LIST OF DECISIONS, DIRECTIVES AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE COUNCIL

State of Food and Agriculture 1986

Urged that FAO contribute to the Multilateral Trade Negotiations where they impinged on agricultural trade and welcomed the initiatives of the Director-General to commit FAO to provide information and statistics that I could be required to further the discussions (para. 15)

Called on the international community to support efforts being made to enable IFAD to continue its useful role on a secure and stable financial basis (para. 17)

Urged that domestic agricultural policies of developing countries take into account the balance needed between food crop production to sustain self-sufficiency objectives, export crop production to earn foreign exchange, and promotion of indigenous products (para. 21)

Supported the domestic policy reforms that underlined the commitment of African leaders to give priority to agriculture (para. 22)

Called upon donors to step up their support for triangular transactions in Africa as a form of food aid whereby the surpluses of developing I countries could relieve the needs of nearby deficit countries (para. 22)

Commended the Director-General’s initiative in undertaking the study “African Agriculture: The Next 25 Years” and urged that a similar study focusing on the agricultural problems in the Latin America and Caribbean I region, requested at the Nineteenth FAO Regional Conference (August 1986), I be implemented with a view to developing an action plan for the region, whose economic situation had deteriorated considerably (para. 23)

Expressed its deep concern about the destabilizing actions of the regime of South Africa, which were adversely affecting agricultural planning and production and the economic progress of many neighbouring countries, and requested the international community to assist and support the economic and social development of such adversely affected countries wherever necessary (para. 24)

Urged that national and regional organizations be strengthened to counter the threat posed by grasshoppers and locusts, and other pests such as army worm and quelea quelea (para. 25)

Adopted Resolution 1/90 on Migratory Pest Control (para. 25)

Called for more attention to be given to the forestry sector in SOFA (para. 27)

Urged the setting of internationally-agreed standards regarding the radio-nuclide contamination of food (para. 28)

Report of the Eleventh Session of the Committee on World Food Security ( Rome , 9-16 April 1986)

Endorsed the conclusions and recommendations of the report of the Eleventh Session of the Committee on World Food Security (para. 30) I

Urged that all appropriate measures be taken to improve access to food by the poor (para. 32)

Recommended that all countries consider action to improve the intern-national economic and trading environment so as to permit greater reliance on trade for strengthening food security (para. 35)

Recommended that efforts be made to exploit opportunities for trade expansion among developing countries, particularly in food commodities like rice, pulses, vegetable oils and coarse grains, by reducing trade barriers and other constraints and, within the framework of mutual cooperation, to improve food security (para. 36)

Urged donor countries to consider increasing their use of triangular transactions to utilize surpluses in some developing countries to meet deficits in some other developing countries (para. 39)

Agreed that the establishment of national preparedness plans was an essential measure at national level to ensure stability of food supplies and to cope with food emergencies and stressed the need for training people to cope with food emergencies, and for cooperation between FAO, other international organizations and donors, in providing technical and financial assistance to developing countries in this field (para. 42)

Report of the Eighth Session of the Committee on Forestry (Rome, 21-25 April 1986)

Endorsed the report of the Eighth Session of the Committee on Forestry and agreed that the highest possible emphasis should be given to forestry, both in the Regular Programme and the Field Programme, in view of the need to protect and conserve forests in the tropical and temperate regions, to control desertification and to combat the harmful effects of atmospheric pollution (para. 44)

Agreed that the FAO Conference in 1987 would be the appropriate forum in which to discuss the follow-up to the International Conference on Trees and Forests (SILVA), which had been held in in February 1986 (para. 47)

Fully supported the Tropical Forestry Action Plan, adopted by the Committee on Forest Development in the Tropics, and approved by COFO (para. 48)

Welcomed the establishment of the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) and strongly supported the fullest cooperation by FAO to ensure the complementarity of the activities of the two organizations (para. 51)

World Food Programme:

- Eleventh Annual Report of the Committee on Food Aid Policies and Programmes of the UN/FAO World Food Programme

Urged that the donors who had not yet pledged contributions should do so, in order to meet the target for 1987-88, keeping in view the need for enhanced cash resources for the Programme (para. 62)

- Election of Five Members of the Committee on Food Aid Policies and Programmes

Elected Australia , Bangladesh , Canada , Saudi Arabia (Kingdom of), and United States of America to the Committee on Food Aid Policies and Programmes for a term of office of three years ( 1 January 1987 to 31 December 1989 ) (para. 69)

Recent Developments in the United Nations System of Interest to FAO

- Review of Recent Developments

Fully supported the activities of the Organization in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) on health (para. 73)

Made an appeal to donors, and particularly to the industrialized countries, to help IFAD attain its US$300 million target for the IFAD Special Programme for Sub-Saharan Africa (para. 74)

Urged that more attention be devoted to ECDC/TCDC (Economic Cooperation between Developing Countries/Technical Cooperation among Developing Countries) (pare. 76)

Agreed to provide in 1987 for consideration by ECOSOC the views and comments of the governing bodies of FAO on the implementation of Resolution 1986/74, entitled “Policy Review of Operational Activities for Development”. (para. 78)

- Follow-up of UN General Assembly Special Session on the Critical Economic Situation in Africa

Agreed with the conclusions of FAO’s in-depth study “African Agriculture: The Next 25 Years”, on the need for agriculture to receive priority in national planning; on the importance of strengthening the four “i’s” of agricultural development; on the need for conservation-based development strategies; and on the importance of improvements in the international economic environment (para. 84)

Endorsed the Fourteenth FAO Regional Conference for Africa ’s proposal that the Director-General carry out a feasibility study on expanding aid-in-kind (para. 88)

Urged that the study be launched immediately so that a progress report I could be submitted to the Council in June 1987, and a final report to I the FAO Conference for decision in November 1987 (para 89)

Decided that the study should initially focus on Africa , but thought should subsequently be given to extending it to other regions (para. 89)

Progress Report on World Food Day Activities

Reiterated its support for FAO’s initiative in selecting every year an overall theme and focus for World Food Day observances and welcomed the Director-General’s decision to choose “The Small Farmers” as the theme for 1987 (para. 92)

Requested the Director-General to continue the Secretariat’s effective support to the observance of World Food Day in the future within the available resources (para. 93)

Reports of the Fiftieth and Fifty-first Sessions of the Programme Committee ( Rome , 5-15 May 1986 and 22 September-1 October 1986

- Review of Programmes

Approved a number of general priorities identified by the Programme Committee which should, to the extent applicable, guide the design of FAO technical and economic programmes and the selection of means of action (para. 98)

Endorsed the views of the Programme Committee on a number of specific activities and other programme areas covered in the review (para. 99)

- Transparency of FAO’s activities

Agreed with the view of the Programme Committee that representatives of Member Nations could seek directly from the Secretariat any further information they might need for a better understanding of FAO activities, recognizing that additional costs could be involved in the general and systematic provision of supplementary information (para. 104)

- Financial Matters

- Financial Position of the Organization

(c) Contributions in Arrears

Urged all Member Nations with outstanding arrears of contributions to make every possible effort to remit these long overdue amounts as soon as possible (para. 118)

- Budgetary and Cash Flow Forecast Relating to the Programme of Work and Budget for 1986-87

Stressed that it was a basic obligation of all Member Nations to pay their contribution to the Regular Budget promptly and in full, as required by the FAO Constitution, and urged all members not to abdicate from their international treaty obligations (para. 127)

Made a strong appeal to the government of the main contributor country to see its way to reversing the effects of the legislation and finding the necessary means, as early as possible, to honour the payment of its assessed-contributions, and also appealed to all other Member Nations to settle without delay any arrears in their contribributions and to endeavour to effect future payments as expeditiously as possible (para. 128)

Agreed with the Director-General that programme adjustments could not be avoided and supported the approach adopted, which was aimed at some sacrifice in those programme areas where reductions were possible, but, at the same time safeguarded the most essential aspects. of FAO’s programme (para. 130)

Endorsed the Director-General’s proposals as contained in Appendix A of the document (CL 90/23) amounting to US 16.4 million (para. 131)

Agreed that the Director-General needed to be accorded maximum flexibility in the application of the package of programme adjustments (para. 137)

Agreed that any further corrective action outside the ambit of programme adjustments should be guided both by the parameters of the liquidity problem as it evolved, and the adequacy and expediency of mechanisms provided for in FAO’s financial regulations (para. 139)

Agreed that it would, itself, need to review developments further in 1987 (para. 147)

- Alternative Approaches to Dealing with Budgetary and Financial Uncertainties

Agreed that the Finance Committee in December 1986 should consider the subject in the light of the Council debate (para. 152)

- Audited Accounts

(a) Regular Programme 1984-85

(b) United Nations Development Programme 1984-85

(c) World Food Programme 1984-85

Agreed with the External Auditor’s suggestions for improvements in inventory control and noted that the Director-General was implementing I these recommendations (para. 159)

Endorsed the Finance Committee’s recommendation and agreed to forward a draft resolution on Audited Accounts to the Conference for adoption (para. 161)

- Actuarial Review of the Separation Payments Scheme

Endorsed the Finance Committee’s recommendations for ensuring long-term full coverage of the Separation Payments liabilities for all programmes and recommended the adoption of a uniform funding rate of eight percent (para. 163)

Concurred with the Finance Committee’s suggestion that a further Actuarial Review of the Fund be made in four years’ time and that an interim report be prepared after two years, in 1988 (para. 164)

Personnel Matters

- Composition of the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Board

Approved six conclusions with respect to the size and composition of the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Board (para. 166)

Agreed that the conclusions be conveyed to the UN General Assembly through the Pension Board (para. 167)

- Conditions of Employment (Support for Staff with I Disabled Dependants

Approved the proposed amendments to Staff Regulations 301.0333 and 301.0334 with effect from 1 January 1986 (para. 169)

Revised Calendar of 1986-87 Sessions of the Council and of Those Bodies which Report to the Council

Approved the revised Calendar of Sessions for 1986-87 of the Council and of those Bodies which report to it, as given in Appendix G to this report (para. 172)

Report of the Forty-eighth Session of the Committee on Constitutional and Legal Matters ( Rome , 29’ September - 1 October 1986

- Procedure for Election of Chairmen and Members of the Programme and Finance Committees

Decided that, in the light of the opinions which had been expressed during the Council debate, the CCLM should examine in depth the outcome of the debate and especially the implications of Alternative 3 in paragraph 27 of the CCLM’s Report, and report its recommendations to the Council, which would examine the question further at its Ninety-first Session (para. 178)

Other Constitutional and Legal Matters

Date for Nominations to the Office of Director-General

Decided that nominations to the Office of Director-General should be communicated to the Secretary-General of the Conference at the latest by 3 April 1987 at 17.30 hours, and that such nominations should be circulated by the Secretary-General to all Member Nations of the Organization by 27 April 1987 (para. 180)

- Amendments of Statutes of the Committee on Forest Development in the Tropics

Adopted Resolution 2/90 on the Membership of the Committee on Forest Development in the Tropics (para. 182)

- Amendments to the Agreement for the Establishment of a Regional Animal Production and Health Commission for Asia, the Far East and the South-West Pacific

Decided to approve the amendments to the Agreement and adopted I Resolution 3/90 on the Amendments to the Agreement for the Establishment of a Regional Animal Production and Health Commission for Asia, the Far East and the South-West Pacific (para. 185)

- Abolition of the Regional Commission on Farm Management for Asia and the Far East

Agreed to defer any decision regarding the abolition of the Commission on Farm Management until it had received a report from the Nineteenth Regional Conference for Asia and the Pacific on the performance of the Commission in the intervening period (para. 188)

Invitations to Non-Member Nations to Attend FAO Sessions

Approved the participation of USSR in the present Council Session (para. 189)

Agreed to the request of the USSR to attend as an observer the Ninth Session of the Indian Ocean Fishery Commission (IOFC) Committee for the Management of Indian Ocean Tuna (Colombo, Sri Lanka, 9-12 December 1986); the Twenty-second Session of the Indo-Pacific Fishery Commission (IPFC) and the Fifth Session of the IPFC Standing Committee on Resource Research and Development (Darwin, Australia, 16-26 February 1987) (para. 190)

Agreed to the Director-General’s proposal to invite the German Democratic Republic and the USSR to attend as observers the Second Session of the Commission on Plant Genetic Resources ( Rome , 16-20 March 1987 (para. 191)

Date and Place of the Ninety-first Session of the Council

Decided that its Ninety-first Session should be convened in Rome from 15 to 26 June 1987 (para. 195)