REPORT

Hundred and Twelfth Session

Rome, 2-7 June 1997

Suggested that in future reporting, the Secretariat should take a more future-oriented view, increase its monitoring of prices, stocks, stock to consumption ratio, export earnings and the broad food security situation (para. 7)

Recognised the importance of the reform process underway in world agricultural trade policy (para. 9)

Noted the need for improved access for the exports of all countries, especially the developing countries as a way to increase countries' capacity to import their food needs (para. 9)

Recognised that food production fluctuations in developing countries could be reduced by better control of water, especially through appropriate use of irrigation, reducing post harvest losses, strengthening research and extension, and improving agricultural infrastructure (para. 10)

Recognised that food production would need to be boosted in many developing countries to support a reasonable degree of self-reliance (para. 11)

Endorsed the report of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) on all aspects of the World Food Summit and the follow-up to the Declaration and Plan of Action, prepared in compliance with Conference Resolution 2/95 (para. 12)

Decided to transmit this report to the Twenty-ninth Session of the Conference, with its own views as reflected below (para. 12)

Reaffirmed its satisfaction that the Summit had met the objectives of sensitizing public opinion to the importance of achieving food security for all, of providing a framework for concerted action to achieve it, and of moving food security higher on the national and international political agenda (para. 13)

Reaffirmed the catalytic role of FAO, in supporting this follow-up process in cooperation with all organizations in the UN system, as well as other competent international institutions (para. 14)

Endorsed the monitoring and reporting process proposed by the Committee on World Food Security (para. 16)

Approved the proposed workplan for the gradual development and establishment of FIVIMS at national and international levels, building upon existing information systems and mechanisms (para. 17)

Welcomed the arrangements endorsed by the Administrative Committee on Coordination (ACC), for inter-agency follow-up to the Summit (para. 18)

Re-confirmed its support for the objectives of the Special Programme for Food Security (SPFS) (para. 20)

Welcomed South-South and extra-budgetary support to the SPFS from members, multilateral institutions, international and regional financial institutions (para. 20)

Adopted the reports of the Third Extraordinary and Seventh Regular Sessions of the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (para. 22)

Emphasized, in particular, the importance of developing the Global Strategy for the Management of Farm Animal Genetic Resources and supporting national efforts to implement the Global Plan of Action on Plant Genetic Resources (para. 24)

Reiterated the priorities set by the Seventh Session of the Commission: the convening, as a first priority, of an Extraordinary Session of the Commission devoted solely to the continuing negotiations for the revision of the International Undertaking; as a second priority, of the Inter-governmental Technical Working Groups on Farm Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture; and as the third priority, of the Inter-governmental Technical Working Groups on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (para. 24)

Urged the Director-General to allocate the necessary funds in the budget and, if necessary, seek extra-budgetary resources to ensure the holding of the meetings agreed by the Commission (para. 24)

Agreed on the urgent need to convene the proposed Extraordinary Session of the Commission, but no agreement was reached on whether this session should be held before or after the Fourth Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (para. 25)

Welcomed the contributions that had been made by Switzerland, Sweden and Norway to support the participation of developing countries in the negotiations and to support regional meetings (para. 26)

Invited donor countries to provide further funds to ensure developing country participation in future negotiations (para. 26)

Adopted the Report of the Twenty-second Session of the Committee on Fisheries (para. 29)

Reconfirmed the importance of the implementation of the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries if fish stocks were to be managed in a sustainable manner (para. 29)

Reiterated the need for guidelines to be established on the relevant articles of the Code (para. 29)

Reaffirmed the need to increase the contribution of aquaculture to employment and income of rural populations and thus to food security (para. 29)

Called for priority to be given to the sustainable development of environmentally-sound aquaculture (para. 29)

Stressed the need for effective regional fishery organizations and arrangements (para. 29)

Agreed that FAO regional fishery bodies should be reviewed and evaluated by their respective members on a case by case basis, with a view to strengthening each body as appropriate (para. 29)

Stressed that excessive fishing capacity and fishing effort leading to overfishing continue to require special attention by FAO and Member Nations (para. 29)

Adopted the Report of the 13th Session of the Committee on Forestry (para. 30)

Supported FAO's activities in the promotion of sustainable forest management, especially in the follow-up to UNCED as Task Manager for the Implementation of Agenda 21 and in support of the Inter-governmental Panel on Forests (IPF) (para. 30)

Agreed that in view of the post-UNCED importance of Forestry, FAO should allocate additional resources to the Forestry Programme (para. 30)

Supported the recommendation of COFO for the further prioritization of FAO's activities in forestry (para. 30)

Established an Informal open-ended Working Group which agreed on a text of the revised International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) (para. 33)

After agreeing to the inclusion of an additional article to specify the relation of the revised IPPC to other relevant international agreements, decided that the additional article would be submitted to the Committee on Constitutional and Legal Matters (CCLM) at its Sixty-eighth Session, to consider its legal implications and to determine its precise wording and place within the Convention (para. 34)

Urged that high priority be given to the reporting of the occurence, outbreak or spread of pests and urged that relevant procedures applicable to this reporting be established (para. 35)

Unanimously recommended that the revised text of the IPPC be transmitted through the CCLM and the Hundred and Thirteenth Session of the Council to the Twenty-ninth Session of the Conference for adoption (para. 36)

Recommended that the Conference, in adopting the revised IPPC, consider the necessity for appropriate interim measures for the period between the adoption of the IPPC and its entry into force, including the establishment of an interim Commission on Phytosanitary Measures (para. 38)

Welcomed the importance given to the follow up to the World Food Summit (para. 39)

Stressed the importance of WFP for development activities (para. 39)

Recognised the usefulness of the synergetic collaboration between WFP and FAO (para. 39)

Approved the Executive Board's Report (para. 40)

Adopted Resolution 1/112 on Target for WFP pledges for the period 1999-2000 (para. 41)

Agreed that following their consideration at the Hundred and Thirteenth Session of the Council the following two additional items would be referred to Conference and would be in its Provisional Agenda and timetable: (a) Negotiation of a Legally-Binding Instrument on Prior Informed Consent (PIC); (b) Desert Locust Control Situation: Measures Taken and Further Action Required (para. 45)

Agreed to submit to the Conference for approval the provisional agenda, the tentative timetable and the arrangements outlined in the draft document as amended above (para. 46)

Recommended that: (a) the Conference be convened from 7 to 18 November 1997; (b) three Commissions be established to examine Parts I, II and III of the Agenda; (c) the deadline for the receipt of nominations for election to the Council be at 12.00 hours on Saturday 8 November; (d) the statements of Heads of Delegation be limited to a maximum of 5 minutes each; (e) votes to elect Members of the Council, to appoint the Independent Chairman of the Council and to decide on the budget level, be scheduled for Friday 14 November (para. 46)

Endorsed the Programme Committee's views on the Programme Evaluation Report 1996-97, especially those on the inclusion of programme managers' comments on the individual programme reviews and the summary assessment on programme performance based on the criteria for programme analysis suggested by the Council at its Hundred and Tenth Session (Rome, 2-3 November 1995) (para. 50)

Agreed that these innovations enhanced the transparency of the evaluation process and promoted interaction between evaluators and programme managers (para 50)

Endorsed the Programme Committee's recommendations for further improving the analytical content of the Programme Evaluation Report (para. 51)

Highlighted, in particular, the need for more systematic analysis of the effects and impact of FAO programmes, as well as the use of external expertise in programme evaluation while bearing in mind the cost implications of such approaches (para. 51)

Endorsed the recommendations of the Programme and Finance Committees with regard to FAO publications: (a) that the proposed change in publication distribution from the quota distribution system to that based on "national publication accounts" be accepted in principle for further consideration; and (b) that all major FAO publications be issued, in all five official languages, recognizing the need for flexibility in certain cases (para. 52)

Agreed that the Medium-Term Plan should reflect the conclusions and recommendations of the Technical Committees of the Council, in particular the Committees on Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (para. 55)

Agreed that the Plan should be a tool for establishing agreement among the membership on broad policy orientations and priorities (para. 57)

Recognised the force of the recommendation from the Programme Commmittee that the Governing Bodies should revisit medium-term planning practices in FAO (para. 58)

Requested the Secretariat to prepare a paper for the Programme Committee at its September 1997 session which reviewed and discussed the options for an adapted medium-term planning process (para. 60)

Concluded that consideration of the Medium-Term Plan by the Conference together with the proposals for an adapted planning process would facilitate Conference decisions (para. 61)

Welcomed the integration of "other" income into the Programme of Work, and looked forward to its further elaboration and refinement in the full Programme of Work and Budget (para. 62)

Endorsed the new programming approach being tested in the Summary Programme of Work and Budget (SPWB) under Programme 2.1.1 Natural Resources (para. 63)

Agreed that it was too early to prejudge the outcome of the discussions being held in the UN Committee on Contributions in New York (para. 79)

Requested the Secretariat to follow the evolution of the matter in New York, and report to the Finance Committee at its September Session and to the Hundred and Thirteenth Session of the Council with an updated situation (para. 79)

Deferred its recommendation of a Draft Resolution on Scale of Contributions 1998-99 until it reviewed the matter again at its Hundred and Thirteenth Session (para. 79)

Requested that the Finance Committee once again review the recommendation regarding the continuation or not of the Incentive Scheme to Encourage Prompt Payment of Contributions (para. 80)

Agreed on the need to correctly account for the cost of After Service Medical Coverage (para. 80)

Recognised that full service costs for current employees should be included in the budget but that certain questions, particularly as regarded the responsibility for that part of the accumulated liability relating to staff funded by other institutions, remained outstanding (para. 80)

Requested the Director-General to continue to explore solutions to covering the accumulated liability so as to minimize the negative effects on the substantive output of the Organization, taking into account other approaches being adopted in the UN system (para. 80)

Concluded that the Finance Committee should again consider the matter at its September session where it should address the proposals of the Director-General in the context of the full Programme of Work and Budget 1998-99 (para. 80)

Urged that action be continued to the extent possible to reverse the trend to transfer resources from the technical programmes to general policy and direction, support and common services (para. 80)

Broadly endorsed both the Conclusions of the Programme and Finance Committees and the suggestions in paragraph 26 of CL 112/20 (para. 82)

Reiterated that the search for further savings should not detract from the contributions of Technical Committees, and in particular the effectiveness of governance and the role of the Council and Conference as unique inter-governmental policy fora (para. 82)

Welcomed the recommendations that Technical Committee sessions should be held earlier in Conference years, and that the January Joint Session of the Programme and Finance Committees in Conference years be eliminated (para. 83)

Agreed that further consultation among Member Nations was required, with advice from the Programme and Finance Committees, on how further streamlining could be achieved (para. 83)

Agreed that it was important to obtain agreement of the countries of the region before changes were made (para. 84)

Welcomed the decision of the Programme and Finance Committees to set up a Contact Group to review in detail the recommendations provided in Annex II of CL 112/14 on Commissions and Committees and Expert Committees and Panels (para. 85)

Agreed that the Codex Alimentarius Commission should review all proposals pertaining to its Bodies (para. 85)

Requested that the Contact Group take into account the views and detailed points made in the Council discussion and consult closely with concerned Member Nations (para. 85)

Adopted the Report of the Sixty-sixth Session of the CCLM (para. 86)

Concurred with the proposed amendment to Rule XXXIII of the General Rules of the Organization (para. 87)

Recommended that it be referred, together with the draft Resolution on Amendments to the Rule XXXIII of the General Rules of the Organization (Committee on World Food Security), to the Conference at its Twenty-ninth Session in November 1997 for consideration and adoption (para. 87)

Approved the proposed Cooperation Agreement between FAO and the Regional Centre on Agrarian Reform and Rural Development for the Near East (CARDNE) as set out in Appendix G to this Report (para. 89)

Recommended its transmission to the Conference at its Twenty-ninth Session in November 1997 for confirmation (para. 89)

Approved the proposed Cooperation Agreement between FAO and the Intergovernmental Organization for Marketing Information and Technical Advisory Services for Fishery Products in the Asia and Pacific Region (INFOFISH) as set out in Appendix H to this Report (para. 90)

Recommended its transmission to the Conference at its Twenty-ninth Session in November 1997 for confirmation (para. 90)

Agreed, in accordance with paragraph B-1 and B-2 of the "Statement of Principles relating to the Granting of Observer Status to Nations", that: a) the Russian Federation and Kazakstan attend the Hundred and Twelfth Session of the Council in an observer capacity; b) the Russian Federation attend as an observer the Tenth Session of the General Fisheries Council of the Mediterranean (GFCM), Rome, 17-20 June 1997 (FI-720) (para. 91)

Agreed that its Hundred and Thirteenth Session should be convened in Rome from 4 to 6 November 1997 (para. 95)