Report of the Fourth Session of the Commission on Fertilizers
Agreed that the Commission be placed on a permanent basis, provision being made for annual meetings or more frequently if so required, and adequate resources being made available for carrying out its work (para. 11).
Requested the Secretariat further to improve its information system and its methodology for forecasting demand, supply and price developments (para. 12).
Requested the Secretariat to continue its work of assessing fertilizer needs to meet the agricultural and food production targets of the developing countries (para. 12).
Agreed that the Commission continue its study of investment and production costs (par a. 13).
Agreed that the Commission should continue to develop proposals such as the Iran proposal, long-term contracts and the option proposal, without prejudice to other proposals that might emerge (para. 13).
Requested the Director-General to complete the option arrangements in cooperation with the interested parties (para. 14).
Endorsed the closer relationship between the IFS, the Fertilizer Programme and the other fertilizer activities of FAO as recommended by the Director-General (para. 15).
Agreed that IFS activities should be continued and strengthened during the next biennium, with special reference to MSA countries (para. 16).
Appealed to donor countries to increase their contributions to the Scheme (para. 17).
Urged the development of joint programmes in the field of fertilizers between FAO, UNIDO and the World Bank (para. 18).
Approved the revised terms of reference of the Commission and accordingly adopted Resolution 1/72 (para. 19)
Adopted Resolution 2/72 on target for WFP pledges for the period 1979–80 contai ning a draft Resolution for the Conference (para. 21).
Agreed that it was necessary to urge all donors to announce their pledges at the following pledging conference in 1978 (para. 22).
Approved the revised General Regulations of WFP, and the interpretative statement on paragraph 14 thereof (para. 24).
Noted with satisfaction the decision of the CFA to increase the Annual Allocation for Emergency Assistance for $40 to $45 million in both 1977 and 1978 (para. 28).
Noted with concern that the UNDP resources crisis continued to have severe effects on the Organization's Field Programme (para. 32).
Urged that, in the relations with UNDP, reimbursement arrangements be arrived at which would ensure stability in the forward planning for an effective use of all resources available to the Organization (para. 33).
Felt that the present formula of reimbursements being calculated at a rate of 14 percent on delivery should be maintained, also as a tangible reflection of partnership in an equitable burden sharing between UNDP and the Agencies (para. 33).
Reiterated that the roles of UNDP and the Agencies on technical assistance were complementary and that funding by UNDP should not preclude effective utilization of other funding channels (para. 34).
Agreed that JIU could contribute by facilitating the exchange of information about evaluation practices in the system and by undertaking external evaluation of programmes and projects on a selective basis (para. 35).
Agreed with the reservations expressed by the Director-General and the Programme and Finance Committees about the proposed "advising and overseeing" role of the Unit in respect of internal evaluation (para. 36).
Felt that each organization should develop its own system of evaluation, a system which was flexible and pragmatic and adapted to its own particular needs (para. 36).
Agreed with the Director-General and the Programme and Finance Committees that the partici-pation of the Organization in any centralized system of recruitment which might be introduced should be on a fee-for-service basis (para. 38).
Agreed with the recommendation of the Finance Committee with respect to this report, i.e. that no change should be made in the Organization's policies and practices with regard to first-class travel (para. 39).
Confirmed its support of the purposes and objectives of the Joint Inspection Unit and welcomed the intention of the Director-General to participate fully in its work (para. 43).
Was of the opinion that after the acceptance of the new Statute of JIU by the Conference, the Secretariat should establish close working relations with the Unit, offer as appropriate suggestions with respect to its work programme, and assist, insofar as possible, in improving the services which it rendered to the Organization (para. 43).
Approved the proposed revised budget level of $211.35 million at lire 879 (para. 52).
Recommended a draft Resolution for the Conference on budgetary appropriations 1978–79 (para. 53).
Requested the active participation of all Member Nations in AGRIS (para. 56).
Emphasized the need for developing countries to receive technical assistance for the training of documentation staff, so as to permit adequate participation in this information system and optimum utilization of its products for the benefit of their national users (para. 57).
Recommended a more complete coverage from some developed countries, improvement of th e methodology and subject categorization for access to the information covered by AGRINDEX, and the progressive evolution of AGRIS towards the provision of specialized selective information services (para. 58).
Endorsed in general the recommendations of the Programme and Finance Committees that the programme should be geared to cater for mature and experienced trainees in future (who should be nominated through governmental channels), and that the total training period be reduced from 11 to six months, and that practical and substantive aspects of the technical training be more emphasized (para. 59).
Concurred in the recommendation of the Programme Committee that this exercise should continue on a regular and systematic basis (para. 60).
Agreed that the form and content of future reviews should continue as in the current biennium and indicated appropriate structure and timing, subject to any revision which the Committee might wish to recommend (para. 61).
Agreed that in addition to the programme areas indicated in para. 61, the Committee should continue to review such matters as might be suggested by the Director-General, the Council or the Committee itself (para. 62).
Agreed with the assessment of the Programme Committee that the Reviewed Field Programmes 1976–77 had reached a better standard of presentation than in the previous two biennia (para. 63).
Felt that in the matter of training, special emphasis should be given to the training of women (para. 63).
Supported the manner in which the Technical Cooperation Programme had enabled FAO to assist the developing countries in solving critical problems directly and more expeditiously (para. 65).
Agreed that harmonization of medium-term planning in the United Nations family of org aniz-ations was a desirable objective to the extent that it was practicable and feasible and was not pursued solely for the sake of coordination at any cost (para. 66).
Agreed to transmit to the Conference a draft Resolution on a Special Fund for Prevention of Food Losses (para. 73) .
Agreed that the projected additional programme requirements identified by APHCA for the biennium were necessary and agreed to the proposed budget identified by APHCA, the additional FAO costs being met from savings (paras. 74 and 75).
(i) Status of Contributions
Suggested that the Conference might wish to appeal to Member Nations to make adjustments, as necessary, to their appropriation patterns so that the Organization might receive contri-butions when due (para. 80).
–Audited Accounts
(i) United Nations Development Programme 1976
Endorsed the External Auditor's recommendation that all possible steps be taken to ensure that field projects are based on realistic assessments of what is possible in the light of existing constraints (para. 87).
(iii) Submission of Audited Accounts to the Conference
Recommended a draft Resolution for the Conference on Audited Accounts (para. 89).
(iv) Regular Programme - Interim Accounts for 1976
Concurred that financial control should be improved (para. 90).
Strongly endorsed the recommendation of the Finance Committee that the principles of compe-tition should be respected and that contracts and purchases without competition should be kept to the unavoidable minimum (para. 90).
Concurred that formal procedures should be established to ensure that management consultant advice was properly acted upon and that those recommendations that are accepted are promptly implemented (para. 91).
Transmitted to the Conference for adoption a draft Resolution on Amendments to the Financial Regulations (para. 94).
Agreed to certain between-Chapter transfers in 1977 (para.96).
Agreed that the emoluments of the Director-General as well as his representation allowance should be brought in line with those of Executive Heads of other agencies (paras 97 and 98) .
Recommended a draft Resolution for the Conference on the Emoluments of the Director-General (para. 99)
Concurred that any increases in rents now being paid for buildings F and G should be oppesed if such increases could be avoided within existing Italian legislation (para. 100).
Agreed to recommend for consideration by the Conference a revised text on the composition and Terms of Reference of the Programme and Finance Committee (para. 103).
Decided that since there had not been enough time for a full discussion of the complex questions involved, the draft amendments to Rules XXVI and XXVII GRO as recommended by the CCLM, and contained in Appendix F to this Report, should be referred to the Conference for consideration at its forthcoming session, together with the observations made during the deliberations of the Council (para. 113).
Agreed with CCLM that, in view of the limited scope which might be attributed to Rule XXXVII.4 (GRO) as worded at present, the practice followed by FAO did not have as solid a legal basis as was desirable (para. 116).
Concluded that there were grounds for extending the scope of Rule XXXVII.4 (GRO) to all meetings convened by FAO, and accordingly proposed a draft Resolution for adoption by the Conference (para. 117).
Agreed with the provisions of the draft Supplementary Arrangement which the Director- General had negotiated and which had been endorsed by the CCLM (paras 120 - 122).
Concluded that the words "reimburse FAO for all direct and all additional indirect costs" should be used in the Agreement between FAO and IFAD (para. 128)
Observed that all reimbursements would be based on specific agreements to be concluded between the parties (para. 129).
Endorsed the recommendations of the CCLM that the FAO Secretariat be authorized to agree with the Secretariat of IFAD on the final French and Spanish texts of the draft Agreement (para. 130).
Adopted Resolution 3/72 on Agreement Between the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (para. 131).
Endorsed the recommendation made by the CCLM and adopted Resolution 4/72 on amendments to the Agreement for the Establishment of the Indo-Pacific Fisheries Council (IPFC) (para. 135).
Agreed with the opinion of the CCLM that it would be necessary for the Conference to determine whether or not the proposed amendments involved new obligations (para. 138).
Decided to transmit the proposed amendments to the Conference for its consideration and decision as appropriate (para. 140).
Endorsed the amendments adopted by the European Commission for the Control of Foot-and-Mouth Disease and by the Desert Locust Control Commissions for the Near East, for North-West Africa and for South-West Asia and consequently adopted Resolution 5/72 on Amendments to Agreements concluded under Article XIV of the Constitution (para. 145).
Decided that its Seventy-Third Session would be convened in Rome on Friday, 2 December 1977 or on Thursday, 1 December 1977 if the Conference were to conclude its work in time to permit this (para. 149).
