Contents
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A. Election of the Chairman and Vice-Chairmen
of the Conference
B. Appointment of the General Committee and
the Credentials Committees
C.
Adoption of the Agenda
D. Arrangements for the Session and
Allocation of Agenda Items
E. Admission of Observers
F. Informal Meeting of Observers from
International Non-Governmental Organizations (INGOs)
A. Election of the Chairman and Vice-Chairmen of the Conference
17. The Council nominated and the Conference elected S. Mullings (Jamaica) as Chairman of the Twenty-seventh Session of the Conference.
18. The Conference approved the appointment of the three Vice-Chairmen of the Conference recommended by the Nominations Committee, as follows:
B. Appointment of the General Committee and the Credentials Committees
19. The Nominations Committee recommended and the Conference approved the following appointments:
Members of the General Committee
Members of the Credentials Committee
20. The Conference adopted its Agenda as amended by the General Committee, and as given in Appendix A to this report.
D. Arrangements for the Session and Allocation of Agenda Items
Establishment of Commissions and Appointment of their Chairmen. Vice-Chairmen. Rapporteur and Drafting Committees
Resolutions Committee of the Conference.
Right of Reply
Verbatim Records
Verification of Credentials
Voting Rights
Conference Timetable
21. The Conference adopted the arrangements and timetable proposed by the Hundred and Third Session of the Council, as amended by the General Committee.
22. The Conference concurred with the Council's recommendations to establish three Commissions to consider and report upon Parts I, II and III of the Agenda.
23. In accordance with Rule VII-l and Rule XXIV-5 (b) of the General Rules of the Organization (GRO), the Hundred and Fourth Session of the Council had nominated the following Chairmen of the Commissions:
24. Ms A. Boudjelti (Algeria) was elected as Chairperson of the Drafting Committee for Commission I with the following membership: Algeria, Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Indonesia, Korea (Republic of), Lesotho, New Zealand, Sudan, Sweden, Syria, Turkey and Venezuela.
25. Mr. W.H. Marsh (United States of America) was elected as Chairman of the Drafting Committee for Commission II with the following membership: Canada, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Haiti, India, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Mexico, Philippines, Senegal, United States of America, Zambia.
26. Mr. N.C. Magedaragamage (Sir Lanka) was elected as Rapporteur of Commission III.
27. The Conference appointed the foregoing officers and, taking into consideration the proposals of the General Committee, in accordance with Rule XIII-2 GRO, also appointed the following Vice-Chairmen:
Commission I:
Commission II:
Commission III:
Resolutions Committee of the Conference.
28. The Conference endorsed the recommendation of the Hundred and Third Session of the Council to establish a Resolutions Committee of seven members, one from each region, and appointed the following:
| Africa: | Uganda |
| Asia: | Thailand |
| Europe: | Malta |
| Latin America and the Caribbean: | El Salvador |
| Near East: | Iraq |
| North America: | United States of America |
| Southwest Pacific: | New Zealand |
29. The Conference agreed to the recommendations of the General
Committee that the Resolutions Committee be chaired by the
Representative of the Europe Region, F. Montanaro Mifsud (Malta).
30. The Conference approved the functions of the Resolutions Committee and the criteria for the formulation of resolutions, as given in document C 93/12, Appendix D.
31. The Conference confirmed the decision taken at its 13 previous sessions to the effect that, when a member wished to reply to criticisms of his government's policy, he should preferably do so on the afternoon of the day on which such criticism had been voiced after all those wishing to participate in the discussion had had an opportunity to speak.
32. As provided for in Rule XVIII-1 GRO, Verbatim Records were kept of all Conference Plenary and Commission meetings. The Conference endorsed the recommendation of the General Committee that statements could be inserted in the verbatim records when time did not permit them to be delivered, taking into consideration, however, the conditions laid down by the General Committee.
33. The credentials of delegations of 165 Members were found valid. Four Member Nations did not send a delegation to the Conference.
34. The credentials of the representatives of the United Nations, specialized agencies and related organizations were duly deposited as prescribed under Rule III-2 GRO.
35. The Conference noted that, in accordance with Article III-4 of the Constitution, at the beginning of the session 22 Member Nations had no right to vote in the Conference, since the amount of their arrears of contributions to the Organization exceeded the amount of the contributions due from them for the two preceding years. Nevertheless the Conference decided that all Member Nations in attendance be authorized to vote on Saturday 6 November and Tuesday 9 November 1993 on Item 25 of the Agenda for Membership in the Organization) and on Monday 8 November 1993 on Item 27.1 of the Agenda (Appointment of the Director-General).
36. Subsequently, five of these Member Nations (Burkina Faso, the Gambia, Guatemala, Equatorial Guinea and Sao Tome and Principe) made payments sufficient to regain their voting rights.
37. The Conference also agreed that voting rights should be restored to 14 Member Nations (Antigua and Barbuda, Cambodia, Chad, Comoros, Dominican Republic, Gabon, Haiti, Iraq, Liberia, Niger, Paraguay, Sierra Leone, Somalia and Suriname) because it was satisfied that failure to pay was due to conditions beyond their control. It further agreed that the remaining Member Nations (Bolivia and Seychelles) be authorized to vote for the remaining period of the Conference.
38. The Conference, mindful of concerns regarding the procedures and practices presently followed by the Organization for restoring the voting rights of Member Nations in arrears of assessed contributions, requested the Finance Committee and the Council to address the issue and report its findings to the Twenty-eighth Session of the Conference. Particular concern was expressed over the unsatisfactory results of the practice of allowing Member Nations, which had lost their voting rights as a consequence of their arrears position, to have them restored by paying contributions under special instalment plans. However, application of the provisions of Article III-4 should also be reviewed, in general and with a view to defining the criteria to be applied in assessing and determining the conditions deemed beyond the control of a Member Nations. To facilitate the work of the Finance Committee and the Council, the Conference requested the Director-General to review the procedures and practices of the UN and the other Specialized Agencies in the search for alternative procedures and practices, and to provide the Finance Committee with an assessment of the alternatives relative to those presently followed by the Organization.
39. The Conference also urged all Member Nations to pay their contributions and any arrears as soon as possible.
40. The Conference was informed of the problems faced by the representatives of some developing Member Nations who were unable to remain at the Conference beyond the first week because of economic constraints. The Conference therefore recommended that at its subsequent sessions consideration be given to having key votes taken during the first week in order to accommodate those Member Nations that could only be present at that time. The Conference also recommended that the Secretariat consider ways and means of shortening the duration of future Conference sessions.
Observers from Applicants for Membership
Admission of Observers from the Russian Federation. Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova
Liberation Movements
Intergovernmental and International Non-Governmental Organizations
Observers from Applicants for Membership
41. The Director-General had provisionally invited the applicants for membership: Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Czech Republic, Eritrea, Kyrgyz Republic, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, South Africa and The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to be represented by observers until their admission to the Organization had been decided upon. The Conference approved the Director-General's action in regard to these countries.
Admission of Observers from the Russian Federation. Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova
42. The Conference confirmed the invitations issued by the Director-General to the Governments of the Russian Federation and Ukraine to attend the session in an observer capacity. The Conference also agreed to invite the Republic of Moldova to be represented by an observer at the session.
43. The Conference confirmed the invitations issued by the Director-General at the suggestion of the Council at its Hundred and Third Session, to the Palestine Liberation Organization and those African Liberation Movements (African National Congress of South Africa and Pan Africanist Congress of Azania) recognized by the OAU (Organization of African Unity) to attend the session as observers.
Intergovernmental and International Non-Governmental Organizations
44. The Conference reviewed the list of intergovernmental organizations with which FAO did not have a formal agreement and international non-governmental organizations which did not have consultative status with FAO, to which the Director-General had extended a provisional invitation to the Conference session, and confirmed the said provisional invitations.
F. Informal Meeting of Observers from International Non-Governmental Organizations (INGOs)
45. The Hundred and Third Session of the Council had suggested that, as was the practice at previous sessions of the Conference, an informal meeting of representatives of international nongovernmental organizations admitted as observers to the Twenty-seventh Session of the Conference should be convened on Tuesday 9 November 1993. The Conference accepted this proposal. The meeting elected E.H. Hartmans (Caritas Internationalis) as Chairman, and the report of its deliberations was communicated to the Conference.
Contents
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