149. The Council considered a draft paper setting out the arrangements for the Seventeenth Session of the Conference, including the Provisional Agenda and Tentative Timetable. The Council was informed that the Eighth McDougall Memorial Lecture would be delivered by Dr. Saburo Okita of Japan, President of the Overseas Economic Cooperation Fund.
150. The Council agreed to the proposal that the pre-Conference Session of the Council (Sixty-First) open on Monday morning 5 November 1973, and end at midday on Friday 9 November; the Council would not meet on Thursday afternoon 8 November, to allow for the preparation of its report. The Council would thus have a five-day session, instead of the usual four-day one.
151. The Council reviewed the Provisional Agenda of the Conference appearing as Appendix I to Document CL 60/19. It agreed that Item 6 should concentrate on world trends, and that the proposed (c) should therefore be deleted from that item. The Council further agreed that Item 7 read: “Policy Questions in Food and Agriculture”, and be divided into the two interrelated sub-items (a) “International Agricultural Adjustment”, and (b) “Proposal by the Director-General on a World Food Security Policy”.
152. The Council decided to also link Items 12 and 13 under a single title “Matters Relating to the Programme of Work and Budget”, with present Item 12 appearing as subitem (a) and 13 as (b).
153. The Council also decided that item 14(b) should be reworded to read: “Matters Relating to the Human Environment.”
154. The Council noted that in view of the decision taken at its present session on Item 18 of its Agenda “Criteria for the Formulation of Resolutions of the Conference” 2, this matter would not be put on the Agenda of the Seventeenth Session of the Conference, and that the Conference Timetable would be amended accordingly.
155. Turning to this Timetable, the Council agreed that four half-days should be allocated to the Review of Field Programmes 1972–73, and a further four half-days to Medium-Term Objectives.
156. In concluding, the Council requested that mention be made in a re-draft of paragraph 5 of CL 60/19 of the earlier recommendations of the Conference and Council regarding the inclusion of the representatives of national non-governmental producer and/or consumer organizations in the delegations to the Conference.
157. The Council noted that the Heads of Delegations represented at the Council met during the Session, and had designated the individuals who would be approached to serve as Chairman of the Conference and Chairmen of Commissions I, II and III.
1 CL 60/19, CL 60/PV/12 and CL 60/PV/17.
2 See paras 188–189 below.
3 CL 60/PV/12.
158. The Council noted that the Conference at its Seventeenth Session would be required to appoint the Independent Chairman of the Council, the term of office of the present incumbent expiring in November 1973.
159. The Council also noted that with regard to the nominations for this office, Rule XXIII.1(a) of the General Rules of the Organizations laid down that the Council determine the closing date for such nominations, which must be submitted by Member Nations and addressed to the Secretary-General of the Conference. The Council accordingly established the deadline for the receipt of such nominations at 17.00 hours on Monday 3 September 1973. Nominations would be circulated by the Secretary-General to all Member Nations by Monday 10 September 1973.
