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V. The budget for 1954 and 1955
Amendments to the budget proposed by the Director-General
Appropriations according to chapters
Regional meetings
Desert locust control
Carry-over of funds from 1954 to 1955
Distribution of costs between the expanded technical assistance program and the regular program
Salary increments and allowances; vacancies
Management survey
258. Amendments to the Budget Proposed by the Director-General
The Conference
Having examined the program of work and budget for 1954 and 1955:
Approves the program and budgets as submitted by the Director-General with the following amendments:
1954 |
1955 |
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| Original budget proposed by Director-General | 6,040,000 | 6,200,000 | |||
| Plus: Director-General's proposals for Famine Investigating Machinery | 65,300 | 47,800 | |||
| Less: Reductions in expenditure proposed by the Director-General | 6,105,300 | 6,247,800 | |||
| Revised budget proposed by the Director-General | 58,780 | 63,988 | |||
Revisions approved by the Conference |
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1. Increases |
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| (a) Travel of 6 additional Council Members $4,500 less 53,000 provided by Director-General under Contingencies | 1,500 | 1,500 | |||
| (b) Cost of Management Survey | 30,000 | ||||
| (c) Cost of participating in ILO Administrative Tribunal | 1,000 | 1,000 | |||
| (d) Meetings of Committee on Commodity Problems Cost of Working Parties (i) Washington Meeting on Surpluses in Agriculture Commodities |
6,200 | ||||
| (ii)(d) Other Working Parties | 5,000 | 5000 | |||
| (e) Regional Meetings Cost of (i) Meeting in Latin America |
6,800 | ||||
| (ii) (e) Regional Meetings Cost of Consultative Meetings |
12,000 | 18,000 | |||
| (f) Installation, Rental and Operating Costs of Tabulating Machines | 32,000 | ||||
| (g) Desert Locust Control | 150,000 | ||||
| Total Increase: | 244,500 | 25,500 | |||
2. Decreases |
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| (a) Saving resulting from filling vacancies at lower salary levels than those of previous incumbents and from posts remaining vacant between separations and recruitment of replacements | 19,370 | 38,530 | |||
| (b) Elimination of biennial regional meetings | 7,500 | 7,500 | |||
| (c) Reduced cost of meetings of Committee on Commodity Problems | 1,500 | 750 | |||
| (d) Elimination of three posts in Informational and Educational Services | 9,216 | 9,528 | |||
| (e) Elimination of two posts in Regional Office for Asia and the Far East | 1,900 | 2,250 | |||
| (f) Elimination of provision for Dependancy Allowances | 66,000 | 66,000 | |||
| (g) Elimination of provision for Famine Investigating Machinery | 65,300 | 47,800 | |||
| (h) Elimination of provision for mid-year Council Session in 1954 | 25,500 | ||||
| (i) Savings to be effected by the Director-General | 95,234 | 36,954 | |||
| Total Decrease | 291,020 | 209,312 | |||
| Net Decrease | 46,520 | 183,810 | |||
| Revised Total Budget | 6,000,000 | 6,000,000 | |||
| Less: Miscellaneous Income (Revised ) | 74,500 | 56,000 | |||
| Net amount to be borne by Member Governments | 5,925,500 | 5,944,000 | |||
Appropriations according to chapters
The Conference
Resolves that for the financial years 1954 and 1955
(i) Appropriations are voted for the following purposes:
| 1954 | 1955 | ||
| Chapter I- Conference and Council | 220 127 | 320 523 | |
| Chapter II - Office of the Director-General | 322 710 | 341 394 | |
| Chapter III - Informational and Educational Services | 493 568 | 508 684 | |
| Chapter IV - Administrative and Financial Services; and Operating Services (Maintenance) | 960 629 | 949 636 | |
| Chapter V - Technical Divisions | 3 411 163 | 3 397 758 | |
| Chapter VI - Area Liaison Services (Regional Offices) . | 400 426 | 409 672 | |
| Chapter VII - Miscellaneous Expenditure | 93 900 | 68 900 | |
| Chapter VIII - Contingencies . | 42711 | 40387 | |
| Chapter IX - Special Provision Desert Locust Control, Resolution No. 34) |
150 000 | - | |
| Less: Savings to be effected by the Director-General | (95 234) | (36 1954) | |
| Total | 6 000 000 | 6 000 000 | |
(ii) That the appropriations voted in paragraph (i) above should be financed by
contributions from Member Nations after adjustment as provided in the Financial
Regulations; for this purpose Miscellaneous Income is estimated at $ 74,500 for the
financial year 1954 and at $ 56,000 for the financial year 1955;
(iii) That contributions from Member Nations in 1954 and 1955 should be paid in accordance with the scale adopted by the Conference at its Seventh . Session (see Appendix E).
260. The Conference approved that a regional meeting be held in Latin America in 1954 and that regional meetings be held to promote intergovernmental consultations on the selective and efficient expansion of agricultural production. One such consultative meeting will be held in each of the Near East and Far East regions in 1954, and one each in Latin America, Near East and 'Far East in 1955.
261. The Conference, in approving the provisions of $ 150,000 in 1954 for Desert Locust Control, drew the attention of the Director-General to the fact that this is a maximum provision under which the Director-General is authorized to match contributions from interested governments. Furthermore, the Conference determined that these funds shall be used only for Desert Locust Control and for no other purpose.
Carry-over of funds from 1954 to 1955
262. The Conference authorized, in accordance with Financial Regulation 4.5, the carryover to 1955 of the following budgetary provisions in Chapter I of the 1954 budget:
| (i) Sessions of the Conference | $ 32,755 |
| (ii) Conference Documents | 16,775 |
| $ 49,530 |
Distribution of costs between the expanded technical assistance program and the regular program
263. The Conference, having reviewed the reports of the Committee on Financial Control and of the Commissions of the Conference regarding the absorption of certain Technical Assistance Program costs within the regular program and budget of FAO, which under the TAB Financial Regulations are chargeable to ETAP funds, approved the adjustments made to date by the Director-General in reducing the cost which the regular budget has been bearing in respect of Technical Assistance activities.
264. It also decided that no additional costs shall be charged against the ETAP funds until the matter has been studied further by the Committee on Financial Control and the Coordinating Committee and requested that these two Committees examine the possibility of making such further adjustments over a period of time without impairing the Technical Assistance Program work in the field.
Salary increments and allowances; vacancies
265. The Conference considered the question of the cost to the Organization of mandatory salary increments and allowances, and expressed its concern at the impact which these expenses have on the budgets for 1954 and 1955 as explained by the Committee on Financial Control. The Conference believed that, after 1955, these increases should be absorbed from savings within total funds available. Accordingly, it requested that, in the preparation of future budgets, the Director-General exercise the greatest possible care when estimating the cost of personal services, so that the estimates reflect savings resulting from:
(i) the filling of vacancies at lower salary levels than those of the officers vacating the posts, and
(ii) posts remaining vacant for any period between the separation of one officer and the recruitment of another.
266. The Conference invited the Committee on Financial Control to review the methods employed by the Director-General in the computation of these factors in preparation of future budgets.
267. The Conference also indicated that the Director-General might call to the attention of the Consultative Committee on Administrative Questions the fact that FAO, as a result of the adoption of the UN system of salaries and allowances, is faced with increasing costs for personnel services without any increase in program resulting therefrom.
268. The Conference, being informed that the vacancies at the end of 1953 were considerably in excess of those contemplated when the 1954 and 1955 budgets were prepared, examined the possible savings that might be made in the Director-General's estimates for salaries and allowances. As a result of this examination, the Conference recommended that the budgets for 1954 and 1955 be reduced respectively by sums of $ 19,370 and $ 38,530
269. The Conference expressed the wish that all Member Governments be notified as early as possible in the year when the Director-General is seeking candidates to fill professional posts. It was suggested that a suitable opportunity for conveying such information to Member Governments would be in connection with the annual and statistical table showing the geographic distribution of the staff.
270. The Conference agreed that the recommendations of the Committee on Financial Control with regard to a management survey of the present administrative procedures and methods of the Organization should be accepted, and that the Director-General should proceed on the lines indicated in the Report of the Seventeenth Session of that Committee. The terms of reference of the survey would thus be:
To survey the administrative machinery of the Organization with particular regard to budgeting, accounting and personnel procedures, the provision of internal "housekeeping " and communications services for the use of Technical Divisions and the liaison and related functions performed by Administrative Officers attached to the Technical Divisions. to report on the effectiveness of this machinery in performing its prescribed functions within the constitution of the Organization and the rules laid down by the governing bodies for its conduct; to make recommendations as appropriate for the most efficient or economical conduct of these operations.
To investigate the procedures and methods whereby the Organization edits, translates, reproduces and distributes its publications and working papers and to determine whether the cost of such operations is justifiable with regard to the special requirements of the Organization, the limitations governing its work, and the special local conditions.
271. The Conference authorized the Director-General in agreement with the Chairman of the Committee of Financial Control, to appoint the person, firm or organization to conduct this management survey.
272. The report of the management expert appointed should be made available to Member Governments on their request, but the implementation of the proposals in the report will be the responsibility of the Director-General.
273. The Conference emphasized that its decision to call for such a survey in no way implied criticism of the present practices of the Organization, but indicated the desire to have examined objectively, with a view to possible increases in efficiency and economy, an administrative structure and procedures which had been required to adapt itself to a great variety of circumstances within the space of a few years.
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