REPORT of the COUNCIL OF FAO FIFTH SESSION 30 NOVEMBER 1948

WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A.

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Washington, D. C.

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The Council of FAO held its Fifth Session on 30 November 1948, in Washington, D.C., immediately following the Fourth Session of the Conference.

After discussing informally the organization of and the procedure followed in the Conference which had just finished, the Council asked the Director-General to take account of the views expressed during the discussion when preparing proposals for the arrangements to be made for the next session of the Conference. This matter will be placed on the agenda of the next session of the Council.

Election of Vice-Chairmen

The Council unanimously elected Professor André Mayer of France, Mr. B.R. Sen of India, and Dr. G.S.H. Barton of Canada as its Vice-Chairmen for the current year. This decision entailed temporary amendment of Rule I (1) of the Council's Rules of Procedure.

Matters referred to the Council by the Conference

The Council examined the various matters referred to it by the Fourth Session of the Conference, and for the most part requested the Director-General to investigate the position and report to its next session. Action was, however, taken on several individual points.

With reference to the contribution of Saudi Arabia to the Organization, the Director-General drew attention to Financial Regulation VII (2) which reads in part: “If the proposed member government then formally accepts membership, its contribution shall be payable in respect of the whole of the current year in which its acceptance of the Constitution is deposited unless the Council should otherwise decide.” The fact that Saudi Arabia only became a member of FAO on 23 November 1948 might justify an exceptional arrangement being approved by the Council in this case. It was decided that the Director-General would communicate with the Government of Saudi Arabia on the matter, and he was authorized to negotiate for this year on the basis of 50 per cent of Saudi Arabia's annual contribution.

The Director-General was requested by the Council to examine the possibility of requiring Observers to pay an annual contribution to the Organization, sufficient at least to cover the cost of documents and services supplied to them, and to report to the next Council meeting suggesting an appropriate contribution, if the Director-General considered such a contribution was justified.

In view of the Conference recommendation that the Council arrange for a preliminary review of intergovernmental commodity agreements as they affect FAO, the Council appointed a working party to cooperate with the Director-General and report to the Council on this matter. The party consists of representatives of Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, India, United Kingdom, and United States of America, with power to co-opt additional members.

It was also decided that a working group made up of representatives of Egypt, Mexico, Netherlands, United Kingdom, and United States of America should be established to assist the Director-General in preparing the basis on which information should be collected from member governments for use in compiling the documentation for the next session of the Conference.

The Council took note of the Director-General's intention to submit the 1950 Program of Work to the Co-ordinating Committee about the middle of 1949, before the next session of the Council, and suggested that the Committee might be available for consultation, if desired, at the time of the next session of the Conference.

The Council discussed at some length the situation arising from the Conference resolution whereby the Director-General was requested to include in the 1949 Program of Work several projects not contained in the program presented to the Conference, without any recommendation having been made either for more money to be made available or for any of the original projects to be deleted. The Director-General was finally authorized to adjust the budget at his discretion, in the light of proposals made at the Conference, and to report to the next session of the Council. Although every attempt was to be made to include the new projects recommended by the Conference, these were not necessarily to have absolute priority.

The Committee on the Site of Permanent Headquarters was reappointed and instructed to proceed with exploration of sites and negotiation with authorities, and to report to the next session of the Council. This Committee consists of the representatives of Chile, China, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Philippine Republic, Union of South Africa, United Kingdom and United States of America.

General Staff Regulations

The Council approved that Article 39 of the General Staff Regulations should be revised and read as follows:

“Establishment of an Appeals Committee

The Director-General shall establish a special committee, within the Organization, consisting of two members nominated by himself, two members elected by the staff as a whole, and an independent Chairman appointed by the Council, to advise the Director-General (a) in cases of appeal by individual staff members regarding disciplinary action, and (b) on grievances of individual staff members relating to terms and conditions of service. Legal counsel shall be provided to the Appeals Committee upon its request.”

Henrik de Kauffmann, Ambassador of Denmark in Washington, was appointed Chairman of this Committee.

The Director-General was requested to ask the United Nations and the International Labour Organisation for information concerning the statutes establishing the administrative tribunals of those organizations, and to submit to the next session of the Council his suggestions for a draft statute establishing an Administrative Tribunal for FAO.

Committee on Scale of Contributions

The Council appointed a Committee, consisting of representatives of Belgium, Brazil, Czechoslovakia, Egypt, and United States of America, whose function would be to propose a new scale of contributions for the consideration of the Council. Applications for reductions in contributions will be referred to this Committee.

Policy Committee

The Council agreed not to appoint a Policy Committee for the present.

Committee on Financial Control

Mr. E. Perez-Cisneros, representative of Cuba, was appointed Chairman of the Committee of Financial Control to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Dr. G.S.H. Barton. The Council unanimously voiced its gratitude to Dr. Barton for his great services to the Organization as Chairman of this Committee and its regret at his retirement. The other members of the Committee were reappointed for a further year.

Committee on Relations with International Organizations

Representatives of the following nations were appointed to serve on the Committee on Relations with International Organizations: Chile, China, Egypt, Italy, Netherlands, United Kingdom, and United States of America. Applications for observer status in category I from the American Federation of Labor and the request of the International Wine Office for a formal agreement with FAO were referred to this Committee.

Date and Place of Next Session of the Council

The Council accepted the invitation of the Government of France to hold its next session in Paris early in June 1949, on the understanding that a meeting would be called earlier should circumstances demand it.

Ad Hoc Committee on Latin-American Affairs

The representative of Cuba proposed that the ad hoc Committee of four Latin-American members of the Council should be reappointed to advise the Director-General on Latin-American affairs. This was seconded by the representative of Chile and approved.

MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL OF FAO

REPRESENTATIVES, ALTERNATES, AND ADVISERS OF THE MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL

CHAIRMAN: Viscount Bruce of Melbourne

AUSTRALIA

J.G. Crawford, Director, Division of Agricultural Economics, Department of Commerce and Agriculture, Canberra, Representative

E.S. Keehn, Executive Officer, Division of Agricultural Production, Department of Commerce and Agriculture, Melbourne, Associate

D.J. Munro, Second Secretary, Embassy of Australia, Washington, Associate

BRAZIL

Newton de Castro Belleza, Chairman, Commission of International Agricultural Relations, Ministry of Agriculture, Rio de Janeiro, Representative

CANADA

G.S.H. Barton, Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Ottawa, Representative

G.R. Paterson, Agricultural Counselor, Embassy of Canada, Washington, Alternate

CHILE

H. Gonzalez, Counselor, Delegation of Chile to the United Nations, New York, Representative

CHINA

C.P. Hsieh, Political Vice-Minister, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Nanking, Representative

C.M. Chen, Senior Adviser, Ministry of Food, Nanking, Alternate

C. Twanmo, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Washington Office, Washington, Adviser

CUBA

E. Perez-Cisneros, Commercial Attaché, Embassy of Cuba, Washington, Representative

CZECHOSLOVAKIA

R. Kuraz, Czechoslovak Consul General, New York, Representative

DENMARK

A.P. Jacobsen, Agricultural Adviser, Ministry of Agriculture, Copenhagen, Representative

S. Sørensen, Agricultural Counselor, Embassy of Denmark, Washington, Alternate

EGYPT

Mahmoud Bey Zaki, Under-Secretary of State for Ministry of Commerce and Industry (Supply), Cairo, Representative

M.A. Zayed, Commercial Counselor, Royal Egyptian Embassy, Washington, Alternate

A. Niazi, Second Secretary, Royal Egyptian Embassy, Washington, Associate

FRANCE

A. Mayer, Professor, Collège de France, Paris, Representative

M. Cépède, Head of Studies and Documentation Service in the Ministry of Agriculture, Paris, Alternate

H. Janton, International Conferences Division, Ministry of Economic Affairs, Paris, Adviser

INDIA

B.R. Sen, Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, New Delhi, Representative

ITALY

Ugo Papi, Secretary-General, Italian National FAO Committee, Rome, Representative

P. Rogers, Italian Technical Delegation, Washington, Alternate

MEXICO

A. Ochoa, Attaché, Embassy of Mexico, Washington, Representative

Adolfo Alarcon, Agricultural Attache, Embassy of Mexico, Washington, Alternate

NETHERLANDS

E. de Vries, Counselor to the Department of Overseas Territories, The Hague, Representative

J.B. Ritzema van Ikema, Agricultural Attaché, Embassy of the Netherlands, Washington, Alternate

PHILIPPINE REPUBLIC

J. Teodoro, Jr., Commercial Attaché, Embassy of the Philippine Republic, Representative

UNION OF SOUTH AFRICA

P.R. Viljoen, High Commissioner for the Union of South Africa, Ottawa, Representative

W.A. Horrocks, Commercial Secretary, Legation of the Union of South Africa, Alternate

UNITED KINGDOM

Sir Ralph Enfield, Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, London, Representative

R.H. Franklin, Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, London, Alternate

G.R. Oake, British Supply Mission, Washington, Associate

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A.J. Loveland, Under-Secretary of Agriculture, Washington, Representative

F.J. Rossiter, Associate Director, Office of Foreign Agricultural Relations, Department of Agriculture, Washington, Alternate

E.G. Cale, Associate Chief, International Resources Division, Department of State, Washington, Associate

R. Roberts (deputising for W.A. Jump, Director, Office of Budget and Finance, Department of Agriculture, Washington), Adviser

W.A. Minor, Jr., Assistant to the Secretary, Department of Agriculture, Washington, Adviser

P.V. Cardon, Administrator, Agricultural Research Administration, Department of Agriculture, Washington, Adviser

F.F. Elliott, Associate Chief, Bureau of Agricultural Economics, Department of Agriculture, Washington, Adviser

Mrs. Duffus, Division of the United Nations Economic and Social Affairs, Department of State, Washington, Adviser

J.O. Howard, Head, Division of Foreign Agricultural Information, Office of Foreign Agricultural Relations, Department of Agriculture, Washington, Technical Secretary

OBSERVER

SWITZERLAND

Werner Fuchss, Counselor, Legation of Switzerland, Washington.