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V. Program of work and budget for 1951

A. Income in 1951
B. Prior charges in 1951
C. Program of work and budget for 1951
D. (1) Tropical agriculture and (2) Horticulture
E. Regional arrangements
F. Personnel and related matters

The Conference had before it the Draft Program of Work (C50/3), the Draft Budget (C50/4), together with the Report of the Committee on Financial Control (C50/5), Report on Regional Organization (C50/7), and certain recommendations of the Tenth Session of the Council (C50/27, C50/30). The following items were considered: Income in 1951, prior charges on 1951 income, general economies envisaged in 1951 expenditure on program activities, specific features of the 1951 Program and Budget general principles regarding the formulation of the Program for 1952 and 1953, and expenditure ceilings for 1952 and 1953.

The Program of Work and Budget for 1951 were adopted by the Conference at its Tenth and Eleventh Plenary Meetings, 11 November, in the following series of resolutions:

A. Income in 1951

The Conference -

Following the suggestions of the Council (C50/30), anticipates that 1951 receipts will reach the level of $4.5 million, and

- Authorizes the Director-General to incur expenditures during 1951 within the foreseeable receipts in that financial year, after providing for any authorized allocation for Headquarters removal costs, and to plan the program of activity based on an expenditure of $4.5 million, as contained in the Draft Program of Work for 1951 (C50/3), until such time as the actual income of the Organization in 1951 exceeds $4.5 million, after which he shall have discretion to complete such parts of the $5.0 million program as may be practicable.

B. Prior charges in 1951

The Conference -

- Decides that prior charges on the 1951 receipts of the Organization shall be (a) $200,000, first installment on repayment of the United Nations loan, and (b) $150,000 needed to cover the balance of the removal costs, this amount being made up of $100,000 previously earmarked to repay borrowing from the Working Capital Fund, now no longer required; $25,000 of miscellaneous receipts; and $25,000, consisting of a first charge on savings resulting from application of the cost-of-living differential, from vacant posts. and from other consequences of the move.

C. Program of work and budget for 1951

The Conference -

Having examined the Program of Work (C50/3), the Draft Budget (C50/4), Part I of the Report of the Committee on Financial Control (C50/5), and the Director-General's paper on Regional Organization (C50/7), and having taken note of the various specific recommendations made by the Committee on Financial Control regarding economies to be effected during 1951,

- Adopts the Program of Work and the Budget, and the Removal Budget annexed thereto, subject to the recommendations and comments listed below, and

- Authorizes the Director-General to undertake expenditures in accordance with this Budget.

D. (1) Tropical agriculture and (2) Horticulture

The Conference -

Attachés special importance to including, even within the smaller Program of Work, agricultural improvement projects in (1) tropical agriculture (C50/3, p. 20, Ag. 2.1.3) and (2) in horticulture (C50/3, p. 36, Ag. 5.6), and

- Requests the Director-General to provide for this work out of anticipated savings. If savings do not materialize, activities should have first priority in the utilization of any receipts over and above $4.5 million.

E. Regional arrangements

European regional office
Latin-American regional offices
Far east regional office
North American regional office
Regional information services
Pre-conference regional meetings
Co-operation with the organization of American States

European regional office

The Conference -

Having considered the provisions of the Budget for terminating the European Regional Office as of 1 May 1951,

- Decides to accept the abolition of this office with the recommendation that its technical and co-ordinating services for Europe be maintained within the Organization, leaving to the discretion of the Director-General the manner in which this is to be accomplished.

Latin-American regional offices

The Conference -

With respect to regional offices in Latin-America, observes that FAO staff is already located at Santiago, Chile, and at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and

- Decides to leave to the discretion of the Director-General the location of other subregional offices, bearing in mind the views of the countries concerned and the desirability of maintaining effective contact with other international organizations in the field of food and agriculture.

Far east regional office

The Conference -

Noting that the future location of the Bangkok office is to be reviewed in 1951 and determined at the Sixth Session of the Conference, has examined the question of raising the information center in New Delhi to the status of a sub-regional office, and

- Decides to take no action on the matter at this time.

North American regional office

The Conference -

- Approves the creation of this office but understands that liaison with the United Nations

The Delegate of Belgium reserved his Government's position on this item and its agencies in North America should be maintained direct between Headquarters and these agencies, making use as may be found convenient of the facilities of the North American Regional Office.

Regional information services

The Conference -

Taking account of the need for providing each region with information material about FAO in suitable form and in the necessary languages, and taking also into account the suggestion of the Committee on Financial Control (C50/5, paragraph 52) that funds might be diverted from this service to expenditure on technical programs,

- Decides nevertheless to maintain these services.

Pre-conference regional meetings

The Conference -

Having noted the suggestion of the Committee on Financial Control on Pre-Conference Regional Meetings (C50/5, paragraph 31), and also the recommendation of the Fifth Session of the Conference that the Governments of the regions be consulted at least four months in advance as to whether such meetings are desired,

- Recommends that the decision of the Fifth Session be sustained, as providing sufficient latitude and allowing an opportunity for each country to participate in the decision as to whether such meetings shall be held.

Co-operation with the organization of American States

The Conference -

Noting with approval that the Director-General has made reference in his Report to a number of activities which have been carried out in cooperation with the Organization of American States and in particular with the Inter American Institute of Agricultural Sciences;

Considering that the objectives of FAO and OAS will be greatly furthered by strengthening the relations between the two organizations with respect to their activities concerned with food and agriculture; and

Considering that it is to the interests of the governments members of both organizations to promote a concentration of effort and coordination of activities carried out through FAO and OAS;

- Urges governments members of both organizations to establish effective national procedures for co-ordinating their participation in FAO and OAS; and

- Requests the Director-General of FAO to consult with the Secretary-General of OAS on over-all relationships and procedures (a) to formulate appropriate joint or complementary activities, (b) to avoid overlapping or duplicating activities, (c) to utilize common services wherever feasible, and (d) to report to the Council and the next regular Session of the Conference on these consultations, including in his report the text of a draft general agreement of relationships between FAO and OAS for the consideration of the Conference of FAO and the appropriate body of the OAS.

F. Personnel and related matters

Reorganization of the secretariat
Application of cost-of-living differential in Rome
Staff pension fund
Legal adviser
Proposals regarding a system of FAO attachés
Advisory committees
Form of the budget and: of the program of work
Principles governing the program of work and budget in 1952,1953, and thereafter

Reorganization of the secretariat

The Conference -

Having noted the Director-General's statement on the proposed administrative reorganization,

- Expresses the hope (a) that the rural welfare work of the Organization will be given every consideration; ( b ) that the reorganization will result in greater efficiency and, in the long. run, in financial economies; and (c) that the Director-General, when discussing the long-term objectives of the Organization with the Council at a later stage, will relate the reorganization plan to these objectives.

Application of cost-of-living differential in Rome

The Conference has reviewed the question of the appropriate cost-of-living differential to be applied to salaries of the FAO international staff in Rome, including the method and timing of the application of such a differential. The Conference notes that the United Nations has conducted a survey, the results of which indicate that the cost of living for international staff members in Rome is approximately 10 percent below- that of Washington. The Conference further notes that the Director-General, in line with the recommendation of the UN Committee of Experts on Salaries, Allowance, and Leave Systems, proposed to apply this 10 percent differential to the extent of 75 percent of the salary of international staff members. The Conference further notes that the General Assembly of the United Nations is considering the question of the extent of application of cost-of-living differentials to base salaries.

The Conference therefore

- Recommends that the Organization provide salary advances to transferring staff members equal to their salaries for the month during which they are transferring to Rome, together with the following month, at the Washington pay rate without deduction of any differential;

- Recommends that thereafter for 1951 the Director-General apply a minus 10 percent cost-of-living differential to 75 percent of the salary of each international staff member of FAO in Rome;

- Recommends that the question of cost-of-living differentials applicable within the Organization be fully reviewed by the next Session of the Conference in the light, among other factors, of any relevant action taken by the General Assembly of the United Nations.

Staff pension fund

The Conference has noted the action of the Ninth Session of the Council appointing Dr. Henry II. Lichtenberg, Chief Medical Consultant of FAO, Washington, D. C., and Miss Carol Laise, U.S.A., as member and alternate member of the FAO Staff Pension Committee.

The Conference -

- Approves this action retroactively;

- Approves the continued appointment of these two members to serve on this Pension Committee until the removal of Headquarters to Rome ; and

- Appoints as members of the FAO Staff Pension Committee, in accordance with Article 21 of the Joint Staff Pension Regulations,

as members, and

as alternates, to serve until the next Session of the Conference.

Legal adviser

The Conference -

Having observed that the Program of Work for 1951 contains no provision for the post of legal adviser, but that the Report of the Committee on Financial Control (C50/5, paragraph 36) includes an item of $3,000 for ad hoc legal advice.

- Approves of this economy, subject to the reservation that this position may have to be reconsidered at the Sixth Session of the Conference.

Proposals regarding a system of FAO attachés

The Conference -

- Notes the point of view of the Director-General as presented in C50/7 and suggests that he develop these proposals further, considering them also in relation to his study of the long-term objectives of the Organization.

Advisory committees

The Conference -

Recalls that the Technical Co-ordinating Committee is a constitutional organ of the Food and Agriculture Organization and

- Decides with regret that financial stringency does not allow the calling in 1951 of meetings of several of the Standing Advisory Committees or of a meeting of the Technical Co-ordinating Committee.

Form of the budget and: of the program of work

The Conference -

Having noted that, for the time being, the Director-General's reorganization proposals are not expected to involve any material change in the form of the Budget,

- Requests the Director-General to give full attention to the recommendations appearing in the Report of the Committee on Financial Control (C50/5), notably to those appearing in paragraphs 16 to 18, and to suggestions made during the present Special Session.

Principles governing the program of work and budget in 1952,1953, and thereafter

The Conference -

Taking note of the resolution (C50/30) adopted by the Tenth Session of the Council, which asks the Conference to express its views on certain basic problems concerning the future activities of the Organization;

Noting also that, because these questions have been raised only at a Special Session of a limited character, it has not been possible for the Conference to give useful replies to the issues raised in the Council resolution;

- Requests the Council to initiate at its Eleventh Session a thorough study of the problems which it raised in C50/30, points (a) through (f) and associated long-term problems, and subsequently to present the conclusions reached in the form of a report to member governments four months before the next Session of the Conference;

- Recommends that

- Requests the Director-General immediately to invite all member governments to communicate to him, not later than 15 February 1951. their views 011 the matters under consideration, including the points raised in C50/30, (a) through (f), for transmission to the Council and the working party.

REFERENCE LIST, PROGRAM OF WORK AND BUDGET FOR 1951

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