Previous Page Table of Contents Next Page


CONSTITUTIONAL MATTERS 1

Membership in Committee on Commodity Problems and Committee on Fisheries

135. At its Forty-Seventh Session, the Council had given preliminary consideration to the question of the composition of membership in the Committee on Commodity Problems and the Committee on Fisheries. It had felt that more time was needed to study the problem and make recommendations to the Conference, and accordingly had requested the Director-General to present a further document to its Forty-Eight Session, taking into account the views expressed by Member Nations and by the two Committees themselves. The Director-General's note on the subject had been circulated as CL 48/19.

136. A number of Members considered that as membership in CCP had been increased in 1965 and as COFI had been established in 1965 any further increase in the number of seats on these two Committees would be premature. After discussion however it was agreed by the Council to recommend that the Conference increase the membership of both Committees to thirty-four, to take into account the desire of a number of developing countries, particularly from Africa, to participate in the work of these Committees.

137. It was pointed out that this increase by itself would not necessarily achieve the purpose intended, i.e., the allocation of additional seats to developing Member Nations, particularly from the African Region. The Council considered what method might be adopted to ensure that this was achieved.

138. One suggestion which found considerable support was that, as an experiment, at the forthcoming post-Conference Council Session, the election of members to the two Committees should be conducted in two stages; thirty members being elected in the normal way first, and then the additional four seats being filled in a second ballot restricted to nominees from developing countries only. In this way it would be possible, after the first thirty seats had been filled, to rectify any regional imbalance which had resulted in the election of the first thirty members.

139. The Council decided to give further consideration to this and to alternative proposals for achieving the desired result at its Forty-Ninth (pre-Conference) Session, so as to be in a position to make definite recommendations to the Conference when it convened on 4 November 1967. The decisions of the Conference on this matter could thus be implemented at the post-Conference Session of the Council, i.e., when the next election of members to the Committees was to take place.

140. The Council requested the Director-General to undertake a further study in the light both of the foregoing and of the debate on the subject at its present Session, and report thereon to the Forty-Ninth Session of the Council. The Council also requested the Director-General to prepare any necessary amendments to the General Rules of the Organization in connection with the increase in membership of the Committees, for forwarding by the Council to the Conference.

1 See also paragraphs 38 to 54, and paragraphs 56 to 58.

Membership of Non-Member Nations of FAO in Subsidiary Bodies of CCP

Study Group on Grains and Study Group on Oilseeds, Oils and Fats

141. The Council indicated its approval for the participation of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in the Study Groups on Grains and on Oilseeds, Oils and Fats as a member, in accordance with Rule XXIX, para. 9, which provides that the Council may admit to membership of Commodity Study Groups Nations which, while not Member Nations or Associate Members of the Organization, are Members of the United Nations. In this connection the Council noted that the next session of the Study Group on Oilseeds, oils and Fats would be jointly serviced by FAO and UNCTAD.

Consultations on Individual Commodities

142. The CCP had noted in the Report of its Forty-First Session (CL 48/3, para. 150) that Rule XXIX.9 of the General Rules, relating to the admission to CCP subsidiary bodies of Member States of the United Nations that are neither Member Nations nor Associate Members of FAO, was limited to Commodity Study Groups. The CCP felt that it would be desirable for an analogous provision to be incorporated in Rule XXIX in order to enable Non-Member Nations of the Organization that were Members of the United Nations to attend consultations on individual commodities convened by the CCP and to participate fully at the discussions in such consultations with the right to vote and hold office.

143. The Council agreed with the views of the CCP and accordingly recommended that the Conference amend paragraph 9 of Rule XXIX of the General Rules of the Organization by adding the words underlined below and by deleting in the French and Spanish texts the word between square brackets:

“ .............. The Council may admit to membership of Commodity Study Groups established by the Committee, nations which, while not Member Nations or Associate Members of the Organization, are Members of the United Nations. It may authorize the Director-General to invite at their request, nations which, while not Member Nations or Associate Members of the Organization, are Members of the United Nations, to attend consultations on individual commodities and participate in the discussions, with the right to vote and to hold office. Former Member Nations of the Organization that have withdrawn leaving arrears of contributions shall not be admitted to membership in Commodity Study Groups or attend consultations on individual commodities 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.”

Bodies Composed of Non-Governmental Organizations and Private Institutions

144. The Council, in considering at its Forty-Seventh Session, the Directory of Statutory Bodies 1966, noted that the following bodies were included for information in Section IV (pp. 119–120) of the Directory:

  1. The Advisory Committee of Non-Governmental Organizations on the Freedom from Hunger Campaign.

  2. FAO/Fertilizer Industry Advisory Panel.

In view of the fact that Article VI of the Constitution does not provide for the establishment of bodies of non-governmental organizations or private institutions, the Council had requested the Committee on Constitutional and Legal Matters (CCLM) to examine possible methods for a constitutional solution to the inclusion of these bodies in the framework of the Organization.

145. The Council considered the Report of the CCLM setting forth various methods that could be envisaged to achieve the objective of regularizing the status and structure of these bodies (CL 48/20, paras. 1 to 30).

Advisory Committee of Experts of Non-Governmental Organizations on the Freedom from Hunger Campaign

146. The CCLM had noted that the Advisory Committee which was established in 1960 pursuant to a specific decision of the Conference incorporated in Resolution 13/59, was composed of representatives of fifteen International Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO's) and that it had held seven meetings at yearly intervals. The CCLM discarded the possibility, in connection with Financial Regulation 6.7, of regarding the Advisory Committee as a group representing donors that have contributed funds to the Freedom from Hunger Campaign and, in that capacity, advising the Director-General on the use of such funds. It also discarded Article XIII of the Constitution as a suitable legal basis for the Advisory Committee.

147. In the opinion of the CCLM, the only legal provision which could serve as a basis for a committee with the functions of the Advisory Committee was Article VI of the Constitution. Since Article VI makes provision for bodies consisting of 1) Representatives of Member Nations and Associate Members, or 2) individuals appointed in their personal capacity, that Article does not allow for the establishment of bodies composed of representatives of international non-governmental organizations. The CCLM further reached the conclusion that, if the Advisory Committee was to be brought within the framework of Article VI, only two solutions could be envisaged:

  1. The broadening of the scope of Article VI by a constitutional amendment to make provision for the establishment of committees of international non-governmental organizations;

  2. A change in the structure of the Advisory Committee to bring it into the framework of Article VI-2 of the Constitution, as a committee of individuals appointed in their personal capacity.

148. The CCLM considered that the most appropriate solution would be to bring the Advisory Committee within the scope of Article VI-2 of the Constitution. To this end, the CCLM submitted to the Council a draft resolution whereby the Advisory Committee would be transformed into a Committee consisting of individuals appointed in their personal capacity, the appointment to be made by the Director-General after consultation with the appropriate international NGOs participating in the Freedom from Hunger Campaign. The CCLM did not wish to express an opinion on the question of the terms of reference of the Advisory Committee nor its size and decided that the deterimination of these questions should be left to the Council.

149. The Council endorsed the conclusions reached by the CCLM and, having considered the questions of terms of reference, of the extent of the membership of the Advisory Committee, and of the cost of attendance of members of the Committee, adopted the following resolution:

Resolution 6/48

FREEDOM FROM HUNGER CAMPAIGN ADVISORY COMMITTEE OF EXPERTS

THE COUNCIL

Recalling Conference Resolution 13/59 which established the Freedom from Hunger Campaign and authorized the Director-General to set up an Advisory Committee of International Non-Governmental Organizations;

Noting that the aforementioned Advisory Committee, since its establishment in 1960, has held periodic meetings with a view to ensuring co-ordination between the Freedom from Hunger Campaign and the voluntary agencies participating in the Campaign;

Considering that since Article VI of the Constitution does not permit the establishment of bodies of non-governmental organizations, the Council had, at its Forty-Seventh Session, requested the Committee on Constitutional and Legal Matters (CCLM) to examine the matter with a view to finding a constitutional solution for including the aforementioned Advisory Committee in the framework of the Organization;

Having noted the Report of the Seventeenth Session of the CCLM;

Concurring with the recommendation of the CCLM that the aforementioned Advisory Committee be brought within the scope of Article VI, paragraph 2 of the Constitution;

Hereby establishes, under Article VI, paragraph 2 of the Constitution a Committee of individuals to be appointed in their personal capacity, which Committee will be known as “the Freedom from Hunger Campaign Advisory Committee of Experts” and will replace the Advisory Committee of Non-Governmental Organizations on the Freedom from Hunger Campaign established by the Director-General under the authority of Conference Resolution 13/59;

Decides that the Committee's Terms of Reference shall be:

  1. to advise the Director-General on all aspects of Campaign policy and arrangements within its competence, particularly with regard to NGO activities related directly or indirectly to the Campaign;

  2. to keep under review the development of the Campaign and to assess its implications from the standpoint of the participating NGOs at the international, regional and national levels;

  3. to invite suggestions and to discuss points of common interest on NGO participation in the Campaign;

Authorizes the Director-General

  1. to promulgate the statutes of the Committee;

  2. to appoint as Members of the Committee specially qualified individuals with experience in Freedom from Hunger Campaign activities, such appointments to be made after consultation with non-governmental organizations co-operating in the Campaign; bearing in mind that the membership of the Committee should be not less than twelve and not more than twenty-four;

  3. to convene periodic sessions of the Committee;

  4. to make, when appropriate, such arrangements as envisaged in Rule XXXII-5 of the General Rules of the Organization whereby members of the Committee would defray their own expenses incurred in attending sessions of the Committee.

150. The Council stressed the need for clearly specifying, in the text of every resolution establishing a body, the constitutional provisional under which it was to be established. The Council noted that the Secretariat proposed to have informal consultations with selected national FFHC Committees while preparing the list of members of the Committee.

FAO/Fertilizer Industry Advisory Committee of Experts

151. The Council endorsed the recommendation of the Committee on Constitutional and Legal Matters (CCLM) contained in the Report of its Seventeenth Session, to the effect that the FAO/Fertilizer Industry Advisory Panel, which had been established by the Director-General under Article VI-4 of the Constitution, be transformed into a committee of experts under Article VI-2 of the Constitution. In reaching this conclusion the Council took into particular consideration the functions which the Committee would have to perform. These functions were more appropriate for a committee established under Article VI-2 of the Constitution rather than to a panel set up under Article VI-4 since they involved general considerations of policy.

152. The Council also noted that in the past the experts who attended sessions of the FAO/Fertilizer Industry Advisory Panel had borne their expenses arising out of such attendance, and that Member Nations and certain intergovernmental organizations which were active in the field of fertilizers had attended meetings of the panel in an observer capacity at their own request. The Council considered that it should be possible for these practices to continue with respect to sessions of the FAO/Fertilizer Industry Advisory Committee of Experts. In this connection the Council appreciated the contribution of Member Nations to the success of the work of the Panel and considered that although it was not generally appropriate for observers from Member Nations to attend panels or committees composed of experts acting in their individual capacity, circumstances justified an exception being made with respect to the FAO/Fertilizer Industry Advisory Committee of Experts.

153. The Council adopted the following resolution:

Resolution 7/48

FAO/FERTILIZER INDUSTRY ADVISORY COMMITTEE OF EXPERTS

THE COUNCIL

Recalling that in 1960 the Director-General established the FAO/Fertilizer Industry Advisory Panel;

Considering that the Council, at its Forty-Seventh Session, requested the Committee on Constitutional and Legal Matters (CCLM) to clarify certain questions relating to the constitutional basis and composition of this Panel;

Noting the recommendations of the CCLM contained in the report of its Seventeenth Session, and in particular the recommendation that the FAO/ Fertilizer Industry Advisory Panel, which had been established under Article VI-4 of the Constitution, be transformed into a Committee of Experts under Article VI-2 of the Constitution;

Hereby establishes under Article VI-2 of the Constitution, a Committee of Experts appointed in their personal capacity, which Committee shall be known as the FAO/Fertilizer Industry Advisory Committee of Experts;

Decides that the Committee's terms of reference shall be to study and give advice to the Director-General on the planning and implementation of the FFHC Fertilizer Program;

Authorizes the Director-General:

  1. to promulgate the statutes of the Committee;

  2. to appoint as members of the Committee experts qualified to advise on the technical and operational aspects of the FFHC Fertilizer Program and in particular such experts as are specially conversant with the objectives and operation of the FFHC Fertilizer Program on account of their association with the contributors to this Program;

  3. to convene periodic sessions of the Committee;

  4. to make, when appropriate, such arrangements as envisaged in Rule XXXII-5 of the General Rules of the Organization whereby members of the Committee would defray their own expenses incurred in attending sessions of the Committee.

Noting further that since Member Nations and Associate Members of the Organization have shown their interest in the FFHC Fertilizer Program and have in some cases made voluntary contributions to support its activities, and that in the past representatives of Member Nations and Associate Members of the Organization and of intergovernmental organizations active in this field attended meetings of the FAO/Fertilizer Industry Advisory Panel in an observer capacity at their request;

Conscious of the fact that on account of the particular terms of reference of the Committee established under this Resolution this practice is likely to contribute to the success of the Committee's work;

Decides that Member Nations and Associate Members of the Organization which are interested in the FFHC Fertilizer Program and intergovernmental organizations active in the field of fertilizers may attend sessions of the Committee in an observer capacity.

Introduction of Arabic for Interpretation in the General Conference as well as in Near East Regional Conferences and Technical Meetings

154. The question of the use of the Arabic language in FAO was raised in a communication dated 17 November 1966 from the Government of the United Arab Republic which requested its conclusion on the agenda of the Eighth Regional Conference for the Near East. The following recommendation was adopted in Khartoum:

The Conference

Bearing in mind the civilizing and cultural mission of the Arabic language and the instrumental role it has played in imparting knowledge in many fields of human learning including agriculture;

Considering that Arabic is the national language of more than 130 million people belonging to thirteen member countries of the Organization whose economy is largely dependent on agriculture;

Being aware of the mutual benefits which will accrue to these countries and to the Organization from the use of Arabic in the deliberations of the General Conference and the Near East regional and technical conferences;

Requests the Director-General to present to the Fourteenth Session of the FAO Conference the introduction of the use of Arabic for interpretation in the General Conferences as well as the Near East regional and technical conferences as from the Ninth FAO Regional Conference and the Fifteenth Conference Session;

Requests the Director-General subsequently to study the necessary measures for translating into Arabic the most important documents and publications of FAO and gradually to grant Arabic the same status as that given to the working languages of the Organization.” (CL 46/8)

155. The matter was examined by the Finance Committee at its Seventeenth Session and by the Program Committee at its Twelfth Session (24 April – 5 May 1967). The relevant considerations are set forth in paragraphs 83–93 of the Joint Report of these two Committees (CL 48/6). The Committees recognized that their study was a preliminary one only, that the problem was a complex one, and that quite a number of requests for use of further working languages could potentially emerge. The Committees therefore recommended that a decision on the addition of any one working language should be taken only in the light of a thorough examination of the whole problem; that all aspects should be studied by a small group of consultants whose findings might be placed before an ad hoc working group of Council Members; and that, pending the outcome of the examination, the present practice should be continued whereby interpretation in any language other than the present working languages can be provided at the expense of Member Governments wishing it.

156. The Representative of the United Arab Republic requested that consideration of this matter should be confined to the first phase in the recommendation of the Khartoum Regional Conference, i.e. “the introduction of the use of Arabic for interpretation in the General Conferences as well as the Near East regional and technical conferences as from the Ninth FAO Regional Conference and the Fifteenth Conference Session”.

157. Several Members in turn proposed that substantive discussions on the introduction of Arabic be postponed, and the Council agreed to such postponement.

158. Attention was also drawn to the broader issues of the problem and especially to the introduction of other languages, specifically German and Portuguese, in the European and Latin-American Regions. The Director-General observed that the case for the introduction of other languages should not obscure the essential simplicity of the question of Arabic. In view of the material already placed before the Finance and Program Committees, and the fact that Arabic has already already found recognition in two other United Nations Agencies, namely Unesco and ILO, the question was now one for decision rather than further study. Several Members, however, felt that the question of substance could usefully form the object of a preliminary study by the Council at its (pre-conference) Forty-Ninth Session.

159. The Director-General indicated that the relatively small amount of $16,000 for Arabic interpretation at the next Near East Regional Conference and technical conferences held in the Near East in 1969 could be found within the Budget, and expressed the hope that the larger amount of $40,000 for interpretation from and into Arabic at the Fifteenth Session of the Conference might be put up voluntarily by the Member Nations themselves to enable him to provide such services.

160. The Council noted that the current practice for the use of unofficial languages was that, if particular Member Governments wished to have interpretation in a language other than English, French or Spanish (the working languages of FAO), service was provided in the additional language on condition that the Governments concerned met the additional cost or provided the additional interpreters. Thus, additional languages had on a number of occasions been utilized at FAO conferences and sessions according to this formula.

161. The Council agreed that Phase 1 of the introduction of Arabic interpretation should be referred directly to the Conference, while the use of other languages should be studied by the Director-General, and his conclusions submitted to the October Session of the Council.

Membership of Program and Finance Committees

162. When considering the situation created by the resignations of one member of the Program Committee and one member of the Finance Committee, who had been elected by the Forty-Sixth Session of the Council for a two-year period in accordance with Rule XXVI and XXVII of the General Rules of the Organization, the Forty-Seventh Session of the Council requested the Committee on Constitutional and Legal Matters (CCLM) to examine the desirability of amending the relevant provisions of the General Rules of the Organization. The purpose of such amendment was to provide that the Council should elect three instead of two alternates to both Committees in order that the number of members of these Committees should remain throughout any given biennium at a level which would enable the Committees to discharge their functions with the maximum effectiveness.

163. In addition, the Forty-Seventh Session of the Council requested the CCLM to study the appropriate manner of providing that alternates not replacing members at sessions of these Committees might follow their discussions even though they were not called upon to participate, provided that no additional expenses were involved for the Organization.

164. The Council, having considered the Report of the Seventeenth Session of the CCLM (CL 48/20, paras. 60–64) endorsed the suggestions of the CCLM to amend Rules XXVI and XXVII of the General Rules of the Organization which govern the election of members and alternates of the Program and Finance Committees and the attendance of alternates and accordingly decided to submit the following draft resolution for consideration by the Fourteenth Session of the Conference:

DRAFT RESOLUTION FOR THE CONFERENCE

Membership of Program and Finance Committees

THE CONFERENCE

Considering that in order to ensure that the number of members of the Program and Finance Committees should remain throughout any given biennium at a level which would enable the Committee to discharge their functions with the maximum effectiveness, it would be desirable to increase the number of alternates of both Committees from two to three;

Considering further that, provided no additional expenses are involved for the Organization it would be useful for alternates not replacing members at sessions of these Committees to follow the discussions of such Committees, even though they were not called upon to participate;

Having examined the draft amendments to Rules XXVI and XXVII of the General Rules of the Organization suggested by the Seventeenth Session of the CCLM and endorsed by the Council;

Decides to amend Rules XXVI and XXVII of the General Rules of the Organization to read as follows: (words between square brackets to be deleted and words underlined to be added.)

Rule XXVI

1. The Program Committee provided for in paragraph 6 of Article V of the Constitution shall be composed of a chairman, six other members, and a first, [and] second and third alternate, all selected by the Council in a personal capacity from among qualified individuals who have shown a deep interest in the objectives of the Organization and who have participated in Conference and Council sessions and in other technical activities of the Organization. The Chairman, other members and alternates shall be elected for a period of two years at the session of the Council immediately following the regular session of the Conference. The Chairman and each other member and alternate of the Committee shall be a national of a different Member Nation. They shall be eligible for reappointment.

4. An alternate member shall be called upon to attend a Committee Session only when a member expects to be absent for the whole of that particular session. An alternate substituting for a member of the Committee shall have the same rights and privileges as a member. Providing no additional expenses (including those referred to in paragraph 9 of this Rule) are involved for the Organization, an alternate not substituting for a member may attend sessions of the Committee to follow the discussions but shall not have the right to speak nor to take part in the discussions.

RULE XXVII

1. The Finance Committee provided for in paragraph 6 of Article V of the Constitution shall be composed of a Chairman, four other members, and a first, [and] second and third alternate, all selected by the Council in a personal capacity from among individuals in the government service of Member Nations, for their special competence in finance and administration. The Chairman, other members and alternates shall be elected for a period of two years at the session of the Council immediately following the regular session of the Conference. The Chairman and each other member and alternate of the Committee shall be a national of a different Member Nation. They shall be eligible for reappointment.

4. An alternate member shall be called upon to attend a Committee session only when a member expects to be absent for the whole of that particular session. An alternate substituting for a member of the Committee shall have the same rights and privileges as a member. Providing no additional expenses (including these referred to in paragraph 9 of this Rule) are involved for the Organization, an alternate not substituting for a member may attend sessions of the Committee to follow the discussions but shall not have the right to speak nor to take part in the discussions.

Establishment of Caribbean Plant Protection Commission

165. The Thirteenth Session of the FAO Conference and the Forty-Seventh Session of the Council considered the question of the establishment of a Regional Plant Protection Commission in the Caribbean area. Action was deferred by the Forty-Seventh Session of the Council (October 1966) until its Forty-Eighth Session in view of the fact that the number of replies received from the Governments consulted by the Director-General in this connection was insufficient to make any recommendation on the matter. The Forty-Seventh Session of the Council also “requested that at an appropriate stage, the legal and constitutional implications of the establishment of such a body be looked at by the Committee on Constitutional and Legal Matters.”

166. The situation was again reviewed by the Director-General in April 1967. The review showed that of the ten Governments in the Caribbean area with which the Director-General had communicated, replies had been received from seven Governments. Six of these Governments expressed the view that the proposed Commission should be established under Article VI of the FAO Constitution; and one was in favor of its establishment under Article XIV of the Constitution. Four of the Governments which indicated their preference for an Article VI body suggested that the establishment of such a commission be effected along the lines of the Near East Plant Protection Commission which is also a commission established under Article VI.

167. In the light of the replies from the Governments and in compliance with the Council's request, the Committee on Constitutional and Legal Matters (CCLM) at its Seventeenth Session (April 1967) considered the legal and constitutional implications of the establishment of the proposed commission under Articles VI and XIV respectively of the FAO Constitution. The CCLM reached the conclusion that as regards the form which the Caribbean Plant Protection body might take, there were three alternatives as follows: (a) a regional commission under Article VI, paragraph 1 of the Constitution in which case an appropriate resolution would have to be adopted by the Conference or Council; (b) an Article XIV body, on the basis of an agreement to be drafted by a technical meeting or conference of Member Nations, and approved by the Conference or Council of the Organization; (c) a Regional Plant Protection Organization set up a supplementary agreement under the International Plant Protection Convention. A Commission established in this manner would in fact become an Article XIV body, and consequently the supplementary agreement would likewise have had to be drafted by a technical meeting or conference of Member Nations and submitted to the FAO Conference or Council for approval.

168. The Council, after having considered the views expressed by the Governments concerned, the legal and constitutional implications of the establishment of such a body and the three possible solutions set out in the Report of the Seventeenth Session of the CCLM (CL 48/20, paras. 31–59), agreed to establish the Caribbean Plant Protection Commission under Article VI, paragraph 1 of the FAO Constitution and accordingly adopted the following resolution:

Resolution 8/48

CARIBBEAN PLANT PROTECTION COMMISSION

THE COUNCIL

Having considered:

  1. The Resolution adopted by the first Caribbean Plant Protection Conference, held at St. Croix, United States Virgin Islands, on 4–7 August 1965, with regard to the establishment of a Caribbean Plant Protection Commission;

  2. The recommendation of the Thirteenth Session of the FAO Conference that the Director-General take steps in consultation with the interested member countries to determine how a commission might be best established to perform the functions specified in the report of the first Caribbean Plant Protection Conference;

  3. Such views as were expressed by Member Nations located in the Caribbean Area;

  4. The Report of the Committee on Constitutional and Legal Matters (CCLM) on the legal and constitutional implications of the establishment of such a body;

Considering further that the establishment of a Plant Protection Commission for the Caribbean Area would promote inter-governmental co-operation in plant quarantine and assist in preventing the introduction of destructive plant pests and diseases into the area;

Hereby Establishes under Article VI, paragraph 1 of the Constitution of the Organization, a regional commission to be known as the “Caribbean Plant Protection Commission,” the statutes of which shall be as follows:

  1. The purpose of the Commission shall be to strengthen inter-governmental co-operation in plant quarantine in the Caribbean area in order to prevent the introduction of destructive plant pests and diseases and to preserve the existing plant resources of that area and to this effect the terms of reference of the Commission shall be to:

    1. Keep under constant review outbreaks and movements of plant pests and diseases of economic importance outside and inside the Caribbean area;

    2. Review the progress made in the control of plant pests and diseases of crops of major importance to the Caribbean area;

    3. Review the current plant quarantine measures adopted by participating governments;

    4. Propose to the participating governments concerted quarantine measures for approval and adoption;

    5. Examine and study problems in plant quarantine and related fields, referred to it by any participating government;

    6. Promote arrangements for the training of technical personnel in the field of plant quarantine.

  2. Membership in the Commission shall be open to all Member Nations and Associate Members of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations whose territories are situated wholly or partly in the Caribbean Area. Membership shall comprise such eligible Member Nations and Associate Members as have notified the Director-General of the Organization of their desire to be considered as members.

  3. Any Member Nation of the Organization and any Associate Member that is not a member of the Commission but has a special interest in the work of the Commission, may, upon request communicated to the Director-General of the Organization, attend as observer, sessions of the Commission and of its subsidiary bodies and ad hoc meetings.

  4. Nations which, while not Member Nations or Associate Members of the Organization, are members of the United Nations may, upon their request, and with the approval of the Council, be invited to attend in an observer capacity sessions of the Commission, in accordance with the provisions relating to the granting of observer status to nations adopted by the Conference of the Organization.

  5. Participation of international organizations in the work of the Commission and the relations between the Commission and such organizations shall be governed by the relevant provisions of the Constitution and the General Rules of the Organization as well as by the rules on relations with international organizations adopted by the Conference or Council of the Organization. All such relations shall be dealt with by the Director-General of the Organization.

  6. The Commission shall report and make recommendations to the Council through the Director-General, it being understood that copies of each report, including any conclusions and recommendations, will be circulated to interested Member Governments and international organizations for their information as soon as they become available.

  7. The Commission may establish such subsidiary bodies as it deems necessary for the accomplishment of its task, subject to the availability of the necessary funds in the relevant chapter of the approved budget of the Organization; the determination of such availability shall be made by the Director-General. Before taking any decisions involving expenditure in connection with the establishment of subsidiary bodies, the Commission must have before it a report from the Director-General on the administrative and financial implications thereof.

  8. The Commission may adopt and amend its own Rules of Procedure which shall be in conformity with the Constitution and the General Rules of the Organization and with the statement of principles governing commissions and committees, adopted by the Conference. The Rules of Procedure and amendments thereto shall come into force upon approval by the Director-General subject to confirmation by the Council.

Establishment of Regional Food and Nutrition Commission for the Near East

169. The Council noted that the Eighth FAO Regional Conference for the Near East (1967) had recommended the creation of a Regional Food and Nutrition Commission for the Near East in order to promote co-ordination at the regional level of programs and policies related to food and nutrition. In this connection, the Council recalled that the Eleventh Session of the FAO Conference supported in principle the establishment of regional food and nutrition commissions in those regions where the need for such commission was recognized by the governments concerned and the necessary funds could be obtained.

170. The World Health Organization Representative informed the Council that WHO would have no objection in principle to the creation of a Joint Regional Food and Nutrition Commission for the Near East, but that further consultation with the Ministries of Health concerned would be necessary. Moreover, discussions between the two Organizations would be needed with regard to the terms of reference, scope and methods of work of the proposed Commission, and its financing before any decision. could be taken by WHO.

171. Several Members supported in principle the establishment of the proposed Commission, and emphasized the importance of early action in this matter. Accordingly the Council requested the Director-General to prepare draft statutes and other appropriate proposals for the establishment of such a Commission, in the light of further discussions with WHO, for consideration by the Council.

FAO/UNCTAD Working Party on Forest and Timber Products

172. At its Forty-Seventh Session the Council had been informed of the steps taken by UNCTAD with a view to the convening of an ad hoc Joint FAO/UNCTAD Working Party on Forest and Timber Products and requested the Director-General to enter into negotiations with UNCTAD regarding the formal establishment of a standing body and to report thereon to the Council.

173. The Council took note of the Director-General's report set out in Document CL 48/23, summarizing the results of the meeting of the aforementioned ad hoc Working Party.

174. Several Members expressed satisfaction with the good co-operation established between FAO and UNCTAD with a view to developing trade in forest products and more particularly in promoting exports of processed timber products from developing countries.

175. Since no further session of the ad hoc Working Party was planned, the Council decided that no action toward the formal establishment of a Joint Standing Working Party was called for at this stage. The Council noted that the recommendations of the ad hoc Working Party were being followed up by appropriate existing bodies of both Agencies and that the Director-General would submit a report and appropriate recommendations if and when the need for establishing a joint body on a permanent basis should arise.

Amendment of Rules of Procedure of Indo-Pacific Fisheries Council (Article XIV Body)

176. The Indo-Pacific Fisheries Council, at its Twelfth Session (Honolulu, October 1966) adopted amendments to its Rules of Procedure, which were approved by the Director-General on 24 January 1967.

177. Article II, paragraph 7 of the Amendment of the Indo-Pacific Fisheries Council provides that amendments to the Rules of Procedure of that Council shall come into force as from the date of approval by the Director-General subject to confirmation by the FAO Council.

178. The Council, having taken cognizance of the text of the amendments as approved by the Director-General, and which appear in Document CL 48/24, confirmed the aforementioned amendments in accordance with the provision of Article II, paragraph 7 of the Agreement of the Indo-Pacific Fisheries Council.

Statutes and Rules of Procedures of Article VI Bodies

179. The Council considered the reports submitted by the Director-General (CL 48/25 and CL 48/25 Add.1) which dealt with Statutes and/or Rules of Procedure of the South West Atlantic Fisheries Advisory Commission (CARPAS), the Joint FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission, the Regional Commission on Land and Water Use in the Near East and the Joint FAO/IMCO Committee on the Safety of Fishing Vessels.

Revision of Statutes of Regional Fisheries Advisory Commission for the South-West Atlantic (CARPAS)

180. The Council considered the resolution adopted by CARPAS at its Third Session recommending a revision of its statutes with a view to:

  1. enable Bolivia and Paraguay to become eligible for membership;

  2. obtain the active co-operation of all countries whose fishing fleets frequent the CARPAS statistical area or undertake fishery research in that area;

  3. enable CARPAS to undertake joint projects or programs.

181. The Council, after hearing the views of two of the members of the Commission on a draft resolution which has been submitted by the Committee on Fisheries and was designed to give effect to points (1) and (2) above, by making the Commission open to all Member Nations and Associate Members of the Organization, considered that the ways of obtaining the co-operation of countries whose fishing fleets frequented the CARPAS statistical area or undertook fishery research in that area required further study. The Council therefore referred this matter back to CARPAS for further examination.

182. The Council noted that in any case it was preferable not to take any action at this stage relating to the revision of the Statutes of CARPAS because the question of extending eligibility for Membership in CARPAS might have to be reviewd in the light of any action that might be taken by the Conference on the proposed amendment of Article VI-1 of the Constitution. (See paragraphs 43 to 53 of this Report).

Joint FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission

183. The Council took note of the explanations given in Document CL 48/25-Add.1) with regard to the amendments to the Rules of Procedure of the Coded Alimentarius Commission, as adopted by that Commission at its Third and Fourth Sessions. Having been informed that the World Health Assembly had approved the amendments to the Statutes of the Commission which has previously been adopted by the Council at its Forty-Seventh Session, and that the Director-General of WHO had thereupon approved the amendments to the Commission's Rules of Procedure, the Council confirmed the amendments to the Rules of Procedure of the Codex Alimentarius Commission as incorporated in the text reproduced as Annex I to Document CL 48/25-Add.1.

Regional Commission on Land and Water Use in the Near East

184. This body which had originally been established as a Working Party was transformed into a Regional Commission by the Council at its Forty-Seventh Session. However, in order to regularize the status of the Commission it was found necessary to review the Terms of Reference originally intended for the Working Party and to draw up statutes of the Commission.

185. The Council therefore adopted the following resolution:

Resolution 9/48

REGIONAL COMMISSION ON LAND AND WATER USE IN THE NEAR EAST

THE COUNCIL

Recalling:

  1. The recommendation of the Thirteenth Session of the Conference inviting the Director-General to consider the establishment of a Near East Land and Water Use Commission as proposed by the Seventh FAO Regional Conference for the Near East;

  2. the action taken by the Forty-Sixth Session of the Council in pursuance of the Conference recommendation, requesting the Director-General to establish, as an interim measure, a Working Party on Land and Water Use in the Near East under Article VI-2 of the Constitution, whose membership would be open to Member Nations which were serviced by the FAO Near East Regional Office;

  3. The decision of the Forty-Seventh Session of the Council that certain Article VI bodies open to all Member Nations and Associate Members of a given region, including the Working Party on Land and Water Use in the Near East, should be renamed “Regional Commissions” in order to bring them into line with the nomenclature used in Article VI-1 of the FAO Constitution;

Considering that in order to implement the aforementioned recommendations and decisions of the Conference and Council regarding the establishment of the proposed Regional Commission it would be necessary to modify and extend the terms of reference of the former Working Party and to formally establish the Commission in accordance with the provisions of Article VI-1 of the Constitution;

Hereby establishes under Article VI, paragraph 1 of the Constitution of the Organization, a regional commission to be known as the “Regional Commission on Land and Water Use in the Near East”, the Statutes of which shall be as follows:

  1. The terms of reference of the Commission shall comprise:

    1. The formulation of the program of work of the Commission in relation to improved land and water use in the Region;

    2. The establishment of priorities for the gradual elimination of factors limiting the more efficient use of land and water resources (with particular reference to the farm level of operations);

    3. The formulation of recommendations regarding measures to be adopted by Member countries of the Region in the specialized fields of land and water use, both for irrigated and dryland areas;

    4. The consideration of recommendations regarding ways and means in which FAO could assist countries of the Region in the development of land and water use, both in irrigated and dryland areas, as found necessary;

    5. The consideration of problems referred to the Commission by the Director-General, the FAO Conference or Council and the preparation of suitable reports, including relevant recommendations;

    6. When appropriate, the establishment of working parties to deal with specific land and water use problems, on the basis of terms of reference to be determined in each case by the Commission;

    7. The compilation of data relating to development and conservation of the land water resources of the Region and promotion of exchange of information in this field between members of the Commission;

  2. Membership in the Commission shall be open to all Member Nations and Associate Members of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations which are serviced by the Near East Regional Office. Membership shall comprise such eligible Member Nations and Associate Members as have notified the Director-General of the Organization of their desire to be considered as members.

  3. Any Member Nation of the Organization and any Associate Member that is not a member of the Commission but has a special interest in the work of the Commission, may, upon request communicated to the Director-General of the Organization, attend as observer, sessions of the Commission and of its subsidiary bodies and ad hoc meetings.

  4. Nations which, while not Member Nations or Associate Members of the Organization, are Members of the United Nations may, upon their request, and with the approval of the Council, be invited to attend in an observer capacity sessions of the Commission, in accordance with the provisions relating to the granting of observer status to nations adopted by the Conference of the Organization.

  5. Participation of international organizations in the work of the Commission and the relations between the Commission and such organizations shall be governed by the relevant provisions of the Constitution and the General Rules of the Organization as well as by the rules on relations with international organizations adopted by the Conference or Council of the Organization. All such relations shall be dealt with by the Director-General of the Organization.

  6. The Commission shall report and make recommendations to the Conference or Council as required through the Director-General, it being understood that copies of each report, including any conclusions and recommendations, will be circulated to interested Member Governments and international organizations for their information as soon as they become available.

  7. The Commission may establish such subsidiary bodies as it deems necessary for the accomplishment of its task, subject to the availability of the necessary funds in the relevant chapter of the approved budget of the Organization; the determination of such availability shall be made by the Director-General. Before taking any decisions involving expenditure in connection with the establishment of subsidiary bodies, the Commission must have before it a report from the Director-General on the administrative and financial implications thereof.

  8. The Commission may adopt and amend its own Rules of Procedure which shall be in conformity with the Constitution and the General Rules of the Organization and with the statement of principles governing commissions and committees, adopted by the Conference. The Rules of Procedure and amendments thereto shall come into force upon approval by the Director-General subject to confirmation by the Council.

186. In adopting the above Resolution, the Council decided to invite the Commission to consider, at its First Session, the Terms of Reference set out in paragraph 1 of the Statutes, on the understanding that any suggestions which might be formulated by the Commission concerning possible amendments to its Terms of Reference would be examined by the Council at a subsequent Session.

Joint FAO/IMCO Committee on the Safety of Fishing Vessels

187. The Council took note of Resolution C 31 (XVII), adopted by the IMCO Council at its Seventeenth Session (December 1966) and reproduced as Annex II to Document CL 48/25. This IMCO Resolution followed the adoption of Resolution 3/47 by the FAO Council which had provided for the establishment of a Joint FAO/IMCO Committee “to be composed of eight nations, four to be selected by the FAO Council from among Member Nations and Associate Members of FAO and four to be selected by IMCO”. The IMCO Resolution provided that the Joint Committee be “convened only when, and to the extent that, a particular question of a technical character and of substantial concern to FAO as to the fisheries aspect is involved, and when it would be inappropriate to attempt to resolve this issue solely in existing IMCO sub-committees” and further that the four members to be chosen by the IMCO Council should be selected “with specific regard to the substance of the matter or matters to be discussed on each occasion”.

188. The Council, having noted that no session of the Joint Committee was scheduled for the near future, decided to postpone the appointment of Members for that Committee, on the understanding that informal consultations on this question would take place in the intervening period.

Invitations to Non-Governmental Organizations which do not have Status with FAO

189. The Council requested the Director-General to submit a report on this subject to the CCLM. The Council requested the Director-General and CCLM to propose procedures which would make it possible to associate representatives of Member Governments with the Director-General in the selection, or in the study of conditions of participation, of qualified international organizations. It was also suggested that ways be considered to ensure the co-operation of non-governmental organizations interested in regional activities.

190. The Council decided that in the interim, international non-governmental organizations which do not have official status with FAO could, on the decision of the competent bodies of the Codex Alimentarius Commission and of the Committee on Commodity Problems, be invited by the Director-General to sessions of the Codex Commission and of the CCP, and of their subsidiary bodies, due regard being paid to their competence and representative character.

Proposal to amend Article V of the Constitution to Permit More than One Alternate per Member Delegation to the Council

191. The Council noted that an amendment to Article V, paragraph 1, of the Constitution had been proposed by the Government of the United States of America and that, in accordance with Article XX of the Constitution, the Director-General had communicated this proposed amendment to all Member Nations and Associate Members of the Organization by a letter dated 8 June 1967. This proposed amendment would be included on the Agenda of the Fourteenth Session of the Conference.

Applications for Membership in the Organization - Barbados and Hungary 1

192. The Council was informed of the applications of the Hungarian People's Republic and of Barbados to membership in the Organization.

193. The Council agreed that both the above countries could be invited to attend in an observer capacity technical and regional sessions of FAO bodies and ad hoc Conferences of interest to them, and the sessions of the Council, to be held before the Fourteenth Session of the Conference.

Singapore

194. The Council was informed that, since there had not been time to consult the Council, Singapore had been invited to attend in an observer capacity the Sixth Session of the Plant Protection Committee for South East Asia and the Pacific Region, held in Kuala Lumpur, 29 March to 3 April 1967.

1 Agenda Item 31.


Previous Page Top of Page Next Page