Contents -

A. Agenda
B. Constitution of the European Commission for the Control of Foot-and-Mouth Disease
C. Agreement between FAO and OIE
D. FAO policy concerning relations with International Non-Governmental Organizations
E. Scale of contributions for 1954 and 1955
F. List of countries according to regions
G. Composition of FAO Council since its formation in 1948
H. List of conference documents
I. Delegates and observers attending The Seventh Session of the Conference

I. PROCEDURE OF THE SESSION

1. Election of Chairman and Vice-Chairmen

2. Appointment of General Committee and Credentials Committee

3. Adoption of Agenda

4. Organization of Commissions and Allocation of Agenda Items

5. Admission of Observers to the Session

6. Granting of Consultative Status to Non-Governmental Organizations

7. Nomination and Voting Procedure for Election to the Council

II. REVIEW OF THE WORLD SITUATION AND OUTLOOK IN RESPECT OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE

8. Current World Situation and Outlook

9. Long-Term World Prospects in the Light of National Development Programs

10. Selected Economic and Administrative Issues

(a) Production and Trade
(b) Financing Economic Development in Agriculture
(c) Status and Adequacy of Government Services

11. Food Shortage and Famine; and Emergency Famine Reserve

III. ACTIVITIES OF THE ORGANIZATION

12. The Work of FAO 1952/53

13. Expanded Technical Assistance Pro gram

14. Program of Work and Budget for 1954 and 1955

15. Co-operation with Organizations in the Various Technical Fields with a View to Promoting FAO's Objectives

16. Reform of Agrarian Structures

17. Establishment of Foot-and-Mouth Disease Commissions

18. Measures to Combat Malnutrition (with Special Reference to Mothers and Children) by Increasing the Supply and Consumption of Protein-rich Foods

IV. CONSTITUTIONAL AND LEGAL QUESTIONS

19. Composition of the Council

20. Amendments to the Constitution to Provide for the Admission of Associate Members to the Organization

21. Membership of the Co-ordinating Committee

22. National FAO Committees

23. Power and Procedure of the Organization with Regard to International Conventions and Agreements

24. Report on Conventions and Agreements Having Come into Force and on All Amendments thereto

(a) Report on Agreement with the International Office of Epizootics

(b) Amendment to the Constitution of the International Rice Commission

(c) Amendment of the Plant Protection Convention to Bring Spanish Text in Line with English and French Texts .

25. Relations with Producers and Consumers

26. Admission of Monaco and Tunisia to the General Fisheries Council for the Mediterranean

V. ADMINISTRATIVE AND FINANCIAL QUESTIONS

27. Administrative and Personnel Matters

(a) Permanent Site of Regional Office for Asia and the Far East; Sixth Conference Resolution No. 71

(b) Administrative Tribunal

(c) Other Administrative and Personnel Matters

28. Financial Affairs of the Organization

(a). Scale of Contributions for 1954 and 1955

(b). Report on the Contribution of Peru

(c). Expenses of Members of the Coordinating Committee and of Experts on Panels

(d). Use of Headquarters Conference Facilities by Outside Organizations

(e). Cost-of-Living Differential

(f). Dependency Allowances

(g). Staff Commissary

(h). Approval of Audited Accounts for 1951 and 1952

(i). Other Financial Matters

VI. APPOINTMENTS AND ELECTIONS

29. Admission of New Members to the Organization

30. Appointment of Independent Chairman of Council

31. Appointment of Director-General

32. Election of Council

33. Appointment of FAO Staff Pension Committee

VII. OTHER MATTERS

34. Interpretation of Article XI (a) of the Agreement Between FAO and the Government of the Italian Republic

35. Composition of the Committee on Financial Control

36. Date and Place of the Next Session of the Conference.

PREAMBLE

The contracting Governments, having regard to the urgent necessity of preventing the recurrence of the heavy losses to European agriculture caused by the repeated outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease, hereby establish a Commission to be known as the European Commission for the Control of Foot-and-Mouth Disease, whose object shall be to promote national and international action with respect to control measures against foot-and-mouth disease in Europe.

ARTICLE I

The Members of the European Commission for the Control of Foot-and-Mouth Disease (hereinafter referred to as the "Commission ") shall be such European Member Nations of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (hereinafter referred to as the "Organization") and/ or of the International Office of Epizootics (hereinafter referred to as the "Office") as accept this Constitution in accordance with the provisions of Article XV. The Commission, by a two-thirds majority of the votes cast providing such majority is greater than half of its membership, may, with the approval of the Council of the Organization, in conformity with the provisions of Article XV (3), admit to membership any other European Nation which has submitted an application for membership and a declaration made in a formal instrument that it accepts the obligations of this Constitution as in force at the time of admission.

The Organization, the Office and the Organization for European Economic Cooperation shall have the right to be represented at all sessions of the Commission and its Committees, but their representatives shall not have the right to vote.

ARTICLE II

1. Members undertake to control food-and-mouth disease with a view to its ultimate eradication by the institution of suitable quarantine and sanitary measures and by one or more of the following methods:

1) a slaughter policy

2) slaughter together with vaccination

3) maintenance of totally immune cattle population by vaccination

4) vaccination in zones surrounding outbreaks.

Methods adopted shall be rigorously carried out.

2. Members adopting policy 2 or 4 undertake to have available a supply of virus for vaccine production and a supply of vaccine sufficient to ensure adequate protection against the disease in case of an outbreak. Each Member shall collaborate with and assist other Members in all concerted measures for the control of foot-and-mouth disease, and in particular in the provision of vaccine and virus where necessary. The quantities of virus and vaccine to be stored for national and international use shall be determined by Members in the light of the findings of the Commission and the advice of the Office.

3. Members shall make such arrangements for the typing of virus from outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease as may be required by the Commission and shall immediately notify the Commission and the Office of the results of such typing.

4. Members undertake to provide the Commission with any information which it may need to carry out its functions. In particular, Members shall immediately report to the Commission and to the Office any outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease and its extent and shall make such further detailed reports as the Commission may require.

ARTICLE III

1. The seat of the Commission and its Secretariat shall be in Rome at the Headquarters of the Organization

2. Sessions of the Commission shall be held at its seat, unless they are convened elsewhere in pursuance of a decision of the Commission at a previous session, or, in exceptional circumstances, of a decision of the Executive Committee.

ARTICLE IV

The following shall be the general functions of the Commission:

1. To enter into arrangements, through the Director-General of the Organization, with the Office within the framework of any agreements between the Organization and the Office to ensure that:

1.1 All Members are provided with technical advice on any problem relating to the control of foot-and-mouth disease.

1.2 Comprehensive information on outbreaks of the disease and identification of virus is collected and disseminated as quickly as possible.

1.3 Special research work required on foot-and-mouth disease is carried out.

2. To collect information on national programs for the control of, and research on, foot-and-mouth disease.

3. To determine, in consultation with the Members concerned, the nature and extent of assistance needed by such Members for implementing their national programs.

4. To stimulate and plan joint action wherever required to overcome difficulties in the implementation of control programs and to this effect arrange means whereby adequate resources can be made available, for example, for the production and storage of vaccine, through agreements between Members.

5. To arrange for suitable facilities for the typing of virus.

6. To study the possibility of establishing international laboratory facilities to deal with the typing of virus and the production of vaccines.

7. To maintain a register of stocks of virus and vaccines available in various countries and to keep the position continuously under review.

8. To offer advice to other organizations on the allocation of any available funds for assisting in the control of foot-and-mouth disease in Europe.

9. To enter into arrangements, through the Director-General of the Organization, with other organizations, regional groups or with Nations not Members of the Commission, for participation in the work of the Commission or its Committees, or for mutual assistance on problems of controlling foot-and-mouth disease. These arrangements may include the establishment of, or participation in, joint committees.

10. To consider and approve the report of the Executive Committee on the activities of the Commission, the annual accounts and the budget and program for the ensuing year, for submission to the Council of the Organization through the Director-General.

ARTICLE V

The following shall be the special functions of the Commission:

1. To assist in controlling outbreaks in emergency situations in any manner considered appropriate by the Commission and the Member or Members concerned. For this purpose the Commission or its Executive Committee in conformity with the provisions of Article XI (5) may use any uncommitted balances of the Administrative Budget referred to in Article XIII (7) as well as any supplementary contributions which may be provided for emergency action under Article XIII (4).

2. To take suitable action in the following fields:

2.1 Production and/or storage of virus and/or vaccines by or on behalf of the Commission, for distribution to any Member in case of need.

2.2 Promotion when necessary of the establishment by a Member or Members of "cordons sanitaires" to prevent the spread of disease.

3. To carry out such further special projects as may be suggested by Members or by the Executive Committee and approved by the Commission for achieving the purposes of the Commission as set forth in this Constitution.

4. Funds from the surplus of the Administrative Budget may be used for the purposes stated in paragraphs 2 and 3 of this Article when such action is approved by the Commission by a two-thirds majority of the votes cast, providing such majority is more than one half of the membership of the Commission.

ARTICLE VI

1. Each Member shall be represented at Sessions of the Commission by a single delegate who may be accompanied by an alternate and by experts and advisers. Alternates, experts and advisers may take part in the proceedings of the Commission but not vote, except in the case of an alternate who is duly authorized to substitute for the delegate.

2. Each Member shall have one vote. Decisions of the Commission shall be taken by a majority of the votes cast except a. Otherwise provided in this Constitution A majority of the Members of the Commission shall constitute a quorum.

3. The Commission shall elect, at the beginning of each regular session, a Chairman and two Vice-Chairmen from amongst the delegates. These Officers shall hold office until the beginning of the next regular session, without prejudice to the right of re-election.

4. The Director-General of the Organization in consultation with the Chairman of the Commission shall convene a regular session of the Commission at least once a year. Special sessions may be convened by the Director-General, in consultation with the Chairman of the Commission, or if so requested by the Commission in regular sessions or by at least one-third of the Members during intervals between regular sessions.

ARTICLE VII

1. The Commission may establish temporary, special or standing committees to study and report on matters pertaining to the purpose of the Commission.

2. These Committees shall be convened by the Director-General of the Organization in consultation with the Chairman of the Commission, at such times and places as are in accordance with the objectives for which they were established.

3. The Commission shall determine the membership of such committees.

4. Each committee shall elect its own Chairman.

ARTICLE VIII

Subject to the provisions of this Constitution, the Commission shall with the concurrence of the Director-General of the Organization, draw up its own Rules of Procedure and Financial Regulations in conformity with the Rules of Procedure and the Financial Regulations of the Organization.

ARTICLE IX

1. The Government of any Nation which is not a Member of the Commission may, with the concurrence of the Commission, be represented at any session of the Commission or its Committees by an observer without the right to vote.

2. Any other international organization having related interests may, with the concurrence of the Commission, be represented at any sessions of the Commission or its Committees by an observer without the right to vote.

ARTICLE X

1. An Executive Committee shall be established and shall be composed of the Chairman and Vice-Chairmen of the Commission and three delegates of Members selected by the Commission at the beginning of its regular session. The Chairman of the Commission shall be the Chairman of the Executive Committee.

2. Members of the Executive Committee shall hold office until the beginning of the next regular session without prejudice to the right of re-election.

3. If a vacancy occurs in the Executive Committee before the expiration of the term of appointment, the Committee may request a Member of the Commission to appoint a representative to fill the vacancy for the remainder of the term.

4. The Executive Committee shall meet at least once between any two successive regular sessions of the Commission

5. The Secretary of the Commission shall act as Secretary to the Executive Committee.

ARTICLE XI

The Executive Committee shall:

1. Make proposals to the Commission concerning policy matters and the program of activities;

2. Implement the policies and programs approved by the Commission;

3. Submit to the Commission the draft program and Administrative Budget, and the annual accounts;

4. Prepare the annual report on the activities of the Commission for approval by the Commission and transmission to the Director-General of the Organization;

5. Undertake such other duties as the Commission may delegate to it, in particular with reference to emergency action under Article V (I).

ARTICLE XII

1. The staff of the Secretariat of the Commission shall be appointed by the Director-General with the approval of the Executive Committee, and for administrative purposes shall be responsible to the Director-General. They shall be appointed under the same terms and conditions as the staff of the Organization.

2. The expenses of the Commission shall be paid out of its administrative budget except those relating to such staff and facilities which can be made available by the Organization. The expenses to be borne by the Organization shall be determined and paid within the limits of an annual budget prepared by the Director-General and approved by the Conference of the Organization in accordance with the Rules of Procedure and the Financial Regulations of the Organization.

3. Expenses incurred by delegates and their alternates, experts and advisers in attending meetings of the Commission and its committees shall be determined and paid by their respective governments.

ARTICLE XIII

1. Each Member of the Commission undertakes to contribute annually its share of the administrative budget in accordance with a scale of contributions to be adopted by a two-thirds majority of the membership of the Commission. For the first five years after the Constitution has come into force, these contributions shall be in accordance with the scale indicated in Appendix I. The budget for the administrative activities of the Commission for the first five years shall be on the basis of US $ 50,000 annually, to which shall be added any contribution made by Members in conformity with paragraph 2 below.

2. Contributions to be paid by Members not listed in Appendix I shall be determined by the Commission. For this purpose the methods used for calculating the above mentioned scale shall apply.

3. Annual contributions provided for under Paragraphs 1 and 2 above shall be payable before the end of the first month of the financial year to which they apply. The financial year shall be the same as that of the Organization.

4. Supplementary contributions may be accepted from a Member or Members or from Organizations or individuals for emergency action or for the purpose of implementing special schemes or campaigns of control which under Article V the Commission or Executive Committee may adopt or recommend.

5. All contributions from Members shall be payable in currencies to be determined by the Commission in agreement with each contributing Member.

6. All contributions received shall be placed in a Trust Fund administered by the Director-General of the Organization in conformity with the Financial Regulations of the Organization.

7. At the end of each financial year, any uncommitted balance of the Administrative Budget shall be placed in a special account to be available for the purposes outlined in Articles IV and V.

ARTICLE XIV

1. This Constitution may be amended by the Commission by a two-thirds majority of the votes cast, providing such a majority is more than one-half of the membership of the Commission. Amendments shall become effective only with the concurrence of the Council of the Organization, and as from the date of the decision of the Council, provided that any amendment involving new obligations for Members shall come into force in respect of each Member only on acceptance of it by that Member.

2. Proposals for the amendment of the Constitution may be made by any Member of the Commission in a communication addressed to both the Chairman of the Commission and the Director-General of the Organization. The Director-General shall immediately inform all Members of the Commission of all proposals for amendments.

3. No proposal for the amendment of the Constitution shall be included in the agenda of any session unless notice thereof has been received by the Director-General of the Organization at least 120 days before the opening of the session.

ARTICLE XV

1. Acceptance of this Constitution shall not be subject to any reservation.

2. Acceptance shall be effected by the deposit of a notification of acceptance with the Director-General of the Organization and shall take effect as regards Members of the Organization or the Office, on receipt of such notification by the Director-General who shall forthwith inform each of the Members of the Commission.

3. Membership of Nations that are neither members of the Organization nor of the Office shall become effective on the date on which the Council approves the application for membership in conformity with the provisions of Article I.

ARTICLE XVI

1. Any Member may withdraw from the Commission at any time after the expiration of one year from the date on which its acceptance took effect or from the date on which the Constitution entered into force, whichever is the later, by giving written notice of withdrawal to the Director-General of the Organization who shall forthwith inform all Members of the Commission. The withdrawal shall become effective one year from the date of receipt of the notification of withdrawal.

2. Non-payment of two consecutive annual contributions shall be regarded as implying withdrawal of the defaulting Member from the Commission.

3. Any Member of the Commission withdrawing from the Organization or the Office, when such withdrawal results in this Nation no longer being a Member of either of these two Agencies, shall be deemed to have withdrawn simultaneously from the Commission.

ARTICLE XVII

1. If there is any dispute regarding the interpretation or application of this Constitution, the Member or Members concerned may request the Director-General of the Organization to appoint a committee to consider the question in dispute.

2. The Director-General shall thereupon, after consultation with the Members concerned, appoint a committee of experts which shall include representatives of those Members. This committee shall consider the question in dispute, taking into account all documents and other forms of evidence submitted by the Members concerned. This committee shall submit a report to the Director-General of the Organization who shall transmit it to the Members concerned and to the other Members of the Commission.

3. The Members of the Commission agree that the recommendations of such a committee, while not binding in character, will become the basis for renewed consideration by the Members concerned of the matter out of which the disagreement arose.

4. The Members concerned shall share equally the expenses of the experts.

ARTICLE XVIII

1. This Constitution shall be terminated by a decision of the Commission taken by a three-fourths majority of the membership of the Commission. It shall automatically be terminated should membership, as a result of withdrawals, comprise fewer than six Nations.

2. On termination of the Constitution all assets of the Commission shall be liquidated by the Director-General of the Organization and after settlement of all liabilities the balance shall be distributed proportionally amongst Members on the basis of the scale of contributions in force at the time. Nations whose contributions are in arrears for two consecutive years and hence deemed to have withdrawn in conformity with Article XVI (2) shall not be entitled to a share of the assets.

ARTICLE XIX

1. This Constitution shall enter into force upon receipt by the Director-General of the Organization of notifications of acceptance from six Member Nations of the Organization or of the Office, providing that their contributions represent in the aggregate not less than 30% of the Administrative Budget provided for in Article XIII (1)

2. The Director-General shall notify all Nations having deposited notifications of acceptance of the date on which this Constitution comes into force.

3. The text of this Constitution drawn up in the English, French and Spanish languages, which languages shall be equally authoritative, was approved by the Conference of the Organization on the eleventh day of December 1953 .

4. Two copies of the text of this Constitution shall be authenticated by the Chairman of the Conference and the Director-General of the Organization, one copy of which shall be deposited with the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the other in the archives of the Organization. Additional copies of this text shall be certified by the Director General and furnished to all Members of the Commission with the indication of the date on which the Constitution has come into force.

SCALE OF ANNUAL CONTRIBUTIONS

Calculated on national income of each country as expressed in the Scale of Contributions to the Organization, the relative position of each country in regard to possible infection with foot-and-mouth disease and the number of livestock to be protected in each country.

THE FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS AND THE INTERNATIONAL OFFICE OF EPIZOOTICS

Wishing to coordinate their efforts in the control of animal diseases, within their respective constitutions and by-laws, and to collaborate closely for this purpose, agree to the following:

ARTICLE I

ARTICLE II

The OIE agrees to act in the capacity recognized in Article I. The recommendations and resolutions of its Committee will be forwarded both to the members of OIE and to the Director-General of FAO for the purpose of circulating to FAO member governments such technical recommendations as are appropriate for consideration by the Council and/or the Conference of FAO as a basis for international action.

ARTICLE III

1. OIE, in consultation with FAO, will be primarily responsible for:

1.1 Collection and prompt dissemination of information and statistics on the incidence and spread of livestock diseases throughout the world.

1.2 Promotion of meetings of livestock disease specialists for the study of the causes and prophylaxis of infectious, parasitic and other diseases of domestic animals.

1.3 Dissemination by publication and other means of technical information on research and on control of diseases of domestic animals.

1.4 Studying methods for the control of the major diseases of animals and tendering advice to FAO for consideration.

2. FAO, in consultation with OIE, will be primarily responsible for:

2.1 Within the framework of its comprehensive program for the improvement of livestock production, assisting member governments in developing programs for the control of important diseases of livestock, including the provision of technical assistance through the regular and expanded technical assistance programs, in carrying out control programs for livestock diseases, in the manufacture and distribution of veterinary biologics, and in training veterinary personnel.

2.2 Arranging with other international organizations, especially through participation in the Administrative Committee on Coordination and the Technical Assistance Board, both comprised of UN Agencies, for coordination of international activities in the control of livestock diseases with special reference to the work of the World Health Organization, the Organization of American States, the Organization for European Economic Cooperation, the Colombo Plan and the U.S. Point Four programs.

2.3 Organizing essential meetings and conferences on questions of livestock disease control policies and programs on both a regional and a world-wide basis.

2.4 Collection of information on the incidence of livestock diseases from the countries which are members of FAO and not members of the OIE, to augment the work of the OIE in the collection and dissemination of this material on a world-wide basis.

2.5 Assisting, on request, countries in developing their veterinary education and extension systems.

2.6 Dissemination by publication and by other means of technical information of value in the implementation of the FAO animal disease control programs.

2.7 Providing for members of FAO which are not members of the OIE, services of the type performed by the OIE insofar as is possible.

3. Spheres of activity where joint action is required:

3.1 International promotion and coordination of veterinary research activities by member governments.

3.2 Planning of agreements of regional or world-wide scope to promote and maintain animal health, coordinating the implementation of such agreements and studying improvements in the methods of execution of such agreements.

ARTICLE IV

1. Reciprocal exchange of reports, publications and information and special arrangements will be made by the Director-General of FAO and the Director of OIE in consultation for collection from, and distribution of information to governments of those countries which are not members of one or the other organization.

2. Participation of each organization in the meetings and conferences of the other, with the right to take part in the discussions on a consultative basis. The two organizations agree to avoid holding of meetings and conferences without prior consultation with the other organization.

3. Each organization may submit to the other proposals for technical consultation or specific action.

4. Continuous consultation and concerted effort by the Director-General of FAO and the Director of the OIE to reach the same or closely connected objectives and avoid duplication.

5. Mutual consultation by the Director-General of FAO and the Director of OIE on matters of common interest, with a view to promoting arrangements for joint action in specific fields.

6. Adoption by the Director of the OIE and the Director-General of FAO of appropriate administrative arrangements necessary to implement these policies.

ARTICLE V

To promote efficiency and avoid duplication, FAO and OIE will, in the course of the preparation of their respective programs of work, submit to each other their draft programs for comment and coordination, and each organization will take into account the recommendations of the other in preparing its final program for submission to its governing body.

ARTICLE VI

This agreement supersedes the informal relationships established by a note of understanding which was signed on 12 September 1947 at Geneva, Switzerland.

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