CHAIRMAN: I am quite sure the Director-General will take note of this.
Shall we now proceed with the voting? We will have as tellers Cape Verde, Ireland, Sweden, and Zambia, if they will be good enough to serve again as tellers.
VOTE
VOTE
VOTACION
The meeting was suspended from 15.50 hours to 16.20 hours
La séance est suspendue de 15 h 50 à 16 h 20
Se suspende la sesión de las 15.50 a las 16.20 horas
CHAIRMAN: I think this brings us to the finalization of the composition of the different Committees. I would again try to recapitulate the composition of the Finance Committee: Sri Lanka Mr. Abeyagoonasekera, Chairman, Guinea, Panama, Peru, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Australia, Canada and Greece. I would like to congratulate the members and wish them a successful term. I also wish to thank the other countries who were good enough to offer to help this Committee.
D.J. ABEYAGOONASEKERA (Chairman, Finance Committee): With your kind permission I take the floor to make a statement as the newly elected Chairman of the Finance Committee.
The Finance Committee has a major responsibility of advising the Council on the financial implications of the Programme of Work and Budget of this Organization. It consists of a team of members, not only to reflect the geographical basis of representation, but also to include individuals with proven experience and knowledge to undertake this responsibility.
I have had the benefit of attending the meetings chaired by the outgoing Chairman, Mr. Bel Hadj Amor, the Permanent Representative of Tunisia to FAO who has served nearly six years as Chairman, as well as Vice-Chairman, of this Committee. I must say seldom have I, or for that matter any other member of the Committee, any cause for regret for having served on a Committee chaired by him. In him we have a capable, efficient, hard-working and dedicated Chairman who was able to inspire and mould us into the cast of financial analysts in a short time, which enabled the Finance Committee to perform the duties diligently and with great responsibility. As a newcomer to the Committee I saw for myself the great insight and knowledge he has in this Organization. He was at times ruthless in his search for details which he needed from the Secretariat for the justification of programmes and proposals which he repeated to us. He never took anything for granted but always accepted them after careful scrutiny and only after having given the members of the Committee the opportunity to air their views. The members of the Secretariat, I would say, were inspired by his clear thinking and his incisive analysis of things. It is this trait in his manner of conducting business in the Committee which won him respect and admiration. I have no doubt that members of the Secretariat will share my views.
It would be a pity if Mr. Bel Hadj Ampris to sever connections with the FAO on leaving the Finance Committee. I do hope that this will not be the case. Even if he is unable to join us directly I do hope sincerely he will try to be with us as often as possible.
As the new Chairman the undertaking I have given to perform my task to your satisfaction requires your advice, assistance and guidance. I am positive that this will be given ungrudgingly.
May I also take this opportunity to thank sincerely the outgoing members of this Committee for their valuable services rendered to us during their tenure of office.
I also welcome the new members who are joining the team and earnestly request them to cooperate and to give assistance to perform the onorous duties entrusted to this Committee to the satisfaction of this Council.
M. TRKULJA (Yugoslavia): I wish first to associate myself fully with my dear friend and colleague, the Chairman of the Finance Committee on what he said about Bel Hadj Amor who Chaired the Finance Committee really outstandingly.
There is another small point which is related to the membership in both committees. We are all aware, of course, all the members now elected represent countries first, but they are elected as persons as well. In the light of the last experience you may wish even to consider a suggestion I am going to make to the effect that Council may wish to recommend the governments to allow, if possible, regionally elected members to finish their term of office and be replaced only if it is really necessary.
I think the Council is to be congratulated for the excellent selection of able members in each of the Committees but also the choice of the Council was influenced very much with the capacity of each candidate and if it is possible for the Council to make a suggestion to governments, to make every effort to allow regionally elected members to continue their term of office, I think it would be only desirable. •
CHAIRMAN: I would personally also endorse the suggestion that if, as far as possible, governments could help in nominating the same person for the two-year period it would help the work of the Committees.
With this we come to the close of the Eighty-first Session, and I want to thank every one of you, members of the Council, Observers, and others for your cooperation in getting through the Agenda on time. We are grateful to the Director-General and his staff for the excellent arrangements made for the meeting and for the presence of the Director-General throughout the day.
I also want to thank, on behalf of the members of the Council, all those connected with today's meeting, the messengers, the interpreters, and all others who have been most helpful.
Since the next meeting will be about a year ahead, the 22nd of November, you have approved just now the programme, which indicates the Eighty-second Session will be from the 22nd of November 1982 to the third of December 1982, but of course, the Council members will meet a year from now but members of the Programme and Finance Committee will be meeting any time and we are certainly entering the season next month, December, which is usually associated with a season of universal peace and good will and I hope that this atmosphere of December so soon after the Conference will try to create a climate extra favourable for the work of the Director-General and his staff.
I would like to wish everyone who celebrates Christmas, a Merry Christmas, and all the members of the Council, Observers, the Staff, and FAO, everyone concerned, a very Happy New Year. With this the Eighty-first Session of the Council comes to an end.
The meeting rose at 16.30 hours.
La séance est levée à 16 h 30.
Se levanta la sesión a las 16.30 horas.
