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FAO Conference and FAO Council
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FAO Conference
"There shall be a Conference of the Organization in which each Member Nation and Associate Member shall be represented by one delegate."FAO Constitution, Article III.1
"The Conference shall determine the policy and approve the budget of the Organization and shall exercise the other powers conferred upon it by this Constitution"FAO Constitution, Article IV.1
The Conference is the supreme governing body of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Comprising all 176 FAO Members (presently 175 States and one Member Organization, the European Community) it meets in regular session every two years. Its main functions are to determine the policies of the Organization, approve the budget, and make recommendations to Members and international organizations on any matter pertaining to the purposes of FAO.
The Conference also elects the Council comprising 49 Member Nations. For the purpose of Council elections, the membership of FAO is divided into seven regions, each with a fixed number of seats.
FAO Council
"A Council of the organization consisting of forty-nine Member Nations shall be elected by the Conference. Each Member Nation on the Council shall have one representative and shall have only one vote."FAO Constitution, Article V.1
The Council is the executive organ of the Conference. It exercises powers delegated to it by the Conference and meets at least three times between regular Conference sessions. The Council comprises 49 Member Nations each elected by the Conference for a three-year term with one-third of the membership standing down each year.
An Independent Chairman of the Council is appointed by the Conference for a renewable two-year term. The present incumbent, Sjarifudin Baharsjah of Indonesia, was appointed by the Conference in 1997 for a term of office expiring at the conclusion of the 1999 Conference session.