and any advances to the Working Capital Fund shall be considered as fulfilment of Bolivia's financial obligations to the Organization."

DRAFT RESOLUTIONS FOR THE CONFERENCE

Expanded Program of Technical Assistance,
Audited Accounts for 1964

THE CONFERENCE

Having examined the audited accounts of the Expanded Program of Technical Assistance for the financial year 1964 and the External Auditor's report thereon,

Adopts the audited accounts for the above-mentioned period.

United Nations Special Fund,
Audited Accounts for 1964

THE CONFERENCE

Having examined the audited accounts of the United Nations Special Fund for the financial year 1964 and the External Auditor's report thereon,

Adopts the audited accounts for the above-mentioned period.

European Commission for the Control of Foot-and-Mouth Disease Audited Accounts for 1964

THE CONFERENCE

Having examined the audited accounts of the European Commission for the Control of Foot-and-Mouth Disease for the financial year 1964,

Adopts the audited accounts for the above-mentioned period.

World Food Program
Audited Accounts for 1964

THE CONFERENCE

Having examined the audited accounts of the World Food Program for the financial year 1964 and the External Auditor's report thereon,

Adopts the audited accounts for the above-mentioned period.

United Nations Special Fund Audited Accounts, 1964 - Executive Agency Overhead Costs

58. During its examination of the UNSF audited accounts for the year 1964, the Council observed that the rate of expenditure for Agency Costs was at a considerably higher level than the expenditure in respect of the related projects. The Council noted that if this trend continued, the Organization might find itself in a very difficult position at some future date. This situation highlighted the concern previously expressed by the governing bodies of the Organization with regard to the inadequate provision of supporting funds for extra budgetary programs.

ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS

Salaries of the Professional Category and Above (See documents C 65/46 and CL 45/2)

59. The Council considered the Director-General's proposals (C 65/46), endorsed by the Finance Committee, to implement in the Organization the recommendations of the International Civil Service Advisory Board (ICSAB) on the remuneration of the professional category and above as well as new schedules of post adjustments and staff assessments. Noting that the Fifth Committee of the United Nations General Assembly had already approved these revisions, the Council authorized the Director-General to introduce such revisions in FAO with the same effective date as in the United Nations, i.e. 1 January 1966, and to amend the Staff Regulations accordingly.

60. The Council agreed that the salary of the Deputy Director-General be established in the amount of $34, 000 gross (or $23,300 net after application of staff assessment), effective 1 January 1966.

61. The Council also endorsed, for consideration by the General Committee of the Conference, the proposal of the Finance Committee that a gross annual salary of $43,000 ($28, 000 net) be established for the Director-General.

62. The Council agreed that the representation allowance of $2,400 for Assistant Directors-General at Headquarters be continued. As far as the representation allowances of the Director-General and Deputy Director-General were concerned, the Council suggested that the General Committee of the Conference might wish to consider appropriate adjustments of these allowances.

Development in Post Adjustments (CL 45/2)

63. The Council noted from the report of the Finance Committee that on the basis of the continuing trend it seemed clear that the post adjustment classification for professional staff in Rome (at present Class 5) would become class 6 before the end of 1965. Since the amendments to the Staff Regulations, approved by the Forty-Fourth Session of the Council, authorizing the Director-General to implement such changes, would become effective only as of 1 January 1966, the Council approved the introduction of class 6 post adjustment as of the date on which it would fall due for entitled staff members on the payroll of the month in which payment would be made, in line with the recommendation of the Finance Committee.

Modification of the System of Adjustments in Pensionable Remuneration arising from Changes in Post Adjustments

64. In line with the change in the system approved by the United Nations General Assembly, the Council approved that adjustments in pensionable remuneration be made in future as of 1 July when the weighted average of post adjustments for March of that year had increased by 5 percent, and as of 1 January when the weighted average of post adjustments for September of the preceding year had increased by 5 percent. The change, which removed practical difficulties experienced under the present system and avoided undesirable retroactive adjustments, had no long-run financial implications.

Headquarters Accommodation

65. The Council recalled that at its Forty-Fourth Session it had taken note of various developments which had taken place up to that time. In light of the continuing needs of the Organization with regard to office space, the Council had appealed to the Italian Government to make Building “D” available at an early date. The Council had also requested the Italian Government to consider the possibility of providing additional office premises on an interim basis, pending the allocation of Building “D”.

66. Document C 65/47 indicated that present holdings might be sufficient to meet requirements through the 1966–67 biennium, but latest developments had led the Director-General to conclude that additional office space would be required in the very near future. The Council was informed that negotiations were under way with the Italian Government in this connection, and it was hoped that these could be concluded in time for a report to be furnished to the Thirteenth Session of the Conference.

REVIEW OF THE ORGANIZATION'S GENERAL STRUCTURE

67. The Council, in Resolution 11/44 of its Forty-Fourth Session, placing on the Agenda of the Thirteenth Session of the Conference a proposal for the review of the organizational structure of FAO, invited the Director-General to prepare the framework of such a Review for consideration by the Forty-Fifth Session of the Council and the Thirteenth Session of the Conference.

68. Delegates expressed their appreciation of the stimulating and comprehensive analysis which the Director-General presented in document C 65/28 - Rev. 2, setting out his personal assessment of the factors which he felt merited priority consideration in determining the future structure of the Organization. The Council concurred fully with the Director-General's view that the basic objective of the Review should not be a review of detailed management procedures and operating efficiency, but, on the contrary, a broad, forward-looking evaluation of the structure and redeployment of resources which the Organization will require in order to meet the growing demands upon its program and staff foreseen in the critical period ahead.

69. While the timing of the present Council Session did not afford opportunity for appropriate discussion of the substance of the Director-General's comprehensive note, the Council considered carefully the major procedural aspects of the Review, on the basis of the Director-General's proposals in paragraph 29 of C 65/28 - Rev. 2. The recommendations to be submitted to the Thirteenth Session of the Conference in the Resolution which follows were designed, in view of the broad scope and far-reaching objectives of the Review, to recognize clearly and realistically, both the responsibility of the Director-General and the Member Governments.

70. The Council accordingly adopted the following resolution:

Resolution 2/45

Review of the Organization's General Structure

THE COUNCIL

In recognition of Resolution 11/44 of its Forty-Fourth Session,

And after considering the paper presented by the Director-General (C 65/28 - Rev. 2) in response to that resolution, with particular attention to para. 29 of that paper in which a suggested course of action is proposed;

Reaffirms its recognition of the need for a review of the organizational structure of the FAO in terms of evaluating its potential to meet the urgent responsibilities of the years ahead, with a view to submitting a final report together with recommendations by the Director-General to the Council at its next pre-Conference Session for consideration and submission to the Fourteenth Session of the Conference;

Decides to recommend to the Thirteenth Session of the Conference that it direct the Council to arrange for such a Review to be conducted under the guidance of the Director-General in consultation with an Ad Hoc Review Committee along the following lines:

1. The Review should concentrate on a broad study of the organization and top structure of the FAO and become involved in the lower structure only to the extent necessary to resolve issues that might develop.

2. The members of the Ad Hoc Review Committee should be selected by the Council with due regard to geographic factors and to that end it should consist of one Member Government's representative from each of the seven FAO regions. In order to ensure that the Ad Hoc Review Committee is made up of highly competent individuals with deep interest in and substantial acquaintance with FAO, it should consist of individuals who normally serve as senior members of delegations to the Council.

3. The Ad Hoc Review Committee should be charged with the following responsibilities:

   1. Consulting with the Director-General with regard to his appointment of a Review Team to actually carry out the Review - such team to be composed of three of five members, selected from among persons from various countries who have the essential management and/or substantive backgrounds and an understanding of the problems to be tackled. This Team should represent an appropriate balance between persons with management and substantive experience.

   2. The Ad Hoc Review Committee should further, in consultation with the Director-General, formulate the terms of reference within which the review Team should make its study. In formulating such terms of reference account should be taken of the paper presented by the Director-General as well as of the views of Member Governments on the principal future responsibilities of the FAO as expressed in the Thirteenth Conference and as communicated to the Ad Hoc Review Committee. These terms of reference as well as the make-up of the Review Team should be reported to the Forty-Seventh Session of the Council (Autumn, 1966).

   3. The Ad Hoc Review Committee would then continue to represent the Council in an advisory-liaison capacity with the Director-General with respect to the activities of the Review Team.

4. The expert Review Team would be expected to give consideration to the accepted goals of the FAO and to the kind of organizational structure that would contribute to the achievement of those goals in the most effective, economical and appropriate manner.

5. A senior Secretariat official would be designated as the Team's liaison with the Organization.

6. Since the actual work of the Review Team could probably not get under way until late 1966, the Director-General, in consultation with the Ad Hoc Committee, could develop estimates of probable costs and present them to the Forty-Seventh Council for consideration.

OTHER MATTERS

Date and Place of the Forty-Sixth Session of the Council

71. The Council decided to convene its Forty-Sixth Session in Rome on the day following the closure of the Thirteenth Session of the Conference, which was expected to be 9 December 1965.

APPENDIX A
AGENDA

1. Adoption of the Agenda

2. Election of Vice-Chairmen

3. Arrangements for the Thirteenth Conference Session
   1. Provisional Conference Agenda
   2. Arrangements for the Session
   3. Nominations to be made under Rule VII of the General Rules of the Organization

   4. Other matters

4. Commodity Questions

5. World Food Program
   1. Completion of draft Conference resolution
      1. Target for voluntary contributions

      2. Cash/services percentage

   2. Completion of draft Conference resolution regarding term of office of members of Intergovernmental Committee

   3. Other matters arising from the Eighth Session of the Intergovernmental Committee

6. Constitutional and Legal Matters

   1. Draft Conference Resolution on Committee on Fisheries

   2. Agreement for East African Sub-Regional Office

7. Administrative and Financial Questions

   1. Program of Work and Budget, 1966–67 - Supplementary Estimates of Mandatory Costs

   2. Financial Position of the Organization

   3. Audited Accounts for 1964

      • Expanded Program of Technical Assistance
      • United Nations Special Fund
      • European Commission for Foot and Mouth Disease

      • World Food Program

   4. Survey of the Organization's General Structure

   5. Headquarters Accomodation

   6. Other matters arising from the Report of the Fourteenth Session of Finance Committee, 13–15 September

   7. Other Financial and Administrative Questions

      • Transfers in the 1964–65 Biennium

      • Scale of Contributions

8. Other Matters

   1. Date and Place of Forty-Sixth Session of the Council.