CHAIRMAN: The various documents which you will have to consult are indicated in the Order of the Day. I would only like to briefly remind Council Members that at our 83rd Session held in June this year we concluded as indicated in the Report of the meeting, and I would like to quote "The Council reached a consensus in which it fully supported the Director-General's approach and his choice of priorities, and unanimously requested him to prepare the full Programme of Work and Budget for 1984-85 on the basis of the proposals he had submitted in the Summary Programme of Work and Budget".
We are now considering the full Programme. The Programme Committee and Finance Committee considered these documents in great detail and I had the privilege of attending part of their meeting. I would like to thank and express gratitude to them and to the members of the Programme and Finance Committees and officers of FAO for the very great detail in which they were able to examine these documents; you will hear the report of the Chairman of the Programme Committee as well as the Chairman of the Finance Committee on the deliberations of these two committees.
M. TRKULJA (Chairman, Programme Committee): First of all I am grateful to you, Mr. Chairman, for quoting the consensus reached by the Council in June and I think in the light of the consensus, I would report first on behalf of the two committees and then perhaps on behalf of the Programme Committee.
Speaking on behalf of the two committees now, I shall not remind the Council of the documents concerned. I think the Council is fully aware of the documents. First of all regarding the format of the Programme of Work and Budget document, we felt the Director-General fully followed the suggestions made by the committees and the Council and we indeed felt that the changes in format have proved to be very useful; I am referring in particular to the insertion of the Medium-Term Objectives into the Programme of Work and Budget.
The Committee also expressed its satisfaction with regard to the much improved presentation of the material in the document and we feel the document for the next biennium is really very comprehensive and indicating clearly not necessarily only objectives and an overall approach but in detail methods that the FAO Secretariat would apply in implementing the objectives proposed. The committees fully agreed with the Director-General's assessment of the world food and agriculture situation as. contained in the introduction to the Programme of Work and Budget. We fully shared his perception of the continued and increasing requirements of developing countries, particularly in times of deep economic crisis. The Committees quite naturally realized that the efforts of developing countries were severely hampered by the current shortages of very much needed external resources for development and stressed concern again with regard to the level of the official development assistance and, in that context, in particular with regard to the downward trend in extra-budgetary resources available to FAO. The committees reiterated their full endorsement of the strategies and priorities proposed by the Director-General for the next biennium. We felt that the Director-General had really fully followed the recommendations of the Council, the Council's standing committees, regional conferences, the messages coming from the UN system, in particular those recommended by the General Assembly. And on the whole we felt that his choice was, given all circumstances, really fully worthy of our approval.
The committees in particular appreciated the judgment of the Director-General and indeed his efforts to reconcile on the one hand the increasing needs of developing countries and on the other the difficult situation that now prevails in all countries, and in particular in developing countries, with regard to their capacity to meet their foreign obligations. Again we reiterate our position from our last session and we commend the Director-General for being able to propose a quite appreciable real-term growth of basic FAO programmes, an increase of 3.6 percent. This was possible by further cuts in administrative and support services.
The committees in conclusion fully agreed to recommend to the Council to give its full support to the Director-General's proposed Programme of Work and Budget for the next biennium and we expressed a sincere hope that the same sentiment of consensus would prevail in the Conference. We felt that this would be a very encouraging message to the international community.
Now very briefly on one issue: the committees were informed of the action taken by the United States Senate and in particular of the amendment to the State Department Authorization Bill. I am not going to go into detail; the amendment is quoted and it is quite clear. Very briefly it contains three main messages. First that the United States contribution to the United Nations proper and to the four biggest specialized agencies should be immediately reduced to the level of the United States assessed contribution in 1980 and the amount paid in 1980 should be subsequently reduced so that in 1985, 1986 and 1987 the 1980 contribution should be subsequently reduced to 90, 80 and 70 percent respectively.
The third point is that no payment should be made whatever unless the governing bodies of these organizations accept that the US reduced contribution is payment in full of the contributions of the United States. In the very next paragraph you see the first attempt to assess the impact of this decision, if it were allowed to stand, on FAO. It is quite natural that the committees expressed considerable concern with regard to this action but at the same time we realized that it was only the first step in a fairly complicated and long procedure in the United States Senate and administration.
Coming now to the views of the Programme Committee, I shall not repeat what I have said already on the format and the presentation because they are more or less the same - the views in the Committee -as expressed in the joint committees.
Coming now to the introduction and the Programme framework, we started with a recommendation of the Council - it was our point of departure - and in that light we considered the introduction and the Programme framework. We felt that the Director-General's introduction was objective, forthright and factual. There was general support in the Committee with regard to his views of the overall world situation and general policy implications, more or less geared to the FAO's Programme of Work and Budget for the coming biennium. We fully concurred with his views with regard to the world food and agriculture situation, including the immediate prospects. We realized and stressed again uneveness in production and growth in a number of developing countries and whole regions, instabilities - to put it very elegantly - in international commodity trade and persistent shortages of needs of developing countries for resources, especially external resources. We commended the prominence given by the Director-General in his introduction to the issue of world food security, but since this will be a topic for debate in the Council and Conference, I will not go into any detail.
The Committee again reiterated its full support of the strategies and priorities proposed by the Director-General for the next biennium. We felt they were fully in line with the policy guidelines by the Conference and the Council. The Committee was equally satisfied with the means of action proposed by the Director-General to tackle the issues in the next biennium. In that context we in particular emphasized training, investment, support and promotion of technical and economic operations among developing countries as the most prominent components of the Programme of Work and Budget for the next biennium.
As for the Programme framework, we are first of all appreciative of the conciseness and clarity of that part of the document and we paid special attention, as always, to the Special Action Programmes. Here again there is nothing new to be reported to you. The common element in all Special Action Programmes is lack of resources. You will certainly recall that the Programme Committee recommended very strongly to the Council to make an appeal to all potential donors to increase their contributions and thus reverse this unfortunate trend. We are just reiterating again this recommendation.
Coming now to the overall Programme and consequently the budget level, I have to say first that some members of the committees, though fully aware of the difficult and indeed delicate choices that confronted the Director-General in framing his proposals for the next biennium, nevertheless expressed some regret with regard to the low additionality in Regular Programme resources. However, the Committee reiterated its full appreciation that notwithstanding a small net increase of only 0.5 percent the so-called technical activities would increase quite substantially, by as much as 3.6 percent, of course at the expense of a cut in administrative and support services.
I also must say that the Programme Committee - in fact the two committees - expressed very strongly the view that this tendency, i.e. increasing technical programmes at the expense of administrative and support services, should not continue indefinitely. It was possible and we compliment the Director-General for being able to propose this in the next biennium but as I referred to in June, in the Programme Committee we were particularly concerned with the quantity and quality of FAO support services and we felt that this process should not be allowed to continue.
In conclusion, I will just repeat more or less what we concluded in our joint Committee. The Committee recommended the Council to give this full support and hoped very much that the Conference will reach a full unanimity in supporting the Director-General's proposal.
I could not go into detail with programmes, sub-programmes. As you said you spent a whole week with us and you know the Programme Committee very thoroughly reviewed again all programmes and sub-programmes, now with a much broader information base, we took full advantage of all the documents, including two performance reports and our own views expressed in our programme reviewing exercise, and so on and so forth. Of course, I stand ready to clarify any points or answer any questions the Members of the Council may wish me to.
D.H.J. ABEYAGOONASEKERA (Chairman, Finance Committee): In dealing with this item I would like to draw the attention of the Council to Part III of document CL 84/4. You will find there are only ten small paragraphs under this heading in our report. It does not mean insufficient attention was given to this item, rather it is a reflection of the full comprehensive and thorough debate that we had on the Summary Programme of Work and Budget we discussed during the June Session which made it unnecessary to spend more time than required when we discussed the full Programme of Work and Budget.
You will recall that during the last Session of the Council our report of the Fifty-First Session dealt at length on the Summary Programme of Work and Budget for 1984/85 but the Council agreed with the Committee that the Director-General's assessment of the world economic and political situation which formed the background to his proposal and the important role FAO has to play as an international organization dealing with all food and agricultural problems was in conformity with what the Member Nations then assessed as appropriate. It also agreed that there was a need to provide the necessary resources to meet the challenges posed by the world community of nations. At the end of the debate the Council fully endorsed the programmes and strategies proposed by the Director-General. I do not propose to go into these details at this stage as we have covered all this in our June discussion when we endorsed the Summary Programme of Work and Budget. However, since the Committee at its Fifty-Second Session considered the full Programme of Work and Budget a few remarks to reinforce what we said earlier would not be inappropriate.
During the presentation of this item the Secretariat provided further information in the form of additional programmes and charts and provided many points which needed further clarification, particularly in answer to questions on biennialization in cost increases. The Committee was reviewing critically Chapters 1, 5, 6 and 8. The members had every opportunity to seek further information on the contents of these chapters. The written and oral examinations, together with graphs and charts provided on these chapters made our understanding of the cost increases more clear. The Committee was fully satisfied with the answers provided by the Secretariat and was able fully to support the full Programme of Work and Budget.
Before I conclude my comments on the Programme of Work and Budget I wish to draw the attention of the Council to paragraph 3.8 relating to the budget level. The hypothetical budget levels of four different rates are shown here to enable members of the Council to have an idea of what the budget level would be at different rates of exchange. The budget level of $451.6 million is derived from the different rate of exchange between the dollar and the lira which applied at the previous session of the Conference. The rate to be applied for the 1984/85 biennium would be the one that would be adopted by the Conference to be held later this month. The Conference will be provided with the necessary updated information on exchange rates and to enable it to provide an appropriate rate for the biennium. The Director-General therefore made the necessary adjustments in the budget appropriations in the light of the Conference decision.
These are the only comments I have to make on our discussion. If there are any clarifications that Council Members need we will be prepared to answer them.
O. AWOYEMI (Nigeria): First of all I congratulate the Chairmen of both the Programme and Finance Committees for the excellent work they have done in the review of the Programme of Work and Budget 1984/85 and, of course, the medium-term objectives. The Nigerian delegation would like to commend also the Director-General for the quality of presentation of the Programme of Work and Budget and particularly the integration of the medium-term objectives into the main document. The new format which presents the problems of each region, the programmes designed to solve such problems, provide a rational basis for the whole exercise. The annexes, especially annex 2, which summarises the Budget by organizational unit and compares changes in the current biennium with the incoming, put the Programme and Budget in proper perspective. So also does the introduction of the Director-General to the whole document.
Coming to the content of the Programme of Work and Budget itself, my delegation is of the view that due account has been taken of the major problems facing agriculture in most regions of the world and particularly in Africa and that potentially available resources have been spread fairly over the various programmes and sub-programmes. Two areas which recent developments compel us to re-examine are water resources development and conservation, crop and animal pest and disease control. The incidence of drought which pushed many countries of Africa into the club of the food-deficit countries a decade ago is recurring just as signs of recovery were about to be apparent. Starting from last year precipitation has for two years fallen below average in many countries, including Nigeria. The prolonged dry season brought with it extensive destruction of tree crops and forests by fire. Cassava, plantains and grains which were not harvested in time were also destroyed by fire. This year has also witnessed widespread incidence of the cassava mealybug and rinderpest with substantial losses of livestock. The Director-General is already aware of these situations and has already risen to the situation on an emergency basis for which we are very appreciative. However, the plight of millions of farmers in Africa will be improved when the problem of drought is contained through the development and conservation of water resources and the use of short-term duration varieties of seed.
Since the Programme of Work and Budget is still going to be discussed in full during the Conference I would only say at this stage that my delegation is fully in support of the Programme and the level of the Budget and recommend that the draft resolution on page 45 of document C 83/3 be presented to the Conference for adoption. From the report of the Joint Session of the Programme and Finance Committees it would appear that the revenue of the Organization is likely to fall in the years ahead if the largest contributor finally decides to cut back on the contribution as revealed in document CL 84/4. If this Council considers it appropriate a draft resolution could be submitted to the Conference in which the Conference would appeal to the Government of the United States of America not to carry through the proposal to cut back its contribution, not only because of its adverse effect on the programmes of the FAO world wide but also because of the probable band-wagon effect on other major contributors. In addition, the Director-General should continue to explore ways of expanding sources of extra-budgetary funds. Much as we would prefer multilateral sources of funds circumstances may compel the Organization to encourage also bilateral donors.
Finally, I would like to commend the Director-General for the excellent work of the Organization in the area of publications and documentation. The list of publications and documents contained in C 83/3 Supp. 1 provides excellent sources of material for information and training in member countries, and should be circulated as and when they are ready for distribution. I believe some savings could be effected by reducing the number of Conference papers sent to member countries. Sometimes twenty copies of the same document are sent where a few would suffice.
N. DIMITRIU (Roumanie): La delegation roumaine a examiné attentivement le projet de Programme de travail et budget de la FAO pour la période 1984/1985 parce qu'il synthétise les directions d'action et d'assistance technique de notre organisation pour le suivant biennium. En ce qui concerne ce document, la délégation roumaine désire soumettre à votre attention quelques considérations se basant sur l'étude des documents élaborés par le Secrétariat.
Dès le début nous aimerions souligner que l'esprit et la conception dans lesquels a été élaboré le projet de Programme de travail et budget correspondent aux tâches qui incombent à la FAO dans le cadre de la troisième Décennie des Nations Unies pour le développement concernant la promotion de la production vivrière dans le but d'accroître la sécurité alimentaire de la population mondiale.
Il est nécessaire de mettre en évidence et d'appuyer aussi à l'avenir la contribution de notre organisation à l'assurance de la sécurité alimentaire mondiale. La récente Conférence du Club de Rome qui s'est tenue à Budapest à la fin du mois de septembre 1983, lors de laquelle la FAO a apporté une contribution méritoire, a démontré d'une façon très claire que la perspective selon laquelle notre planète serait habitée par 6 milliards d'habitants pose des problèmes très importants du point de vue alimentaire et que l'impératif venant en premier dans l'ordre des priorités est celui de la conversion de la production des armes en production alimentaire.
La FAO doit jouer un rôle actif dans ce domaine tout en mettant au premier plan de ses activités futures la permanence des préoccupations en vue d'accroître la production alimentaire et la garantie de la sécurité alimentaire mondiale.
Les priorités choisies dans le Programme de travail représentent les domaines d'action les plus importants vers lesquels on doit concentrer les efforts de l'organisation pour les deux années à venir en vue d'assurer l'assurance technique nécessaire au développement de la production alimentaire et à la solution des problèmes alimentaires et agricoles avec lesquels se confrontent les pays en voie de développement.
Il nous fait plaisir aussi de relever la préoccupation du Directeur général de rationaliser de façon permanente les activités de l'organisation, de diminuer les coûts de l'administration et d'accroître l'efficacité de l'organisation. Cette préoccupation est reflétée d'une façon évidente dans les propositions présentées, propositions qui nous donnent l'espoir d'augmenter l'efficacité des actions de l'organisation.
Le remaniement majeur des priorités du Programme, l'écartement des activités moins importantes et surtout la convergence des efforts matériels, financiers et humains centrés sur les programmes techniques et économiques qui vont jouir d'un supplément important de ressources pour l'exercice prochain représentent une orientation saine répondant aux intérêts des pays membres et surtout aux intérêts des pays en développement.
Nous retenons que les propositions faites par le Directeur général concernant le Programme de travail et budget de l'organisation pour les deux années, représentant une contribution positive au renversement du rôle de notre organisation dans l'ensemble des efforts internationaux pour le développement de la coopération économique, technique et scientifique en vue de promouvoir un esprit de coopération internationale et de paix, constituent en même temps une contribution à l'instauration du nouvel ordre économique international.
La délégation roumaine est d'accord avec le Programme de travail et budget proposé et nous vous demandons la permission d'adresser nos félicitations au Directeur général et à ses collaborateurs pour les efforts déployés en vue de l'élaboration et de la présentation de ces documents.
P. O'DONOGHUE (Ireland): The delegate of Nigeria made all the general remarks that I had intended to make, so I can be very brief. I will just say that we are very gratified with both the contents and the presentation of the Programme of Work and Budget for the coming biennium. We share the general economic assessment on which the Director-General has based his priorities and his strategy for the coming two years.
We would also like in particular to congratulate the Chairmen of the Programme Committee and the Finance Committee. They have done tremendous work and helped to bring about the situation in which we have a very clear-cut document in front of us here now on which to take decisions at the Conference. I would of course also like to congratulate the Director-General and his staff on doing such a good job.
Dra. D. SANCHEZ (Colombia): La delegación de Colombia reitera su más pleno apoyo al Programa de Labores y Presupuesto para 1984-85. Considera nuestra delegación, Sr. Presidente, que este importante documento contiene notables mejoras en su presentación y corresponde a las prioridades definidas de los órganos rectores, así como a una seria y adecuada evaluación de la situación de la alimentación y la agricultura en el mundo. La delegación de Colombia piensa que el Consejo debe destacar ante la Conferencia los esfuerzos realizados por el Director General para presentar un Programa de Labores y Presupuesto equilibrado que representa el mínimo posible.
Apoyamos esta propuesta en el entendido de que en los bienios futuros la FAO deberá contar con todos los recursos necesarios para llevar a cabo sus importantes labores y que no será posible aceptar la imposición del lamentable crecimiento cero. Afortunadamente el Director General actúa con criterio realista y pragmático logrando hacer reducciones en los sectores administrativos para dedicar más recursos a los programas técnicos y económicos. La delegación de Colombia opina que tan acertada actitud de la FAO y la posición transaccional de los representantes de gobiernos que seguimos apoyando más amplios recursos para la FAO deberán merecer la aprobación unánime de la Conferencia y pedimos que así lo solicite este Consejo.
XIANG ZHONGYANG (China): First of all, in the name of the Chinese delegation, I wish to express our appreciation to the Chairmen of the Programme and Finance Committees for their introduction of this agenda item. This year, the Programme of Work and Budget 1984-1985 proposed by the Director-General to be submitted to the 22nd Session of the FAO Conference has been repeatedly discussed at the 83rd Session of the Council as well as at the sessions of its subsidiary committees concerned. We consider that the Programme of Work and Budget, as it stands, reflects in general the viewpoints voiced at the above-mentioned occasions in terms of the objectives and strategies, priorities and the level of budget. In this connexion, we suggest that the Council endorse it for submission to the Conference for in-depth discussions and final approval. Our delegation will in due course offer detailed comments when the question is brought up at the Conference.
A. F. MACHADO de FREITAS (Brazil): As a member of the Programme Committee I have already had the opportunity to express my government's views on the Programme of Work and Budget for 1984-85 and medium-term objectives as contained in the documents now under consideration. This fact allows me now to be very brief.
I wish to reiterate my appreciation of the Director-General's introduction and programme framework and express my delegation's agreement with his analysis and with the conceptual foundation on which he built his proposals. I also agree with the proposed strategies and the priorities which result directly from suggestions and recommendations of other bodies of FAO.
I wish to express the recognition of my delegation for the improvement in the format of the document which now incorporates to each different chapter the texts of the medium-term objectives. The other changes in the traditional presentation of different parts of the document have greatly contributed to an easier reading and understanding of this otherwise complex matter.
With respect to the central question of the overall level of the proposed resources my government fully appreciates the efforts of the Director-General to reduce administrative expenditures so as to be able to allocate a greater proportion of funds to the technical and economic programmes which constitute the core activities of the Organization. The overall result is a proposal with a minimum
net programme increase and at the same time a reasonable expansion in the technical and economic programmes. In times of general financial restrictions and of concrete difficulties faced by an unusual number of Member States this is certainly a remarkable achievement which deserves the respect and approval of the Council.
My delegation has no difficulty in supporting each and every one of the different chapters of document C 83/3. It is particularly pleased with the proposed Chapter 2 which contains the technical and economic programmes. I wish to single out and welcome the changes introduced in paragraph 2.1.4, research and technical development.
My delegation believes that the consolidation of the four existing units into a new research and development division is a correct step in the direction of greater cooperation of FAO with the Member Nations in this fundamental area of the agricultural development in the countries which need to increase their food programmes and agriculture productivity.
In concluding I wish to express the hope that the present proposal may be accepted by the Council so that the activities that FAO has been promoting in compliance with the mandate received from the member countries may fruitfully continue.
T. AHMAD (Pakistan): As in the case of the delegate of Brazil we also, as a member of the Programme Committee, have had an opportunity of reflecting our country's views in depth in the Programme Committee and we also hope to do so during the Conference, so we will restrict ourselves to some general remarks.
The Pakistan delegation wholeheartedly supports the strategies and priorities which have been reflected in this Programme of Work and Budget. Speaking of the format, we appreciate the improvements which have been brought about, particularly the merger of the medium-term objectives, which heightens the efficiency of the document.
We also appreciate that within the document the Programme framework brings out in a very concise and clear manner the whole thrust of the Programme of Work and Budget. We feel it is a great improvement in the presentation and anticipate that this can become a continued part of the Programme of Work and Budget.
We feel that the Director-General's introduction to the document has been most objective and factual and we agree with his assessment of the world situation.
In this connexion we particularly appreciate the emphasis being placed on world security in the Director-General's introduction. We speak of the strategies and priorities and are appreciative of the fact that these reflect the guidance and views expressed in regional conferences and other committees of FAO and the Council. We also appreciate the fact that the Director-General had difficult choices facing him when preparing his proposal for the Programme of Work and Budget and, as the Chairman of the Programme Committee mentioned earlier, Pakistan is one of those countries which regrets the modest additionality of resources as proposed in the Programme of Work and Budget, particularly in view of the fact that the developing countries of the world are going through a very difficult situation and unless there are additional resources for an organization like FAO these problems cannot be solved. We do appreciate that the reserves have been shifted from the general and administration sectors to the technical programmes, and there is a 3.6 percent expansion in the core role of the programme of FAO activities. We appreciate that, but we are again one of those members who caution as far as maintaining or reducing the overhead expenses so far as administration is concerned without affecting the delivery of FAO activities.
In conclusion, we fully support the budget, its level, its priorities and strategies, and we are looking forward to its being approved by consensus in the Conference.
A. BOTHNER (Norway): I would like briefly to comment on this issue, realizing that further debate will take place during the Conference. Firstly, on the question of the level of the budget, I would like to commend the Director-General on his realistic and pragmatic approach, taking into account the present international situation.
For the sake of good order, let me further say that it is not the general policy of the Government of Norway in the UN system to aim at zero growth. Our point of departure is, on the contrary, the needs that the organization in question are charged to take care of on the basis of their constitutions. This also applies to FAO.
With regard to priorities, I would like again at this stage only to give some indications in shorthand terms that do in short reflect some priorities of my government, and I would like at this stage to list them. They are WCARRD, nutrition, the role of women, Africa, food security, fishery development, forestry development and general policy advice. All of these deserve in-depth consideration and will also deserve such discussion next week. I hope at that stage that we will together be able to solve this difficulty and these delicate choices that were referred to this morning by Mr. Trkulja.
M. BENNIS (Maroc): La delegation du Maroc voudrait d'abord féliciter le Président du Comité du Programme et le Président du Comité financier pour le travail précieux que leurs comités respectifs ont entrepris. Nous voudrions féliciter également le Directeur général pour la qualité du document sur le Programme de travail et budget dans sa nouvelle présentation, nouvelle présentation claire et facilement assimilable.
L'examen du Programme de travail et budget de notre Organisation pour le biennium prochain offre à la délégation du Maroc l'occasion non seulement de formuler son sentiment sur les perspectives d'action de la FAO dans le domaine de l'alimentation et de l'agriculture, ainsi que sur le volume des moyens mis en oeuvre pour atteindre ces objectifs, mais cette circonstance nous permet également de nous prononcer sur la manière dont ces moyens peuvent être utilisés.
S'agissant tout d'abord du Programme de travail et budget, il est indéniable que l'analyse claire et objective de la situation mondiale de l'alimentation et de l'agriculture présentée par le Directeur général justifie pleinement les actions d'orientation de la FAO, actions de la FAO notamment en faveur des pays en voie de développement qui demeurent malheureusement confrontés aux tensions économiques et sociales sans cesse croissantes.
Ma délégation se félicite des stratégies et priorités adoptées par le Directeur général en particulier pour l'impulsion nouvelle accordée aux programmes techniques et économiques. Nous relevons également avec non moins d'intérêt l'attention particulière et accrue portée par la FAO aux secteurs de la recherche et de la technologie, qui sont les fondements essentiels de l'amélioration de l'alimentation et de l'agriculture. Comme nous approuvons, M. le Président, et encourageons les efforts que la FAO a entrepris en faveur du développement, et notamment ceux engagés dans les cadres du Programme de coopération technique, guidée dans ses appréciations sur les projets par le critère prioritaire de l'intégration des projets dans les plans d'ensemble de développement économique et social.
En ce qui concerne les moyens à mettre en oeuvre, vus sur le plan quantitatif, l'accroissement quasiment nul du budget de fonctionnement d'une institution comme la FAO pourrait être sinon compensé du moins corrigé par une judicieuse répartition interne des crédits retenus. Tel est, pensons-nous, le cas du budget qui nous est présenté. L'esprit de rigueur et le sens de réalisme qui le caractérisent d'une part, la recherche d'économie par la réduction des coûts administratifs alliée à la croissance des programmes techniques et économiques d'autre part sont, pensons-nous des clefs de base qui augurent d'une bonne efficacité de la FAO.
Dans cet ensemble il est légitime que l'Afrique en particulier puisse aspirer à plus de soutien en vue d'accélérer le processus de son développement. La part et l'attention toujours particulière accordée par la FAO à ce continent sont louables parce que bien méritées.
D'une manière générale, à travers ce Programme de travail et budget apparaissent nettement la clairvoyance, l'adresse et la volonté du Directeur général d'agir efficacement. Nous voulons lui adresser nos vives félicitations et l'assurer de l'appui de notre délégation au Programme de travail et budget qu'il propose pour 1984-85. Nous avons toujours cru, et à juste titre, en l'intérêt de la FAO pour l'amélioration de l'alimentation et de l'agriculture dans le monde, et pour le développement économique et social de nombreuses populations, et nous voulons croire encore en l'utilité d'une telle organisation pour le bien-être de l'homme en général. C'est pourquoi ma délégation rejoint les préoccupations formulées par le Comité du programme et le Comité financier devant les risques de réduction de contribution de certains pays qui peuvent menacer sérieusement l'avenir de la FAO. Nous formulons le souhait que ces pays puissent éviter de s'engager sur cette voie combien néfaste à ceux des hommes qui ont encore besoin du soutien de la communauté internationale. Nous espérons que le sentiment humanitaire l'emportera sur toute autre considération, afin que la FAO poursuive sa noble mission dans des conditions satisfaisantes.
Sra. Doña E.HERAZO de VITI (Panamá): Nuestra delegación considera que el documento del Programa de Labores y Presupuesto para 1984/85 es, en cuanto a estructura y presentación, muy superior al de los dos anteriores bienios.
Por otra parte, en cumplimiento de sus funciones, tanto separadamente como en reuniones conjuntas, los Comités del Programa y Finanzas han realizado una buena labor en torno al análisis del presente Programa de Labores y Presupuesto.
Subrayamos lo expresado por el señor Director General en su excelente introducción al Programa de Labores y Presupuesto, cuando expresa que es tradicional que la mayoría de los estados miembros desarrollados pidan moderación presupuestaria, pero paralelamente se está produciendo un aumento del bilatéralisme frente al multilatemalismo, así como de las limitaciones a las asignaciones para ayuda. Creemos muy valederos los objetivos en los cuales se baso el Director General para formular su propuesta, como lo son el tratar de limitar la carga financiera para los estados miembros, la reducción de puestos de plantillas, así como la realización de transferencias de recursos desde algunos servicios administrativos de apoyo hacia programas técnicos y económicos substanciales, lo mismo que las prioridades a ellos asignadas, tales como el fomento a la investigación y la tecnología, recursos naturales, cultivos, políticas alimentarias y agrícolas, ganadería, pesca y montes.
Este hecho, a nuestro juicio, permitirá en gran parte el logro de los objetivos propuestos, además del logro de economía, eficiencia y una mejor administración de los recursos disponibles.
Con relación al Programa de Cooperación técnica, en verdad no se necesitan más pruebas que las que se han aportado para demostrar la necesidad del mismo por parte de los países en vías de desarrollo.
Sobre las actividades complementarias de la Conferencia Mundial sobre Reforma Agraria y Desarrollo Rural, CMRADR, subrayamos la validez del programa dé acción de esta Conferencia y el impacto que sus orientaciones deben tener por todo este tiempo en los programas de esta Organización.
Consideramos y vemos en los programas de desarrollo rural integrado esfuerzos que si bien son fatigosos y complejos son igualmente positivos para llegar efectivamente a los grupos objetivos de nuestras áreas rurales. Es por esto por lo que apoyamos toda ampliación de las actividades que tiendan a encarar realmente los problemas del desarrollo rural, tanto desde su punto de vista técnico como económico y social.
Y para finalizar, deseamos expresar que en base a estas consideraciones es que la delegación de Panamá se manifiesta dispuesta a apoyar el nivel presupuestario propuesto como el mínimo aceptable y contamos con que este Consejo acoja esta propuesta presupuestaria y la proponga a la próxima Conferencia.
K.C.S. ACHARYA (India): Let me say straight away that we are happy with the Programme of Work and Budget presented to the Council. It is imbued with strategies and priorities which are most salutary and therefore welcome. They are guided by four principle aims: (1) promotion of food production, (2) increase in food security, (3) impact at the field level and (4) enhancing economic and technical cooperation among the developing countries. We support these goals wholly.
The Programme is based not only on an equitable view as to how FAO has fared under the regular as well as field programmes during the last biennium, but also on a futuristic appraisal both in the long term and medium term. The goals which the world as a whole and the individual countries should set before them for the end of the century were kept in view on the basis of the FAO's study "Agriculture Towards 2000". In the medium term a prospective of ten years has been kept in view. It was also noted that the thrust of FAO activities continue to be on the concrete action orientated projects relevant to the needs and aspirations of developing countries.
Mr. Chairman, FAO activities have over the years shown tremendous flexibility and have adjusted themselves to the changing global situations in the field of food and agriculture. Special emphasis has been given to Africa in view of the largest number of food deficit countries in that continent which we fully support.
The support that the Technical Cooperation Programme has received and there is some increase in its allocation over the current biennium, is another welcome feature of the Programme of Work and Budget. These activities play a valuable role in complementing the activities of this Organization through extra-budgetary funds. Further strengthening of special action programmes - and I find they are in twelve fields - gets our full support.
FAO has also started a very fruitful collaboration with the Host Government for the utilization of $500 million development assistance, mostly for Africa. They have to be commended for this.
We have read with some disappointment of the negative trend in the UNDP source of availability for the FAO, and sincerely hope that this trend will be reversed soon. At the same time increase in the trust fund availability has given us satisfaction.
In conclusion we are happy with this Programme of Work and Budget for the biennium 1984/85. My delegation would like to compliment the Director-General for producing this Budget which is balanced, which cuts down the overheads to an appreciable extent, which has a slight developmental growth too, and which continues to focus attention on the problems of the developing and least developed countries in the field of food and agriculture.
My delegation associates itself with the views given by the Director-General in his introductory remarks to the document. Indeed there is no nobler or more compelling aim, as he says, than alleviating hunger and want. It is our sincere hope that this Programme of Work and Budget will prove an effective tool for the betterment of the poor and needy countries and for the common well.
P.S. McLEAN (United Kingdom): As you know, Mr. Chairman, the United Kingdom delegation is rather sparing in the compliments it pays in this forum, hence the sincerity with which I would like to join those who have complimented the Secretariat on the changes in the format of the Programme of Work and Budget as contained in document C 83/3, which not only makes a much more readable document but also gives a far clearer account of the objectives of programmes and sub-programmes, and more importantly of how those objectives will be pursued during the next biennium. As I said, I join very strongly with those who commend this new presentation.
I would also like to reiterate what my delegation said at the last Council in June, that we are mostly grateful to the Director-General for his efforts to limit real growth and improve the efficiency of the Organization, especially in a period when there continue to be competing claims on available development resources and while at the same time the demands for FAO's services are increasing. We are therefore particularly grateful that the increases proposed in the technical and economic programmes have very largely been offset by savings in support and common services.
Concerning the general strategies and priorities as reflected in the Programme for the coming biennium we note that steps have been taken to phase out obsolete activities, and to reassign resources so released to activities which demonstrably have real impact on the problems of food and agriculture in developing countries. This is very much in line with our views on how budgeting in times of financial restraint should be conducted and we hope this process will be reinforced during the coming biennium.
My delegation will wish to comment of course in more detail on certain aspects of the programmes during the Conference, but at this stage I can say that the United Kingdom delegation has no difficulty in endorsing the recommendation of the Joint Session of the Programme and Finance Committees that the Council remits the Programme of Work and Budget for 1984/85 to Conference with its full support.
DATO SERI RADIN SOENARNO (Malaysia): Mr. Chairman, during the last Council session my delegation expressed our general agreement on the proposed Summary Programme of Work and Budget including the strategies and priorities of the Organization for the next biennium. We did so because we felt that the Director-General had taken due consideration of the current difficult world situation and the need for restraint. At the same time the Director-General was faced with a difficult task to respond to the many priority requests from the governments of the developing countries. We felt under these circumstances that the Director-General had prepared a balanced and acceptable proposal for the Council's consideration.
The situation since the last Council has not changed much. The full Programme of Work and Budget now before us generally seems to reflect the discussion we had at that Council. My delegation would therefore like to reiterate our endorsement to the proposed level of the Budget, and the strategies and priorities for the coming biennium for the same reasons that we have supported the Summary Programme of Work and Budget.
Notwithstanding the difficult economic situation the effort to increase food security and to obtain self-sufficiency in food products must continue if we are to avoid the experience of the early 70's. While national governments of developing countries have increasingly undertaken the task to improve the food situation in their countries, FAO being the major international organization dealing with food and agricultural development must also increasingly bear the biggest share in the responsibility to provide all help and assistance to complement and to enhance the efforts of the national governments.
Since increasing food productivity is the principal means for food security, the relevant increase in the technical and economic programmes and those programmes have a direct role in increasing food production over other programmes in agriculture and rural development is essentially correct and acceptable. Similarly the focus on Africa reflects the need to counter the deteriorating situation vis-a-vis food production in that continent. We only hope that effective means will
be developed to match this intent in the hope that target groups will benefit from our efforts. The present unsatisfactory economic situation has affected all countries in the world. Many countries had to undertake drastic structural adjustment, in some cases postponing many of the already on-going projects, while others have to face a concrete cutdown in the development programme.
Unfortunately international agencies on which so many of us are dependent for assistance are not spared either. We wish very much that this is not the case so that these institutions can continue to carry out their task assisting the developing countries, but being so affected, these agencies cannot but take certain measures to re-think and reorganize the strategies and priorities. We are satisfied to note that these measures are fully reflected in the preparation of the Programme of Work and Budget. There have been some cutbacks and there has also been reallocation of resources. These are excellent examples of the Organization's efforts in meeting the challenges and undertaking its ever increasing responsibilities within the limited resources available.
On the basis of the above remarks my delegation would like to express our agreement on the level of budget and the Programme of Work.
M. MOMBOULI (Congo): Au nom de la délégation de notre pays, nous aimerions d'abord adresser nos remerciements et nos félicitations respectivement au Président, pour l'efficacité avec laquelle il dirige nos débats, au Directeur général de la FAO ainsi qu'aux membres du Comité financier et du Comité du programme pour la clarté des documents principaux et leurs annexes.
Nous avons noté que les documents qui nous sont actuellement soumis feront l'objet d'un examen plus approfondi au cours de la Conférence, aussi pour le moment n'allons-nous intervenir que de manière générale.
Nous avons lu avec une attention toute particulière le Programme de travail et budget pour 1984-85, les objectifs à moyen terme de l'Organisation de la FAO ainsi que les rapports distincts et conjoints des Comités financier et du programme. Nous ne sommes pas des spécialistes en matière de budget et de programme et, en pareilles circonstances, la solution est le recours à la consultation des spécialistes qui sont, dans l'état précis, nos deux Comités, le Comité financier et le Comité du programme. Or, des rapports de ces deux comités, il ressort que le Directeur général de la FAO a observé les consignes dégagées par les deux comités spécialisés en vue de l'amélioration de la présentation des documents. Les deux Comités ont approuvé les stragégies et priorités adoptées par le Directeur général, ainsi que la nouvelle impulsion imprimée par lui aux programmes techniques et économiques de l'Organisation et ont recommandé que le Programme de travail et budget pour la période 1984-85 soit appuyé.
Pour ces raisons, qui rencontrent également notre assentiment, nous appuyons sans faille ces deux éléments et invitons toutes les délégations à y adhérer.
Toutefois, nous voulons saisir cette occasion pour dire à l'Assemblée combien nous sommes préoccupés par les réductions croissantes dont font l'objet les programmes et budgets de l'Organisation en raison de tergiversations de certains Etats Membres, soit à verser leurs contributions, soit à les réduire au nom d'une soi-disant fidélité au principe de la croissance zéro, tout à fait inacceptable au regard des besoins de plus en plus croissants des pays en déficit alimentaire toujours plus secoués par la crise économique mondiale.
Notre préoccupation est d'autant plus grande que, nonobstant toutes les allégations présentées, des sommes colossales sont dépensées chaque année pour l'armement qui n'a d'autre issue que la menace de la paix mondiale.
Nous lançons un appel vibrant à tous les contributaires aux ressources de l'Organisation pour qu'au nom de la solidarité internationale, du respect du droit de tous à la nourriture, de plus en plus de fonds soient dégagés au bénéfice de toutes les institutions qui oeuvrent pour lutter contre la faim et la misère dans le monde, en particulier la FAO, le PAM, le FIDA, etc. Sans fonds suffisants, les efforts de ces institutions resteront limités quelles que soient les mesures d'austérité qu'ils pourront envisager, car si l'on insiste trop sur l'austérité leur efficacité pourrait en être affectée.
Une fois de plus, nous appuyons le Programme de travail et budget pour la période 1984-85 présenté par le Directeur général de la FAO.
SJARIFUDIN BAHARSJAH (Indonesia): My delegation has carefully studied the Programme of Work and Budget as made available and presented in this joint session. We found that in this difficult and delicate situation FAO adopted the proper strategies and priorities. In particular we welcome the proposed reallocation of the budget which permits emphasis on the technical and economic programmes.
We also welcome the creation of the united Research and Technology Development Division with the main focus being the application of research results at the national level. We do hope that by doing so the new Division will also help in strengthening the national research establishments.
The Indonesian delegation fully endorses the Programme of Work and Budget for 1984-85 and hopes that the coming Conference will also endorse it. In conclusion my delegation would also like to join the other delegations in congratulating the Director-General and the Chairmen of the Programme and Finance Committees for the content and excellent presentation of the Programme of Work and Budget for 1984-85,
J. MAJCHER (Poland): During the last session of our Council my delegation submitted our observations and comments on the proposed Programme of Work and Budget, endorsing them. This time we should like to limit our intervention to some observations related to the report of the Programme Committee.
First of all I should like to congratulate Mr Trkulja, Chairman of the Programme Committee and Mr Abeyagoonasekera, Chairman of the Finance Committee for their introduction of this tropic of our agenda. We support the Programme Committee in stressing the need for improved functional links between research and extension and its emphasizing the importance of taking into account the socio-economic aspects in research development to ensure the relevance of research results to small farmers. We note with satisfaction and we commend the active FAO involvement in the work of the CGIAR and its support to its technical advisory committee. We were glad to see that the forthcoming regional conferences will be regularly provided with information on the progress made in international agricultural research.
My delegation is in full agreement with the Programme Committee's support to the emphasis given to price statistics and the proposed work on agricultural trade matters, and we fully share the opinion expressed in paragraph 2.1.1.1 that these activities should not be limited to developing countries only. We share the Programme Committee's regret concerning resources to support field programmes, in particular the negative trend in external multilateral resources, mainly UNDP, since this limits field activities. We have noted that in contrast there is an increase in the trust fund activities.
We have also noted that the Programme Committee welcomed this although it was recognized that this fact did not fully compensate for the shortfall in UNDP support. In our opinion it is necessary to underline the difference between UNDP and trust fund financing. The UNDP financing is of a multilateral character providing the recipient countries with the possibility of choice by themselves of purposes to be financed. The trust fund financing is rather of a bilateral character with direct influence of the financing countries on the purposes to be financed. For this reason we are of the opinion that trust fund financing cannot replace the UNDP financing of field activities.
P. GOSSELIN (Canada): As there will be ample opportunity during the Conference to review and comment on the details of the Programme of Work and Budget, we will restrict ourselves to a few general comments. We would, however, not like to let this opportunity pass without expressing our appreciation for the documents that we have before us which we believe go some distance towards achieving the clarity and transparency that we all need to be able to better assess the content and value of these many complex programmes.
In this context we would like to request that future documents contain a clear indication of which activities and programmes are being reduced or phased out to accommodate new initiatives. We are aware of the difficult choices that the budgetary constraints that are reflected in these documents have imposed on the Director-General and his staff in balancing and prioritizing the various programmes. We are fully appreciative of these efforts and endorse the decisions taken and especially those that emphasize the operational programmes at the expense of the administrative support programmes.
Finally, we would like to endorse the recommendations of the Programme and Finance Committees and commend the documents under review to the Conference for approval with our and this Council's support.
Sra. Doña A. CAVERO (España): Queríamos muy brevemente felicitar a los presidentes del Comité del Programa y de Finanzas y al Director General por el documento C 83/3 en su nueva presentación. Apoyamos el programa propuesto y las prioridades adoptadas. Reconocemos los esfuerzos hechos en la reducción de servicios a favor de una mayor efectividad en otros sectores técnicos y operacionales.
Mi delegación considera oportuno que el Consejo remita, con su pleno apoyo, el Programa de Labores y Presupuesto a la Conferencia, donde trataremos en profundidad todos los temas, y donde nos reservamos poder hablar a nivel profundo de cada uno de los apartados del Programa de Labores y Presupuesto.
Para terminar, queremos citar los suplementos 1 y 2 del documento C 83/3 y reconocer el esfuerzo que se está haciendo para alcanzar un mayor equilibrio en el uso de los distintos idiomas de trabajo, a fin de que todos los países recibamos unos servicios iguales de esta Organización.
P.M. AMÜKOA (Kenya): We have very limited time at this Council Session and find it difficult to make all the comments we would have liked to make on the Programme of Work and Budget. We shall therefore make our detailed comments later in the next few weeks during the Conference. For now we support Nigeria, India and many others in their positive comments which they made on the strategies and priorities proposed in the Programme of Work and Budget for 1984-85 and their concern for the limited resources available to FAO in order to carry out the necessary activities. We from Africa are particularly happy to see the focus being placed on our continent, this being the continent with the most serious problems.
In this connexion we fully endorse the current FAO focus on areas such as training in Africa, especially high level manpower development, research, institutional development and development of the delivery systems and other areas that are relevant to us.
While supporting the Director-General's level of the budget and while regretting that this level is very low, my delegation would like to urge for an increase in all FAO's extra-budgetary resources and we would like to appeal to donors very kindly to do so. Lastly we thank the Programme and Finance Committees for the excellent work they did in preparing these reports.
J. BELGRAVE (New Zealand): Firstly, the New Zealand delegation would like to place on record its appreciation of the work both of the Chairmen and of the Members of the Programme and Finance Committees and also for the introduction that was given this morning under the heading of Document CL 84/4. We appreciate also the change in the format provided by the Director-General and his staff since the Eighty-third Session of the Council which is manifested in document C 83/3 that we are now considering. It seems to us that the way the document is now structured does make it much simpler to assess the probable impact of the strategies contained therein. New Zealand feels that the proposals now before us based in the earlier draft Programme of Work and Budget which we considered in June do take very full account indeed of concern expressed as far back as 1981 and subsequently. New Zealand is able to give its general support to its overall strategies and priorities now developed for us in document C 83/3. We will nevertheless reserve our comments on the details of the Programme of Work and Budget for 1984/85 until it is discussed in the forthcoming weeks at the Conference. We agree nevertheless that the approach now before us does amount to a significant shift of resources in favour of the most urgent priorities with the most appropriate means aimed at the highest impact which we believe is the kind of way in which priorities need to be reordered generally in an approach we have taken to budgetary matters in the United Nations system. We are looking forward to being able to discuss positively the Programme of Work and Budget during the forthcoming weeks.
Finally, the New Zealand delegation endorses the recommendation of the Joint Session of the Programme and Finance Committees, the recommendation that this Council supports fully the Director-General's proposed Programme of Work and Budget for 1984/85.
L. ARIZA HIDALGO (Cuba): Nuestra delegación quiere unirse a las felicitaciones expresadas a los Presidentes del Comité del Programa y de Finanzas por su arduo y eficiente trabajo que consideramos conclusivo. Asimismo queremos manifestar nuestro saludo especial al Director General y a la Secre-taría por la calidad y profundidad del Programa de Labores y Presupuesto presentado. En este sentido queremos resaltar calidad y profundidad que deben prevalecer sobre la forma y presentación. Nuestro país apoya en todas sus partes el enfoque y las prioridades que se proponen y consideramos un ejemplo la señalización de los recursos en favor de los programas contra los ilimitados gastos administrativos. El equilibrio razonable en la presentación del Programa, teniendo en cuenta las múltiples solicitudes que tiene la FAO en materia de asistencia técnica, es digno de elogio realmente.
Queremos apoyar también de la misma manera la importancia concedida a las necesidades presentes de países menos adelantados, particularmente Africa. Reiteradamente nuestra delegación ha expresado su preocupación por el porcentaje simbólico del crecimiento real de ese Programa de Labores y Presupuesto 1984-85, el cual creo que se ha dicho unas cuantas veces es sólo del 0, 5 lo que en la práctica significa un crecimiento cero. Sentiría nuestra delegación cualquier intención de reducir esto, ya que sería una pretensión de obstaculizar el mandato que la Comunidad Internacional le ha dado a la FAO en favor de su lucha por la seguridad alimentaria y el desarrollo de la agricultura. Considera nuestra delegación que este Consejo debe pedir unánimemente a la Conferencia la aprobación del Programa de Labores y Presupuesto.
S. J. KAO (Lesotho): I would like to start by congratulating the Committees for the good work done to prepare this clear and valuable document. The world is now faced with a number of situations which require emergency attention. For instance, the current drought that is facing a greater part of Africa and the rinderpest outbreak sweeping through the same continent and the refugee situation throughout the world. When nations are faced with these the rate of hunger and malnutrition increases and thus a pressure is brought upon FAO to assist soonest. Thus the increase on TCP funds to enable FAO to respond to these calls and thus increase flexibility or facility. For these reasons we support that aspect of the Budget. The rationalization of FAO started with the setting up of regional offices and then the FAO representatives. This creation of actual presence of FAO at the scene of events was done with a good purpose. This should not be lost sight of even during these hard, harsh financial times. Steps to stake and to streamline expenditure which resulted in the 3.6 percent increase in technical and economic programmes with only a 0.5 net increase in expenditure is appreciated and supported. In the same spirit a call is made to redistribute resources and such with additional responsibility and/or authority given to regional offices to implement and coordinate programmes in the region. Further, in the African region steps should be taken to rationalize and evaluate the need for regional organizations with a view to improved division of responsibility and definition of roles and thus eliminate possible duplication. Over the years production of food has declined despite the efforts to increase food production. The revised definition of food security is most appreciated and should be used to focus the efforts of this Organization and thus the Budget and the Programme should be recast to reflect the emphasis. In this manner the effectiveness of the Organization would be better evaluated.
Yesterday, under agricultural commodity problems mention was made of the intervention of governments in marketing of agricultural products in developing countries. Lesotho wishes to bring to the attention of the meeting that this is a world-wide practice and is the main, if not the sole, reason why farming as a profession continues. There is no reason why developing countries should be the exception. Rather than ask the developing countries to refrain from intervention efforts should be made to enable them to make the interventions more effectively and efficiently utilized. Farmers' incentives is a means to promote production which is advocated persistently. If such incentives are not provided through marketing how best should they be done? My delegation maintains that such interventions are part of the management and direction of the economy as a whole and this is the responsibility of governments. Both the Committee on Commodity Problems and Sub-Programme 2.5 should be used to promote this view. Lesotho maintains that final success on programme will be determined by the ability of the recipient countries to utilize the assistance provided by FAO and other donor agencies. The ability and capacity is however limited by availability of trained manpower at high professional levels, particularly in Africa. It is for this reason that a call is hereby made for reinforcement of training programmes.
Lastly, with these remarks Lesotho here expresses its acceptance of the Programme of Work and Budget and urges the Council to adopt the report of the Programme Committee and the Finance Committee and to recommend these for adoption. Further, my delegation looks forward to the unanimous approval by the Conference so that the world can get over the trying time of hunger and disaster soonest.
P. PONGPAET (Thailand): The Council may recall that my delegation at the last Session supported the Proposed Programme of Work and Budget for 1984/85 and here again we would like to reiterate our support for this budget.
Concerning the document, my delegation would like to congratulate the Director-General, the Secretariat and the Chairmen of both Programme and Finance Committees for their lucid and reasonable presentation of this document.
Just one point, my delegation would like to bring to the Council's attention due to the upper trend in economy improvement, particularly from within the developed countries and hopefully the better economic improvement also for developing countries, my delegation believes that all members of FAO Council and also the members of this Organization will unanimously lend their support for this minimal increase in the Proposed Programme of Work and Budget for the coming biennium.
K.M. EJAZUL HUQ (Bangladesh): We join the others before us to congratulate the Chairmen and the members of the Programme and Finance Committees for the presentation of their report in the new format given. The Bangladesh delegation has carefully studied the Programme of Work and Budget for the 1984/85 biennium and the medium term objectives proposed by the Director-General in document C 83/3 and supplements 1 and 2 together with CL 84/4. My delegation would like to congratulate the Director-General for presenting such a well-conceived action-oriented and realistic budget. The budget also amply demonstrates the wisdom and the judgement that the Director-General has recognized in reconciling difficult and conflicting situations, for the need of FAO programmes in developing countries who face economic constraints.
Some of the salient features of the Programme of Work and Budget are, one, overall net programme increase of only 0.5 percent over the previous biennium. This will involve an increase of US$1 278 000 per annum for the largest contributor and US$111 per annum for the smallest contributor. To my delegation this is a very modest increase indeed in relation to the magnitude of the needs of developing countries for increasing food production and agricultural development.
Two, stringent cuts in programmes of relatively low priorities, drastic reductions in administrative and support costs, containment of the general policy and direction expenses by 1.4 percent, and those of development support programmes by about 1 percent.
Three, the resources thus saved have been proposed to be channelled through the technical and economic programmes together with a net increase of about 0.5 percent of budgetary increase. In this way the resources proposed to be allocated to the technical and economic programmes will be increased by US$7.5 million, or about 3.6 percent over the current level.
Although my delegation fully appreciates the Director-General's measures of economies and drastic cuts in the administrative and support services and for improving the efficiency of the Organization, at the same time we strongly feel that there is a limit to such cuts in the administrative costs without adversely affecting the efficiency of the Organization adequately to meet its obligations to the Member Nations. We would therefore urge upon the Director-General to keep this point in view while preparing the Programme of Work and Budget in future. We know we are placing a tall demand on the Director-General but we have faith in his abilities.
My delegation also notes and supports the strategies and priorities followed by the Director-General in preparing the Programme of Work and Budget for the 1984-85 biennium, which has taken into account the directives of the Conference and the recommendations of the Council, the Regional Conferences, the Programme and Finance Committees, and other technical bodies including the UN General Assembly, ECOSOC and other international organizations with which FAO collaborates. My delegation therefore strongly feels that the proposed Programme of Work and Budget will respond to the needs and the requirements of the developing countries, and ensure the promotion of a production increase in the world food security field level of activities, ECDC, TCDC etc.
My delegation also fully agrees with the assessment of the world food and agricultural situation made by the Director-General in his introduction of the Programme of Work and Budget. In this connexion it may be mentioned that the food situation, especially in the low-income food-deficit countries is very acute. In many of these countries the rate of growth of food production is lower than the rate of population growth; therefore there is greater need for accelerated growth of food and agricultural production to improve the nutritional standards and to eradicate hunger and malnutrition in these countries. The international community is also committed to the alleviation of hunger and malnutrition as early as possible, definitely by the end of this century.
The international development strategy of the UN Development Decade also envisages a minimum 4 percent increase in food production by the developing countries and also recognizes the need for adequate external assistance, multilateral and bilateral.
In view of this situation a 0.5 percent increase in the level of the resources of the FAO in the 1984-85 biennium will be inadequate to fulfil its responsibility in this regard. Therefore such a meagre increase in the level of resources in the Programme of Work and Budget should not be a precedent for the future.
FAO under the dynamic and able leadership of the Director-General has all the expertise and dedication to fulfil its mandate for the eradication of hunger and malnutrition from the world. It only needs the encouragement and support of the Member Nations. My delegation therefore fully supports the Director-General's proposed Programme of Work and Budget for 1984-85.
As one of the last speakers on the subject my delegation had the advantage of listening to the interventions by many other delegates. We have heard what we had hoped to hear. What we have heard is strong support for the budget, and we are delighted about it.
W. A. F. GRABISCH (Germany, Federal Republic of): The delegation of the Federal Republic of Germany notes with satisfaction that the Director-General has taken into account the position of the 83rd Council Session when preparing and presenting his draft Programme of Work and Budget for 1984-85. The sharpening of priorities, the proposed increases in technical programmes, offset mainly by cutting administrative costs and a number of posts, is in our view in the interest of all Member States.
My delegation appreciates the improvements in the presentation of the document before us. The proposal contained in document C 83/3 will be discussed in detail in Commission II at the forthcoming 22nd Session of the Conference. The delegation of the Federal Republic of Germany will then comment on individual items which are of special concern to it and will voice at that stage the final position of our government.
I therefore would like to confine myself to one point. Contrary to the assurance given by the Secretariat at the 83rd Session of the Council, the tables on established posts given in Appendix B of document C 83/3 before us do not give the posts of country representatives and their staff by grades. Appendix B of document CL 84/4 - that is to say, the reports of the Programme and Finance Committees' last session - gives us the total number of these posts broken down by Professional and above and to General Service. But we miss that small additional column in the tables which I have already mentioned in document C 83/3 giving all grades of the country representatives and their staff, information which is in our view necessary for the overall assessment of staffing of the Organization. Therefore we would be grateful to the Secretariat if they could give us this information still before the beginning of the 22nd Session of the Conference.
A. NAGA (Japan): I would like on behalf of my delegation to make some general remarks on the Programme of Work and Budget 1984-85 and medium-term objectives. We feel that the proposed budget shows a certain improvement as compared with the 1982-83 budget.
My delegation appreciates the FAO Secretariat's efforts to reduce the real programme growth to nearly zero, taking into full consideration the extremely difficult financial situation of each Member Nation.
We also appreciate the fact that the Secretariat has transferred its limited resources from low-priority areas to high-priority areas such as technical and economic programmes.
Now I would like to comment on the Technical Cooperation Programme. We appreciate the objective of TCP which is to speedily cope with the urgent needs of the developing countries. Control of rinderpest in Africa may be a good example that the TCP plays an important role.
We can understand that the TCP budget should be an unprogrammed budget in order to ensure the above objective.
However, at the same time, we feel that the share of unprogrammed budget should be limited and should not be a major part of the budget.
Of course we are fully aware that the FAO Secretariat receives a number of requests for TCP projects and that these requests are examined carefully before approval. However, we also feel that the degree of emergency differs from project to project. In this connexion we believe that less urgent projects should be accommodated not with the TCP budget but with other resources, for example technical and economic programmes, so that they can be well coordinated with other relevant activities of technical and economic programmes.
Y. HAMDI (Egypt) (original language Arabic): We would like to commend the Chairmen of the Finance and Programme Committees for the excellent work undertaken by them as portrayed in the two reports of the Committees. We would like also to commend the efforts exerted by the Director-General to reduce the proposed budget as far as possible without detracting from the level of performance in technical programmes. These programmes aim basically at improving the state of food and agriculture.
Once again our delegation would like to reiterate its support for the priorities and strategies featuring in the Programme of Work and Budget for 1984-85.
M. FRANCISCI DI BASCHI (Italie): J'exprime également mes félicitations pour la présentation et le contenu du Programme de travail et budget pour les années 1984-85. Nous approuvons pleinement les stratégies et les priorités qui se dégagent du Programme. Nous félicitons également le Président du Comité du programme et celui du Comité financier pour leur excellent travail.
Je pense que nous aurons l'occasion de nous étendre sur le détail du budget et programme à l'occasion de la Conférence. Je voudrais souligner que pour l'Italie les priorités, les stratégies à moyen terme sont centrées naturellement sur la sécurité alimentaire et l'autosuffisance, sur la situation particulièrement critique de l'Afrique ainsi que sur la recherche et la technologie.
A.G. LAKANWAL (Afghanistan): I will be brief, because many delegates have expressed their views on the Programme of Work and Budget for 1984-85. My delegation fully supports the recommendations of the Director-General on the Programme of Work and Budget for 1984-85. We are convinced that the strategies, priorities and means of action proposed by the Director-General in the Programme of Work and Budget will make great efforts to the upgrading of agricultual production and will play a very important role in food security. We fully share the view of the Director-General for a reduction of
administrative expenses to the benefit of the technical and economic programmes. I know how hard it will be for the Director-General to reduce some of the administrative posts in his office, but I would like to congratulate him for this. We therefore endorse the Programme of Work and Budget for 1984-85.
In conclusion, I would like to congratulate the Director-General and the Chairmen of the Programme and Finance Committees for the excellent document which they presented to the Council. I believe it will be endorsed in the Conference.
F. BREWSTER (Barbados): The Barbados delegation wishes to congratulate the Chairmen of the Programme and Finance Committees for the work in their report. I also wish to congratulate the Director-General and his staff for their most effective response in presenting to the Council and Conference the documents under consideration. My delegation agrees with other members that the presentation is clear and the new format very attractive for study by delegations. My delegation likes the valuable assessment of the current economic position which the document provides, It also likes the direct manner in which the document presented the reality of the problems and difficulties which the FAO faces in delivering a high level of technical services at minimum cost and at almost zero budget growth. The Director-General's efforts in containing and reducing administrative growth is to be commended. My delegation heartily appreciates the efforts of the Director-General in placing his limited resources in areas and activities which can have a catalytic effect on national programmes.
The Barbados delegation is consistent in its belief that FAO is among the most effective in the UN system in delivery of services to developing countries. It therefore hopes that at the earliest opportunity the flow of multilateral funds to the Organization will be given high priority.
Finally, my delegation fully supports the Programme of Work and Budget at its level, with its objectives and activities outlined.
T.F. RODRIGUES DE ALMEIDA (Angola): Nous avons étudié avec une attention particulière le Programme de travail et budget et nous profitons de cette occasion pour adresser nos vives félicitations au Directeur général ainsi qu'aux présidents du Comité du programme et Comité financier pour l'excellent travail qu'ils nous ont présenté. L'introduction du Directeur général est très objective et nous appuyons son diagnostic de la situation de l'agriculture et de l'alimentation dans le monde.
A cet effet, ma délégation réitère une fois de plus son appui au Programme de travail et budget pour 1984-1985.
C. VIDALLI CARBAJAL (México): Antes que nada felicitar la labor de los Comités del Programa y de Finanzas por los documentos que nos han presentado. Asimismo, felicitar al Director General por la presentación clara y precisa de los documentos, de los objetivos y las premisas de los mismos.
A pesar de la restricción presupuestaria a la que se constriño a la FAO, se ha logrado imprimir al Programa de labores y Presupuesto el dinamismo necesario para que la FAO siga en posesión del liderazgo en la comunidad internacional en materias de su competencia.
Nos sumamos a lo expresado, por tanto, por otras delegaciones y en especial por los distinguidos delegados de Brasil, Pakistán y Panamá, y en la Conferencia expresaremos mayores comentarios en esta materia. Por tanto, pensamos que el Consejo debe remitir con nuestro apoyo las recomendaciones de los Comités referidos.
Compartimos la preocupación de los Comités de Programa y de Finanzas expresadas en los párrafos 1.10 y 1.12 del documento CL 84/4 en el sentido de que algunos países piensan reducir sus contribuciones a la FAO en los próximos años, aduciendo la política del crecimiento cero en las Organizaciones internacionales.
Nos sumamos al llamamiento de la distinguida delegación de Marruecos para que esta tendencia de los países donadores sea revisada y no se vuelva permanente en el futuro, puesto que significaría un grave retroceso en la labor de lograr la seguridad alimentaria y el desarrollo rural efectivo en el mundo.
Registramos el hecho positivo que a otros organismos del sector alimentario se les acaba de aprobar aumentos reales sustanciales a su presupuesto, apoyados por los donadores en pleno. Esperamos que este hecho sea el indicio de un cambio generalizado real que finalice la política de crecimiento cero propugnada hasta ahora por diversos países desarrollados.
Finalmente, queremos enfatizar que para los países en desarrollo las Oficinas Regionales y los representantes en nuestros países representan una gran ayuda para canalizar eficazmente la colaboración de FAO con nuestros gobiernos.
M. TATIETA (Haute-Volta): La délégation de Haute-Volta comme les délégations qui l'ont Drécédée, tient à féliciter les deux Présidents de comités qui ont présenté un excellent travail permettant une meilleure compréhension des documents.
Ma délégation, comme elle l'a fait au mois de juin lors du Conseil, approuve le Programme de travail et budget pour 1984-85. Elle marque sa pleine approbation aux différentes stratégies présentées par le Directeur général en matière de sécurité alimentaire, de développement des productions vivrières, de remaniement du budget au profit des programmes techniques. Notre délégation regrette les faibles augmentations du budget en dépit des efforts faits par le Directeur général de la FAO. Une telle baisse va à l'évidence réduire les interventions multiples de la FAO en faveur des pays en voie de développement au moment où ceux-ci ont des besoins énormes pour mener à bien leur politique de développement.
La Haute-Volta, pays situé dans la zone sahélienne de l'Afrique au sud du Sahara, est confrontée aux effets cumulés de la sécheresse. Le pays, tout en utilisant de façon rationnelle tous ses moyens pour la réalisation des activités socio-économiques, compte sur l'aide de la FAO pour l'exécution d'un certain nombre de projets.
Pour terminer, la délégation de Haute-Volta adresse sa reconnaissance au Directeur général de la FAO pour l'assistance fort appréciée apportée à notre pays. Notre délégation réitère son soutien au Programme de travail et budget.
F.G. POULIDES(Cyprus): The Cyprus delegation wishes to congratulate the Director-General and his staff for the faithful application of zero-base budgeting, particularly in reviewing the programmes from the bottom up and not just at the margin and at the same time in increasing the efficiency of the Organization.
We wish to stress the point that FAO is exceptional in submitting to its governing bodies such comprehensive documents on past programme implementation as the two reviews of regular and field programmes. It is, however, to be noted that our delegation does not support the principle of zero growth increase because we believe that an organization such as the FAO should have the necessary means to face the everyday increase of the poor and needy and in general the welfare of humanity. It would be ironic if when FAO becomes so active in serving the strata of population needing help to survive, its reserves were to be limited.
We also wish to express our warm congratulations and thanks to both Chairmen of the Finance and Programme Committees for their continuous efforts as the priority of the documents presented.
After hearing all the previous speakers, we prefer not. to enter into details, as we reserve ourselves to comment during the discussion of this same subject in the Conference. We conclude therefore by stating that the Programme of Work and Budget for the next biennium as proposed by the Director-General has our full support, and we express the wish and hope that the Conference will endorse the budget Resolution by a unanimous vote.
A. PINOARGOTE CEVALLOS (Ecuador): La delegación del Ecuador, de manera especial, quiere resaltar su complacencia por lo expresado en los párrafos 1.7 y 1.8 del documento CL 84/4, que corresponden al informe de la reunion conjunta de los Comités del Programa y Finanzas, puesto que constituye un verdadero mérito la consecución de un índice de crecimiento del 3.6 respecto al nivel actual en lo que concierne a los programas técnicos y económicos, y más aún cuando ese crecimiento se obtiene en medio de la grave situación financiera en que se debate la Institución.
Este logro se debe, en definitiva, a lo que el informe de la reunión conjunta llama "los incansables esfuerzos del Director General por dar una mayor eficiencia a la FAO", manteniendo al mismo tiempo su capacidad de ejecutar y realizar programas aprobados de acuerdo con las espectativas legítimas de los Estados Miembros. Nuestra felicitación y apoyo al Sr. Director General por esta meritoria gestión.
La delegación del Ecuador se adhiere y respalda la recomendación de los Comités en el sentido de que se apoye plenamente el Programa de Labores y Presupuesto para 1984/85. Finalmente, manifiesta su viva preocupación por la información contenida en los párrafos 1.10, 1.11 y 1.12 referentes a una enmienda a la ley de autorización de créditos de 1984 para el Departamento de Estado de los Estados Unidos de América. Si bien es cierto que sobre este tópico, los Comités se limitan a informar absteniéndose de formular recomendaciones al Consejo, la delegación del Ecuador considera que este Consejo debe trasladar expresamente esta preocupación a la Conferencia insinuando una acción oficiosa dirigida a obtener que dicha enmienda no alcance vigor, en vista de que causaría una situación muy difícil no sólo a la FAO sino, en general, a todo el sistema de las Naciones Unidas. Creemos que el Consejo debe pronunciarse sobre este tema, ya que la misión de la FAO, en su noble objetivo de luchar contra el hambre, merece y necesita mejor apoyo de los países desarrollados y ahora ocurre que no estamos frente al crecimiento cero sino a un crecimiento del menos treinta, menos veinte, etc. Pienso que esto es algo que nos debe preocupar seriamente.
S.A.E. SULIMAN (Observer for the Arab Organization for Agricultural Development) (original language Arabic): Ambassador Amir Abdallah Khalil who was called back to his Embassy, has asked me to step in at this time and report his full support and the support of Sudan for the Programme of Work and Budget. He asked me also to express full support for the wise approach which has been adopted with respect to this subject, i.e. the economic and technical activities of the Organization have received much greater stress and very laudable savings have been made over administrative and service expenditure.
In the light of the world food situation, given the prolonged drought and given the drop in food yields throughout the developing countries, together and in association with an increase in population, mean that the FAO has an increasingly important role to play, even more important than it ever has had in the past, forty years ago. We are convinced that all those who have extended their support to the Organization will continue such support.
Mrs. M. FENWICK (United States of America): I would like to speak, since it has been brought up this morning once or twice, to the question of the Kassebaum Amendment. I can understand the concern of those who have expressed concern and I wish that I could say that the whole thing had failed and was finished, but I can say that it is receiving the most clear, firm opposition of the Administration, that the House is opposed, that the composition of the Senate House Conference which is considering this amendment is such that we can expect a happy conclusion. They were meeting yesterday and we have not yet received the notice of what was concluded at that Conference but very often they go on until 2 o'clock in the morning and for many days, so it is not something that we can expect to be finished in a short time. These Senate House Conferences - and I have served on them - are indeed trials of strength very often, and endurance, but it is not something that the Administration sees lightly, and I can say to any delegation that no stronger opposition could be expressed than that of the President himself in a letter to the Chairmen of the relevant committees and sub-committees of the House and Senate. He strongly opposes it, he is against it and has urged them to eliminate it. I do not think that there could be a stronger voice that could be raised, and of course I have added my own far-away voice but I do not think it is going to be as effective as the President.
I would like to go on now, not to talk too long but to associate myself with the remarks of those who have so heartily commended our Director-General. We can see what has happened here, we have two schools of thought - those who say my country is in terrible deficit, we have mounting deficits, we cannot meet our own social services in our own country and we cannot continue larger increases in the international sphere. Then we know what is facing some of the countries of this world, and those of us with any heart are particularly concerned with the figures that show up for Africa. The tragic suggestion that the continuing drought, the rising curve of population, the falling food available per capita, what does this add up to if not a series of disasters, and I think that the Budget reflects the heart in that there is increase, and the intellect in that there is an effort to deal with this in such a way as to not diminish our capacity to help those who suffer.
I think this Budget as it is now presented to us should, and I hope will, receive the hearty support of the Conference, but I cannot stop without a word about our Programme Committee on which we served so happily under one of the finest Chairmen I have ever known. We were a happy hardworking group: he was very tough with us but very fair and we did our job as best we could, doing our duty as we could best find it, and the Chairman was a wonderful guide in that effort. I say that not diminishing the Finance Committee but we had so little chance; we had one meeting with the Finance Committee. But all of it has been a wonderfully happy association here and I think the Director-General is most heartily to be commended.
CHAIRMAN: Thank you very much. I am sure the Council Members will join me in expressing our gratitude to you for this very positive and encouraging statement.
A. A. MALEK (Liban) (langue originale arabe): En ce qui concerne le point 9 de l'ordre du jour, c'est-à-dire le rapport conjoint du Comité du programme et du Comité financier, la délégation de mon pays voudrait formuler les observations suivantes.
Tout d'abord, la méthodologie adoptée pour la préparation et la présentation du programme de travail et de budget 1984-1985 ne peuvent que susciter notre satisfaction. Nous estimons que les deux Comités ont agi en parfaite harmonie avec le Directeur général pour traiter ces problèmes importants. En effet, les besoins urgents de la population mondiale ont été pris en considération dans la mise au point de ce programme de travail, qui tient compte également des requêtes des Etats membres ainsi que des exigences du développement de l'alimentation et de l'agriculture telles que définies par l'Organisation. Le Comité a tenu compte de la situation financière de l'Organisation et n'a pas omis la nécessité de réduire au maximum les dépenses. Cela a été traité d'une façon très raisonnable et judicieuse puisque l'augmentation nette des allocations pour les programmes techniques et économiques n'a pas dépassé les 3, 6 % après les réductions importantes des frais de soutien administratifs. Ainsi, l'augmentation du budget ne dépasse pas 0, 5 %.
En second lieu, les stratégies et priorités contenues dans le programme de travail et budget ont été étudiées avec la plus grande attention par les deux Comités. Elles sont tout à fait compatibles avec les résolutions du Conseil. Nous sommes tout à fait d'accord avec le contenu de ce document tendant à consolider les programmes techniques et économiques de l'Organisation, de même que les mesures adoptées pour améliorer l'efficacité de l'Organisation dans ses activités administratives et techniques. Le rapport est tout à fait clair et précis. Il est conforme aux recommandations du Directeur général.
Nous sommes donc tout á fait d'accord avec les propositions présentées par les deux Comités. Nous sommes également d'accord avec le programme de travail et budget 1984-1985.
Nous espérons que tous les pays membres du Conseil se joindront à l'unanimité à nous pour approuver ce programme et le recommander à la Conférence.
Avant de terminer, la délégation de mon pays voudrait féliciter notre compatriote, M. Edouard Saouma, Directeur général de l'Organisation qui a effectué un travail méritoire. Je suis très fier que le Directeur général ait trouvé l'appui de tous les membres de ce Conseil, ou presque. Nous lui souhaitons plein succès dans sa tâche pour réaliser le bien-être dans le monde entier, et de façon particulière dans les pays en voie de développement.
J.M. YOLLOT (Observateur pour la République Centrafricaine): Bien qu'étant observateur, notre délégation a cru devoir prendre la parole parce que son silence ne se justifierait pas vis-à vis des documents C 83/3 et CL 84/4 soumis au Conseil. Nous prenons la parole pour dire que notre délégation accepte pleinement les propositions avancées dans ces documents qui se caractérisent par leur excellence et leur concision. Nous soutenons en conséquence ces documents dans leur ensemble pour encourager le Directeur général de la FAO à persévérer dans le chemin qu'il a choisi pour mener à bien la mission qui lui est confiée.
Notre délégation serait incomplète et inconséquente avec elle-même si elle ne présentait pas aussi ses vives félicitations au président du Comité du programme et au président du Comité financier pour leur apport dans la présentation des documents qui nous sont soumis. Notre délégation souhaite également que le Comité examine comme il se doit les documents qui lui sont soumis et que la Conférence adoptera dans son ensemble le Programme de travail et budget pour 1984/85.
LI HYOK CHOL (Observer for Democratic People's Republic of Korea): As an Observer, the delegation of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea would like to associate itself with other delegations in fully supporting the Programme of Work and Budget for the coming biennium proposed by the Director-General. As many Council members mentioned, our delegation is also of the view that the Programme of Work and Budget should be considered as a most commendable work under present circumstances. We are quite satisfied, particularly with the considerable increase in the technical and economic programmes within the limits of available resources. We have also noted with satisfaction that the Programme of Work and Budget could more efficiently respond to the need for the agricultural and the rural development of the developing countries.
At the same time we share the view of those delegations who expressed their concern about the zero-growth concept. We hope that the Programme of Work and Budget in its present form and level could be approved by the Conference, and in conclusion I pay compliments to the Director-General and the Chairmen of the Programme and Finance Committees for their excellent work.
CHAIRMAN: This brings us to the close of the interventions. Thirty-eight Council members and two observers have spoken. I am grateful to them and I now request the Director-General to address the meeting.
DIRECTOR-GENERAL: I am very grateful for the overwhelming support expressed by the members of the Council for the Programme of Work and Budget for 1984-85. I see that we have had speakers, members of the Council and two observers; with the exception of two only, all have given their full support to the level of the budget and to the priorities and also to the format. Many have praised the presentation of the document and I am grateful to them on behalf of my colleagues.
My colleagues and myself have worked very hard to achieve this consensus but we have been guided and assisted in this regard by the Chairmen and members of the Programme and Finance Committees. We are very grateful to them and it is an opportunity for me to express our thanks to those two committees.
I also take this opportunity to say how much my colleagues and myself have benefited from the excellent work carried out by the Committee of Agriculture, the Committee of Fisheries, the Committee of Forestry. The Programme of Work and Budget has been inspired to a large extent by the work of these three important committees of the Council.
After having heard Ambassador Fenwick, I have every reason to believe that the Conference will overwhelmingly endorse your recommendation and approve the draft resolution for adoption of the Programme of Work and Budget which is included in the document, as page 45 in the English text.
Of course, it was a general discussion but it has already indicated the agreement of the Council. We shall continue the discussion in detail at the Conference, as was suggested, and answer to questions which might be raised in Commission II, which will be chaired by the distinguished Ambassador of Lesotho.
CHAIRMAN: The Director-General himself has eloquently summarized and endorsed the recommendations of the Programme and Finance Committees and the Programme of Work and Budget for 1984-85, with this Council's unanimous and enthusiastic support. I also want to add our thanks to the Director-General and his staff for the work they have done within such a short period since the June Council meeting. I also wish to add my words of gratitude to the Chairmen and members of both the Programme and Finance Committees. One has to attend these committees to see how much detail they go into in all matters relating to the Programme of Work and Budget; and merely two weeks of intensive discussions by these two committees have produced these reports. I am grateful to all those members - Council members and observers - who took part. With this we endorse the recommendations of the Programme and Finance Committees and remit the document to the Conference.
It is always nice to be sitting in this position where everybody agrees with everybody else, so I am very grateful: within about three hours all of you have spoken so well on your respective viewpoints and this is possible because of the excellent documentation. I would like to add my own words, my sincere gratitude and commendation on the excellence of this format. As somebody has said it is lucid, clear, precise, and "transparent" according to one speaker; it is an outstanding piece of work and we are grateful to the Secretariat for this effort.
This completes this item of the Agenda
The meeting rose at 12.15 hours
La séance est levée à 12 h 15
Se levanta la sesión a las 12.15 horas
