16. The Council examined the amendments to the Constitution and Rules of Procedures of the International Rice Commission which the Commission had adopted at a Special Session on 24 November 1973.
17. The Council then adopted the following resolution:
Resolution 2/62
AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION AND RULES OF PROCEDURE OF THE INTERNATIONAL RICE COMMISSION
THE COUNCIL,
Having examined the amendments to the Constitution and Rules of Procedure of the International Rice Commission which were adopted by that Commission at its Special Session held in Rome on 24 November 1973,
Noting that these amendments are intended to facilitate the adoption of amendments to the Commission's Rules of Procedure, to extend to four years the normal intervals between regular sessions of the Commission, and to introduce Spanish among the Commission's working languages,
1. Approves the following amendments to paragraphs 4 and 5 of the Constitution of the International Rice Commission: 2
“4. The Commission may, by a vote of two-thirds majority of [its membership] the votes cast, provided that such a majority is more than one half of all Members of the Commission, adopt and amend its own Rules of Procedure, which shall be consistent with the General Rules of the Organization. The Rules of the Commission and any amendments thereto shall come into force as from the date of approval by the Director-General of the Organization, subject to confirmation by the Council”
“5. The Director-General of the Organization after consultation with the Chairman, shall convene a regular session of the Commission at least once every [two] four years, unless otherwise directed by a majority of the Members. The site and date of all sessions shall be determined by the Director-General of the Organization in consultation with the Chairman”
2. Confirms the amendments to Rules I, VI and XIII of the Rules of Procedure as adopted by the Commission and reproduced in Appendix D to this Report.
18. The Council heard a report by the Director-General on recent developments in management/ staff relations and noted with satisfaction improvements in this respect. It noted in particular that, upon the unanimous proposal of the Staff Council which had been accepted by the Director-General, two seats would be added to the present 21 Staff Council seats at the next Staff Council election. The two additional representatives, chosen respectively from local and non-local General Service staff in Rome having one year's field or equivalent experience, would represent the staff of these categories working in field locations and at regional offices. The Council, concurring with the view expressed by the Director-General in his report, stressed the importance of harmonious management/staff relations for the efficient performance of the Organization's work.
1 CL 62/2, CL 62/PV/2
2 Deletions in square brackets [ ], additions underlined.
3 CL 62/PV/2
19. The Council decided that its Sixty-Third Session should be convened in Rome in the second half of November 1974.
