CHAIRMAN: I am advised by the Secretariat that a quorum exists for us to start our proceedings this morning. I therefore call the Third Session of Commission II to order.
Before I move to the substantive aspects of our deliberations, I would like to make some comments of a personal nature. I hope you will bear with me. I would first of all like to express my deep appreciation of the honour you have done to. me by electing me as one of the Vice-Chairmen of this Commission. I would like to assure you that it will be my endeavour to measure up to the high standard you expect from the Chairman of this Commission. Mr Bula Hoyos, as you are aware, has been prevented from chairing the Commission this morning by circumstances which are beyond his control. While regretting his absence for those-reasons, he has kindly asked me to chair this Session. In undertaking the task of conducting today's meeting I must express my inadequacies. Mr Bula Hoyos, of whom you are fully aware, is a person of great distinction, which I am not. He - is an extremely articulate man, which I am not. His association with this Organization dates back more than 10 years, I am just a newcomer. But in spite of all the differences that we have between the Chairman and myself, we are united in a common objective which is that we should ensure that this debate in this prestigious Commission comes to a close in a constructive and positive manner. I would therefore request delegates to extend the same kind of cooperation as they have extended to my predecessor, Mr Bula Hoyos, who will resume his chairmanship of this body in the afternoon.
As regards the timetable, if you have. read the Order of the Day you will find an announcement which, by implication, suggests that the Commission might extend beyond this evening and go on to Friday, there being no session tomorrow. But I would like to remind you that the Chairman of the Commission, Mr Bula Hoyos, earlier asked members of the delegations who participate to complete the debate by this evening, if necessary by extending the period of our debate. I hope delegates will be prepared to do that, so that we can proceed with the task of drafting the report in time, without extending the debate on Friday.
Since I think this has the approbation of the house, I would expect the delegates to operate in maintaining the timetable which the Chairman has set before us. We have a list of speakers, and I would like to name the countries whose delegates have expressed an interest in participating in the debate. They are: Lebanon; Yemen Arab Republic; Honduras; Australia; Philippines; Netherlands; Ethiopia; Republic of Korea; Italy; Senegal; United Kingdom; Kuwait; Turkey; Guinea Bissau; Gambia; France; Jordan; Spain; Tunisia; Switzerland; Cuba; Mexico; Pakistan; Bangladesh; Finland; Bhutan; Barbados. I see that the Nordic countries have asked for the floor a second time, or Denmark has asked for the floor for the second time, they will speak after Barbados. Then Trinidad and Tobago will speak, followed by Sweden and Egypt for the second time. The last speaker on my list is Bolivia. I am not closing the list of speakers but should there be any further potential speakers who would wish tc participate in the debate they should raise their hands now so that we can at least make a tentative list for today.
As I mentioned earlier, Lebanon is the first speaker for this morning, and I would like to call upon che reprssentative of Lebanon to take the floor.
M. S. SARRAF (Liban) (langue originale arabe): Je voudrais tout d'abord féliciter M. Bula Hoyos de son élection à la présidence de la Deuxième Commission. Nous savons tous l'importance qu'il accorde à nos activités et nous connaissons tous ses compétences dans ce domaine.
Je voudrais également vous féliciter, Monsieur le Président, ainsi que M. le représentant de la République fédérale d'Allemagne, à l'occasion de votre élection à la vice-présidence de cette Commission.
Je voudrais également remercier M. Shah d'avoir présenté une introduction très précise, très détaillée et complète du Programme de travail et Budget.
Nous avons étudié le Programme de travail et Budget pour 1986-87. Nous l'avons étudié longuement au Comité du programme, au Comité financier et pendant la dernière session du Conseil. Et je suis très heureux de dire que nous avons abouti à des résultats positifs concernant l'approbation de ce Programme bien que certains pays aient exprimé des réserves.
Je voudrais à ce sujet mentionner ce qu'a dit M. le représentant du Danemark lorsqu'il a souhaité que les délégations pensent à l'avenir, et à l'adaptation des programmes aux possibilités financières. Je pense que nous y avons effectivement songé lorsque nous avons présenté le Programme. Nous avons pris en compte l'aspect financier et nous sommes parmi ceux qui pensent que ce Programme est en fait le minimum acceptable. Je ne voudrais pas m'attarder sur ce sujet, mais la délégation du Liban voudrait affirmer une fois de plus son attitude concernant ce Programme de travail et Budget que nous sommes en train d'étudier actuellement, et cette position est la suivante:
Nous refusons la croissance zéro comme principe général de l'Organisation. Nous reconnaissons les efforts déployés par le Directeur général afin de diminuer la croissance du budget pour qu'il puisse être accepté par tous les Etats, bien que les besoins soient très grands. Nous appuyons pleinement les six priorités définies par l'Organisation. Nous appuyons également la répartition régionale des activités de l'Organisation en mettant l'accent plus particulièrement sur la situation en Afrique. Nous appuyons les activités des bureaux régionaux et nous voudrions souligner qu'aucune augmentation n'a été proposée concernant les crédits des activités de ces bureaux. Nous appuyons les programmes qui ont une priorité et nous appuyons les méthodes d'action prioritaire, Nous appuyons la diminution des frais concernant les fonctionnaires, à condition que ceci n'affecte pas l'efficacité de l'Organisation. Nous appuyons pleinement la coopération économique et technique entre pays en développement. Nous appuyons le Programme de coopération technique (PCT) qui sera débattu ultérieurement.
Je voudrais également dire que l'approbation du Programme de travail et Budget de la part des membres de la Conférence est un élément très important, mais que l'approbation à l'unanimité confère à l'Organisation, ainsi qu'à son Directeur général, une nouvelle énergie, un nouvel élan qui nous aidera à accomplir les tâches prévues pour les deux années à venir.
Nous demandons donc aux différentes délégations d'appuyer ce Programme à l'occasion du quarantième Anniversaire de l'Organisation que nous célébrons actuellement.
A.A. AL-AKWAA (Yemen Arab Republic): (Original language Arabic): I would like to begin by congratulating you, Sir, on the chairmanship of this Commission. And I would also like to congratulate the two vice-chairmen and particularly to congratulate you, Mr Chairman, and thank you for helping us in our work this morning and chairing our activities now. I would also like to thank Mr Shah for giving us such a clear and concise introduction.
I would like to express the support of my country for the Programme of Work and Budget for 1986-87 and we would also like to support the priority and objectives which are discussed in the strategies. However, there are certain problems which we would like to comment on. My country, as is the case for other developing countries spent millions to eradicate certain diseases and pests when these funds and resources could have been used for rural development and this indirectly leads to a limitation of production in our country. We would like the Organization to study carefully the eradication of such diseases and pests. The technologies which are used in many developing countries require training of local staff so that they are able to use the modern technologies and devices which are available. Therefore we think priority should be given to the practical and theoretical training in the field, that is at both national and international levels, of course. Therefore we think the resources earmarked for training should be increased.
We would also like to support the recommendation which would limit administrative costs, if, of course, this does not affect the efficiency of the Organization.
We would also like to support the Programmes for Fishery and Forestry. We would also like to express our support for the greater responsibility given to the regional offices and we support the enlarging of these offices because their work has always been very effective in the past. I would like now simply to thank the Director-Geenral for his efforts in developing the work of the Organization.
CHAIRMAN: Thank you. If we maintain this pace I think we will be able to conclude our deliberations of this Commission before the evening is out and I would request the delegates to keep their interventions as short as possible so that we can reach the objective which the Chairman has set before this Commission.
J. SAULT (Australia): Like other delegates we would like to congratulate Ambassador Bula Hoyos on his election as Chairman of this Commission. He may be absent from the podium but I am sure he is with us in spirit. In fact I can see him over there on the wall and his eyes seem to be directed directly at me. We would also like to congratulate you and your fellow vice-chairman on your election and we are pleased to see you here presiding over our proceedings.
I will endeavour to be as brief as possible but I feel that there are a number of issues that I must address and a number of comments that I should make. Before doing so I would like to take the opportunity to commend Mr. Shah on his opening presentation. I have known Mr Shah for a long time and never fail to be impressed, very impressed, by his lucid masterly delivery and his complete command of the details of his responsibilities.
In addressing the proposed Programme of Work and Budget, the details of which are in document C 85/3, I should make special mention of the two introductory sections of the document, that is the Director-General's introduction and the Programme framework. These are very well drafted texts and the succinct statement on the activities of FAO on page 3 is particularly useful. As it says, FAO´s four principal functions are collector and purveyor of information, centre for policy analysis, forum for intergovernmental discussion, and provider of technical assistance at field level, and mobilizer of investment and aid. These are the real functions of FAO. They are important functions, but we do need to keep them in context and not confuse them with more general aspirations of solving all the problems. of hunger and malnutrition of mankind.
FAO's Regular Budget and the resources available to it were never intended to have such an ambitious role. The Regular Budget is intended to finance activities which are of interest to the entire membership of the Organization. Naturally as the membership has grown and included a great majority of members from developing countries, so the focus of its activities has changed, but FAO has always been and remains a technical agency. It is not a financing agency of large development projects. It does of course execute technical assistance projects but these are primarily financed from extra-budgetary resources. I felt it was necessary to make these few remarks, as there do seem to be some misconceptions about the nature of FAO's Regular Budget, and the activities it is designed to address.
The size of the Regular Budget has been and will continue to be very modest in comparison with the problems and issues in world food and agriculture. It is therefore most important that they are employed most efficiently and effectively and in those areas which FAO because of its accumulated technical expertise has a comparative advantage. We were therefore most interested in the comments of Denmark speaking on behalf of the Nordic countries regarding a longer-term review of the future activities of the Organization. We support this as a concept worthy of further consideration and elaboration.
As regards those parts of the Programme of Work and Budget document from page 38 onwards, there is a great deal of useful information describing the major programmes, programmes and sub-programmes and programmes by regions and there are useful statistical annexes. I am pleased to see that there are some separate details on the South-West Pacific Region of which nine countries are now members of our Organization. Useful as the information in document C 85/3 is, and it does represent an improvement from previous biennia, the programme narratives do tend to be somewhat general in nature.
It would be helpful if further attention could be given to delineating more sharply such things as what the new activities will be and in expressing objectives in terms of criteria and targets against achievements which can be monitored. We do realize that there are some practical limitations on how far this process can be taken, as indicated on page xvii of the English text of the Review of the Regular Programme. However, we strongly support further efforts by the Secretariat to make the documentation on the specific objectives of FAO's programmes as well focused as possible.
We generally endorse the strategies, priorities and programme proposals in the Programme of Work and Budget, but like Canada this does not mean to say that we endorse them all equally.
We would however like to highlight two areas that have our strong support. These are the priority being given to management issues in the Fisheries Programmes, which is of particular importance to the island states of the South-West Pacific, and the Global Information and Early Warning System. These programmes are good examples of the benefits that all members derive from the work of our Organization.
Turning now to the level of the budget, on which views of members have differed. Moreover, in expressing their views some of our developing country friends have expressed apprehensions about attitudes of those developed countries calling for budgetary restraint, namely our attitudes towards the multilateral system and our concern for the plight of least developed countries. I feel I must respond to these apprehensions. As a medium sized economy with very limited bilateral leverage Australia has a vital vested interest in common with developing countries, in an effective multilateral system. This is demonstrated by our active involvement in the United Nations, its specialized agencies, the GATT, in fact in virtually all international commodity agreements and international organizations. We have had a particularly strong association with FAO. As you all know, an Australian, Frank McDougall, played a key role in the formation of FAO, and we have been active in it ever since and intend to remain so. Far from showing a lack of concern towards the plight of the least developed countries, we have increased our aid budget to over A$l billion annually in an environment of severe fiscal stringency and directed a very substantial increase towards Africa in view, of its special circumstances. All our aid is on a grant basis and over half of our food aid is channelled multilaterally. We have continually sought through what we feel are constructive proposals and suggestions to strengthen the role of the multilateral system and striven to ensure that the limited resources which are available to international organizations are used most efficiently and effectively. In this way we believe they will gain maximum support from the entire international community.
Our support for zero real growth in the regular, and I would stress that word, in the regular budgets of UN Agencies must be seen in this context. Zero real growth is a management tool for achieving fiscal discipline and improving efficiency. It ensures that secretariats and member countries critically appraise existing and new programme proposals and establish priorities. We do not consider that the philosophy that secretariats of international organizations must as a matter of course propose real. increases in each and every regular budget as conducive to gaining support for their activities or improving their image with our national constituency. This is particularly so at a time when funds for many important areas of our national administration are not being increased even in nominal terms, in fact are being reduced.
I would also make the point that regarding the US dollar level of the budget this of course is mainly determined by the high US exchange rate. This in itself results in a very large increase in our contribution to the budget in Australian dollar terms.
Therefore Australia in the Finance Committee and at the last two Council Sessions has clearly enunciated our support for the general principle that the maximum possible effort should be taken to avoid any real increase in the level of the budget. We welcomed the Director-General's decision to reduce his proposals from those presented in his summary Programme of Work and Budget, but we consider that there is scope to make further economies without impacting adversely on programme implementation.
To name just a few areas that might be further looked at, we do not think that the need for all the new posts, staff positions, under the Regular Budget has been adequately demonstrated and that more evidence is required as to why out of some 3 000 Regular Programme established posts it is only possible to abolish five, especially when there is an ongoing vacancy rate of about 8 percent. Could the contingency fund be reduced in view of the other safety nets to cover possible contingencies which FAO has - the special reserve account, working capital fund, Technical Cooperation Programme
and ability to make transfers from areas where savings have accrued . Moreover, the Organization's financial position has been very considerably enhanced by fortuitous gains from favourable exchange rate movements and savings in staff costs. This has enabled it to bring forward to this biennium expenditure on goods and services that would not normally be incurred until 1986-87. This gives the Organization much needed elbow room, to use that North American expression, in financing the proposed 1986-87 programme.
We would therefore urge the Director-General to continue, even at this late stage, to ascertain whether further reductions in the proposed level of the budget are possible so that a full consensus may be reached when the vote is taken in a week's time.
I feel I should also make some remarks about the Technical Cooperation Programme, in view of the large number of comments that have been made about that programme. Firstly, and most importantly, I would like to stress that Australia has supported the TCP as a flexible quick action programme for small-scale unexpected and unforeseen projects. We consider it certainly has a place in the technical assistance activities of the Organization as a complement, not a replacement, for other assistance mechanisms. We also fully recognize the strong support which the programme has from developing countries and we cannot fail to be impressed by the enthusiasm and competence of the programme managers of the TCP.
There are, however, a number of aspects of the TCP which draw attention in this era of fiscal stringency and concern for full accountability and transparency in relation to government expenditure. The issue is how to respond to these concerns without impairing- the essential flexibility of the programme. I would suggest that this can be done by sharper and more narrowly focused criteria, particularly so as to ensure that TCP funds are only allocated to truly unforeseen and unexpected activities which cannot be programmed in advance for consideration by governing bodies. Also there is a need for some regular ex-post monitoring of project selections by an external body, perhaps the Programme and Finance Committees, which report to the governing bodies.
The more specific issue for this item is the level of resources proposed for the TCP. The TCP has grown from 11.1 percent of the Regular Budget in 1976-77 to a proposed 13.7 percent in 1936-87. There was also the special transfer of an additional US$ 15 million in this biennium. This growth is at the expense of other, also very desirable but programmed activities. We would suggest that now is the time for a period of consolidation and rationalization rather than further increases, at least from Regular Programme funds. But to repeat again, we support the concept of the TCP and we would urge that our concerns regarding criteria and monitoring be addressed in the spirit in which they are intended - that is to gain even more complete support for the programme.
J.C. CLAVE (Philippines): Thank you Mr Chairman, and congratulations on your being the presiding officer of this Commission today. Congratulations as well to our other colleagues who share the distinction with your country of guiding the deliberations of this body. I will be very brief. The reason for this is the fact that the Philippines is a member of the FAO Council and therefore our views, or the Philippines' views, have been fully ventilated in the proceedings of the Council. It will be my intention to recapitulate in a written form our views in the Council, which we will submit later on, in written format as I said, to this body, possibly for the consideration of the Drafting Committee.
The Philippines welcomes the efforts of the Director-General to reduce the budget of FAO. Indeed the economic conditions the world over make this an urgent measure and we congratulate him and encourage him to undertake these efforts to reduce the budget in recognition of this condition. It is the intention of my delegation to listen as much as possible to the views expressed here by our other distinguished colleagues, to be able to collaborate or cooperate in the development of a true consensus on the Programme and Budget because I share the common sentiments of our colleagues here that it is perhaps only if the Programmes are based on a genuine and true consensus that they will have really significant meaning for our people out there in our countryside.
I have listened with interest to some of these views already and I wish to mention that the views just expressed by the delegate of Australia are worth serious consideration. 1/
The Philippines does not envision an across-the-board and general reduction of different budgetary outlays. It believes that certain proposed outlays could be reduced in the meantime to give greater importance to urgent programmes. There are programmes which could stand a zero-growth or even a below-zero-growth. But there are programmes that call for greater attention and more funds.
The Philippines believes that more funds should be allocated to the Technical Cooperation Programme. In the meetings of the Council, the Philippines had proposed that more funds be appropriated for the TCP, and to provide for this purpose, that savings from other programmes be appropriated for the TCP. In addition, the Philippines proposed that funds realized in the reduction of other outlays be earmarked for TCP.
In the administration of the TCP, the Philippines finds the views of the distinguished delegate of Australia worthy of our serious consideration.
The Philippines has made clear in the FÁO Council that it is in full accord with the budgetary proposal of the Director-General regarding the amount of the budget. As it appeared then, the proposal did not entail any additional budgetary contribution from my Government. I have instructions from my Government to refrain from committing it to new and additional financial obligations.
It was also clear, however, that the Philippines wanted a realignment of certain outlays to give greater emphasis to certain projects which have become urgent because of new developments in the world scene.
I wish to refer at this point to the remarks made by the Philippines delegation in the sessions of the Council.
There are two positions of the Philippines. But the Philippines is still here, notwithstanding its having joined the consensus in the Council on the programme and budget. My delegation has been endeavouring to help, even in a modest manner, in developing and establishing a consensus on the programmes of FAO - a real and genuine consensus.
The Philippines believes that the implementation of the programmes will be more effective if there is a genuine consensus on the programmes. The Philippines believes that a universal consensus on the programmes would diffuse the contentious atmosphere that has developed over the provision of funds for the various programmes of the International Food and Agriculture Organization.
I believe that many of the difficulties of the FAO are the results of the absence or lack of. a genuine consensus on certain basic issues, including the role of the FAO, the extent of its authority, its purposes and consequently its activities.
We have seen clashes of national and regional interests in its deliberations, clashes between national objectives and global objectives such as those exemplified by the FAO in its committees, in the Council and the Conference.
The Director-General has described himself as an "honest broker" in the performance of his functions and duties. The Philippines wishes to join him in this role. It will study and adopt positions on certain basic issues and other matters of great concern for a majority of the Member Nations. It will, however, listen with an open mind to its co-members of the FAO.
It has expressed the hope that the Conference become in fact the foundry shops for a universal will on issues and programmes affecting food and agriculture in the world.
1/ Statement from this point on inserted in the verbatim record on request.
Sra. R. ZUÑIGA (Honduras): La delegación de Honduras se une a las otras delegaciones para felicitarle a usted, al igual que a los otros miembros de la Mesa Directiva, por su elección. Asimismo, expresa nuestro reconocimiento al Director General y a su personal por el esfuerzo realizado y el enfoque dado a este documento, que.consideramos de vital importancia, ya que marca los lineamientos y las pautas que la Organización seguirá en sus esfuerzos de ayuda y asistencia a los países.
Mi delegación ha analizado el documento presentado por·el Director General y considera que es coherente con las estrategias fijadas por los Organos Rectores de esta Organización. Deseamos expresar también nuestra satisfacción y apoyo a los incrementos de los programas técnicos y económicos en los sectores de agricultura, pesca y bosques, y especialmente al incremento de los programas de cooperación técnica, capítulos 2 y 4 del Presupuesto.
Caben mencionar los programas de tipo productivo - por ejemplo, cultivos y ganadería - pero también son importantes los programas orientados hacia la conservación y mejor aprovechamiento de los recursos naturales, fomento de la investigación y.la tecnología e información y análisis en materia de alimentación y agricultura. Asimismo, consideramos de capital importancia las actividades en política alimentaria y en política agrícola y los programas de nutrición, ya que éstos van a beneficiar a grandes sectores de la población con mayores necesidades y, sobre todo, a la niñez y a la juventud.
Consideramos que los programas de desarrollo rural son de trascendental importancia para el desa-rrollo de nuestro país y para mejorar las condiciones de vida de grandes sectores de la población. Consideramos también que éste es un programa bastante amplio y que está bien estructurado, ya que abarca las áreas problemáticas y prioritarias en el desarrollo de nuestros países, como es hacer la reforma agraria para lograr los cambios y transformaciones necesarios y dar así acceso a los recursos productivos a grupos hasta ahora marginados.
La colonización de nuevas, tierras, que permitirán la expansión de la frontera agrícola en países que tienen estas posibilidades, la educación, extensión y capacitación agrícola, son campos que hasta ahora no han llegado a beneficiar a los campesinos y a los habitantes rurales marginados.
Consideramos que los nuevos enfoques diseñados por los países, con la colaboración de la FAO, están finalmente logrando que éstos lleguen a los grupos asignados. Materias como el crédito y el mercadeo son áreas prioritarias y decisivas en el éxito o fracaso de los proyectos de desarrollo agrario. Por ello mi Gobierno ve con satisfacción los esfuerzos que esta Organización está realizando en estos campos.
Los programas para la mujer en la producción agrícola y en el desarrollo rural son, sin lugar a duda, programas innovadores que la Institución está llevando a cabo. La mujer ha sido el campesino o el agricultor olvidado. Estamos seguros de que, con los esfuerzos que está realizando la FAO en esta materia, a la mujer se le reconocerá su papel no sólo como un agente en actividades domésticas, sino también como un agente en la producción y, además, será sujeto de las políticas, programas y proyectos de desarrollo que los países están diseñando.
En Honduras se está ejecutando un programa de apoyo a la mujer en las actividades productivas. Este programa, gracias a la ayuda recibida por el Programa de Naciones Unidas para el desarrollo, la FAO y el Gobierno de los Países Bajos, está convirtiéndose en uno de los programas más importantes de América Latina. Quiero aprovechar esta oportunidad para agradecer al PNUD, a la FAO y al Gobierno de los Países Bajos su decidido y eficaz apoyo al Programa. El Programa de Cooperación Técnica, tal como ha sido concebido por el Director General, ha venido a solucionar problemas de emergencia, pero más importante aún es el papel que este Programa está desempeñando al iniciar e impulsar programas de desarrollo.
El Gobierno de Honduras considera que la situación actual de crisis internacional requiere un granesfuerzo por parte de varios de los países en vías de desarrollo para cumplir los compromisos de una fuerte deuda externa, la cual se puede superar únicamente a través de acciones eficaces en materia de desarrollo.
Por este motivo;la FAO, el Organismo responsable de apoyar las actividades en materia agropecuaria, forestal y pesca, que son las actividades fundamentales de los países en vías de desarrollo, necesita redoblar sus esfuerzos; y esta demanda de un esfuerzo adicional de asistencia a los países, no puede ser atendida si se sigue la teoría del crecimiento cero. Por lo tanto, Honduras como país en vías de desarrollo, apela a los países industrializados para que consideren y revisen su posición sobre la teoría de crecimiento cero frente a sus contribuciones a los presupuestos de organismos de cooperación técnica y financiera.
K. de VEY MESTDAGH (Netherlands): The Netherlands delegation wishes first of all to congratulate you on your nomination as Vice-Chairman of this Commission and sincerely hopes that you and our own Chairman may succeed in urging our deliberations towards consensus conclusions or at least conclusions in which the view of all member countries, majorities and.minorities alike, are duly reflected.
The Programme of Work and Budget which lays before us and which we studied carefully is a voluminous document that has generated in its gestation period quite a number of discussions in the various committees of our Organization. These discussions took place on the basis of what was then called the Summary Programme of Work and Budget. If I now say that we studied the document before us carefully I must add that we also studied in great detail its predecessor, the Summary. This of course was all the more important since it formed the very basis of our preparations f.or these Conference meetings. Therefore allow me to be for a moment a little retrospective. It goes without saying that by its nature a Summary cannot be expected to give a complete picture. Nevertheless in chewing and ruminating every word and every figure stated in it one suffered from time to time from constipation. Too often in the narrative parts we came across vague terminologies and generalizations of such a character that the meaning of the information given became obscure. This in fact gave rise to a vast amount of detailed questions in relation to the different programmes and special programmes. On this occasion we wish to express our gratitude to the Secretariat for the readiness to discuss these numerous questions and for the frank way. in which answers were given.
However, we would have preferred it by far if haunting the Secretariat with questions, as it was once described in this room from the rostrum, had not been necessary. Therefore, we would like to propose to Mr Shah that he reconsider the form of the Summary Programme of Work and Budget in order. to make this most important policy document more transparent - a policy document in a dual sense not only in relation to FAO's policy intentions, but also certainly in regard to policy-making within our own member countries. If the Secretariat so wishes, we are perfectly willing to share our experience with it by the time the drafting of the next Summary is taken up.
The Programme of Work and Budget itself (C 85/3) is considered by my delegation to be an improvement on the same document for the present biennium, yet some of the shortcomings of the Summary just mentioned are transferred to the full Programme of Work and Budget. Fortunately, with a back-up of Secretariat explanations on the Summary, we could handle this document far more effectively.
Coming to the present Programme of Work and Budget, I would like first of all to express the support of the Netherlands Government for the basic programme priorities - the promotion of food production and the increase in food security - support which is not only verbal, but will also be translated into continuous budget support for extra-budgetary trust fund activities. Nevertheless, "restriction shows the master", as a saying - I must say, a German saying - goes: in other words, by knowing when to restrain oneself, one proves to be an expert.
We support the idea, ventilated by our colleague from Denmark, of reviewing the role of FAO in the decade ahead in order to sharpen the ways and means with which our Organization can make maximum use of its limited financial resources. In this respect, we do fully agree that the role of FAO is, as the Director-General says, that of "an honest broker" - yet not only as a mobilizer of efforts, but certainly - and maybe foremost - to assist the governments of recipient countries in formulating and implementing integrated agricultural policies, and to make FAO's broad expertise even more applicable to local needs in rural development. In this connection, my delegation wishes to reiterate what we have said on many occasions - namely, that FAO's expertise can never be
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better exploited than in collaboration with other multilateral organizations, in particular those Members of the United Nations Development System. FAO has a main role in overall rural development. However, only by a coordinated effort can the many inextricably linked developmental problems be effectively attacked.
Within the present priorities, a wide variety of tasks in the field of food in agricultural development can be undertaken by FAO - a fact which in itself urges restriction. But even if my delegation often found it difficult to discover links in the Programme of Work and Budget between the state of priorities and proposed activities, this led us to the conclusion that there is little evidence that individual activities are part of a greater whole - at least, one gets the impression that FAO is planning too many individual projects unconnected with one another. Our delegation also wishes to express some concern about the fact that in the presentation of the Budget, time-planning and implementation schedules are conspicuous by their absence.
So far as the level of the Budget is concerned, my delegation welcomes the reduction made by the Director-General after having considered requests therefore from a substantial number of countries. As we have stated as observers in the Eighty-seventh Session of the Council, the Netherlands Government considers zero growth a sound principle for managing a budget - not as an end in itself, but as a starting point in order to reconsider the aims and to set priorities against the background of the limited financial resources available. We really regret that this management tool has become an item of political and emotional controversy. In this light, we urge the Director-General once more, before we come to a vote on the Budget, to reconsider a possibility of lowering the growth level with a view to obtaining the widest possible support, or even genuine consensus, as the Ambassador of the Philippines just mentioned, for the financial backbone of our common undertaking.
As our Minister of Agriculture said yesterday in Plenary, we will judge the final proposals in a pragmatic way. Although we consider budgetary austerity inevitable, FAO should have sufficient resources at its disposal to execute its mandate efficiently.
CHAIRMAN: Thank you very much for that statement. I am sorry to hear that in the process of assimilating and examining the budget document, the delegate of the Netherlands has developed some medical problems. However, at the end of the meeting, Mr Shah will take the floor and clarify the points he has raised, so the condition from which he is suffering will be eased! I would like to say that the delegate of the Netherlands has made some constructive criticism of the programmes and their relationship to one another and the presentation of the document and so on - I am sure the Secretariat will look into these things.
ESHETU DEBABU (Ethiopia): My delegation also wants to join the other delegations in congratulating you, Mr Chairman, and the other Vice-Chairman upon your election to guide the deliberations of our Commission.
The prevailing food and agriculture situation in the developing countries today, despite recent minor changes, is appalling to human conscience. People in their millions are suffering from not only malnutrition and hunger but also starvation. Our national governments have tried their best to avert the catastrophe but the overwhelming problems have remained insurmountable to their resource capabilities. Due to this they have informed the international public repeatedly of their incapacities to save human life and have asked for assistance. It now remains for the international community to help avert the human calamities in the developing countries.
My delegation would like to support the Programme of Work and Budget proposed by our Director-General on the following accounts: The budget proposed by the Director-General is quite modest when seen against the tasks to be fulfilled in the developing countries in the next biennium. US$ 448.4 million could cover only a very minute portion of the requirements to help increase and maintain adequate levels of food production.
The budgetary increase shown is only US$ 27.2 million at the current exchange rate and of this sum, US$ 22 million goes for cost increases while only US$ 5 million is meant for programme changes.
This amount is already extremely small to be of any meaning to help even one needy country. We give it importance and discuss it here as we hope it will contribute, however minutely, to the resources that we should expect to be forthcoming through other agencies as well.
The budgetary allocations proposed is also fairly distributed and balanced, with a lion's share of it going to Technical and economic Programmes. The TCP is also a very useful mechanism by which immediate action is taken to remove bottlenecks. The TCP, for which a budgetary increase of about US$ 2.4 million is requested to bring the total to about US$ 61.4 million, has always been a good supplement to efforts in food production because of its ready availability and quick responsiveness. The total of US$ 61.4 million requested under the TCP fails short of the total amount requested by the developing countries.
The priority given to Africa is proper and necessary, and we therefore support it. Our people need food, peace, development, cooperation and freedom. They shun war and the waste of resources through destruction and through dumping.
Those member countries who can contribute substantially to the resources of this Organization have the responsibility, an international obligation, to avert human calamities. One way of doing this is by increasing their contributions for the production of food and by assisting needy countries in building their own national capabilities. This is the minimum expected of them by the international public.
KI-SUNG KIM (Republic of Korea): I would like to express short comments on the proposed 1986-87 FAO Programme of Work and Budget.
Firstly, the budget for 1986-87 increases the share of technical and economic projects by 0.8 percent over the previous biennium. This deserves high marks in efforts to help the developing countries battle the chronic problem of shortage in the food supply.
Secondly, in the budget, US$ 121 651 000, or 27.1 percent of total budget, are allocated to the African regions, with the foremost priority placed on the development of agriculture. This orientation in budgeting is highly appreciable.
Thirdly, the FAO should pay due consideration to revitalize activities of the Regional Offices and other organizations at the field level, and regular evaluations of their activities should be put into practice.
U. SESSI (Italie): Monsieur le Président, permettez-moi tout d'abord de vous féliciter pour votre élection à la vice-présidence de notre Commission et pour votre présidence d'aujourd'hui. 'Par votre intermédiaire, je voudrais étendre ces félicitations à votre collègue, le représentant de la République fédérale d'Allemagne, ainsi qu'à notre éminent Président, M. Bula Hoyos, dont nous avons pu apprécier la compétence et le dévouement aussi bien à la FAO qu'au FIDA.
Nous voudrions remercier aussi M. Shah pour la présentation qu'il a faite du budget. Il y a quelques instants, on a comparé M. Shah à un médecin qui aide certains délégués à digérer les documents, peut-être un peu lourds, que l'on nous présente. Je voudrais faire une autre comparaison entre la la présentation qu'il a faite aujourd'hui et la session précédente du Conseil. Nous nous trouvons dans l'étrange situation des élèves devant le maître qui répète sa leçon.. Comme le disaient les habitants de cette ville il y a quelques siècles: "Repetita juvant", c'est-à-dire les choses que l'on répète sont toujours utiles à ceux qui les écoutent, et nous sommes très reconnaissants à M. Shah pour sa clarté et sa concision.
Je voudrais présenter mes félicitations au secrétariat pour la clarté du document que nous examinons, le C 85/3, qui a été rédigé d'une manière satisfaisante, exhaustive et bien meilleure que les documents que nous avons examinés les années passées.
Nous sommes ici convoqués pour remplir une des tâches les plus importantes dans la vie de l'Organisation, c'est-à-dire l'examen du programme et budget qui peut être défini comme l'instrument technique et financier par lequel une institution, que ce soit un Etat, une entreprise privée, ou, comme dans le cas de la FAO, une institution internationale, programme et évalue les moyens nécessaires pour atteindre les objectifs qu'elle s'est fixés dans une période de temps déterminée. Donc, l'examen et l'approbation du budget préparé par les organes intérieurs des institutions concernées sont, de la part des Etats Membres, ce qu'on appelle en langage juridique un acte de pouvoir-devoir.
Du point de vue économique et financier, le budget est la condition préalable à toute réalisation dans le secteur des activités de l'Organisation, dans le cas de la FAO, l'assistance au développement dans le secteur agricole et alimentaire. D'un point de vue plus général, si je puis dire plus "politique", l'adoption du budget constitue, comme le rappelle le Directeur général dans son introduction au document C 85/3: "un acte collectif et un témoignage de confiance des Etats Membres dans l'Organisation", confiance dont elle a besoin de continuer à jouir si elle veut obtenir les ressources nécessaires pour accomplir sa tâche, dans une période où plusieurs facteurs de perturbation subsistent, tant au niveau national qu'international. Pour ma délégation, cette confiance n'est pas en cause. Et je voudrais brièvement rappeler le soutien accru que nous donnons à la FAO à trois niveaux.
En premier lieu, en participant au financement régulier du budget, selon le barème attribué. En deuxième lieu, en tant que pays hôte, il suffit de mentionner l'effort considérable que mon gouvernement est en train de faire pour l'élargissement du Siège. Enfin, je voudrais citer les programmes réalisés avec la FAO sous la forme de fonds fiduciaires qui, on le rappelle à la page 18 du document, ont atteint à la fin de 1984 un niveau de 157 millions de dollars de projets et programmes approuvés.
En abordant plus spécifiquement le projet de budget, je voudrais dire que les dernières propositions du Directeur général montrent, selon nous, des aspects sans doute positifs, et j'en citerai quelques-uns: la croissance globale du budget qui est de 6,41 pour cent, soit 5,27 pour cent pour l'augmentation des coûts et 1,14 pour cent de croissance réelle. Sans préjuger des observations que je ferai par la suite, on ne peut pas ne pas souligner que la croissance globale est bien inférieure à celle prévue dans le budget précédent.
En deuxième lieu, je citerai les efforts du Directeur général qui, dans un souci d'économie, pour obtenir l'appui des Etats Membres, a effectué pour la première fois des réductions substantielles sur les premières prévisions de dépenses. Il faut encore noter une diminution, par rapport au budget précédent, de presque 10 pour cent des dépenses de fonctionnement, y compris les dépenses de soutien et la croissance modérée, il faut le noter, qui est prévue pour les dépenses liées aux consultants, en voyage officiel.
Enfin, nous avons noté avec satisfaction, au moment où la crise aigüe de la situation alimentaire de certains Etats africains inquiète l'opinion internationale, la croissance du pourcentage de l'activité des programmes de terrain consacrés à l'Afrique subsaharienne particulièrement pour les programmes de maintenance et de réhabilitation agricole. A côté de ces aspects positifs, il y a néanmoins des points qui donnent certains soucis. Certains d'entre eux ont déjà été évoqués par d'autres orateurs hier et ce matin.
Je voudrais en premier lieu citer les chiffres prévus pour la croissance réelle du programme qui, selon nous, auraient pu être encore réduits avec l'élimination de quelques programmes d'importance marginale.
Tout en reconnaissant la part décroissante du budget allouée aux dépenses de personnel et qui représente maintenant 55,2 pour cent du total, nous éprouvons une certaine inquiétude en ce qui concerne les nouveaux postes que l'on se propose de créer. Ce n'est pas seulement le nombre en soi: 14 postes en plus pour les cadres organiques compensés par une réduction de postes des services généraux, mais c'est surtout le fait que ces nouveaux postes sont tous placés au niveau le plus élevé de la catégorie professionnelle, la presque totalité étant proposée au grade P-5. Nous ne voudrions pas que la structure classique en forme pyramidale ne se transforme à la FAO en un espace géométrique très variable, passant de la pyramide au carré et du carré à la pyramide renversée. A cet égard, notre attention a été particulièrement retenue par l'examen du tableau des effectifs qui se trouve dans l'Annexe III du document C 85/3, où l'on voit clairement que les grades P-5 et P-4 représentent les deux tiers du cadre organique.
Troisième et. dernière observation d'ordre plus général, nous avons le sentiment qu'à l'occasion d'un effort considérable fait par le Secrétariat et le Directeur général pour réduire' le plafond des dépenses initial, si on avait aussi essayé de procéder à un remaniement rigoureux et courageux des programmes dépassés, obsolètes ou d'une utilité marginale, nous nous serions trouvés confrontés à un budget beaucoup plus agile qui aurait sans doute recueilli l'appui unanime des Etats Membres.
Nous encourageons donc le Directeur général à poursuivre son oeuvre de rationalisation des programmes et d'efficacité de la gestion. A cette fin, il faudrait, selon nous, donner une priorité aux pays les plus touchés, les plus démunis et qui connaissent les plus grands besoins, sélectionner les activités et les programmes qui ont l'impact le plus direct et le plus productif pourrait résoudre les problèmes des pays bénéficiaires, chercher à obtenir le maximum de résultats des programmes de coopération technique, en particulier en favorisant un usage efficient et efficace des ressources; enfin, toujours dans l'optique de la rationalisation, nous pensons qu'elle pourrait être améliorée par une décentralisation accrue et par une plus grande responsabilisation des structures locales. Toutes ces structures pourraient, selon nous, favoriser une concentration des secteurs et des sous-secteurs d'activités, la libération de ressources nouvelles et probablement des économies de gestion du personnel.
En conclusion, ma délégation peut appuyer le programme proposé par le Directeur général et ses priorités, en particulier l'effort accru pour l'autosuffisance et la sécurité alimentaire pour l'Afrique et notamment les pays subsahariens. En ce qui concerne le niveau du budget, nous attendons la suite du débat et les commentaires du secrétariat. Quant à notre attitude finale, comme plusieurs autres orateurs l'ont souligné, elle sera influencée décisivement par le taux de change lire-dollar qui sera adopté par la Conférence, qui fixera le niveau final du budget et la contribution des Etats Membres pour le prochain biennium.
J.D. AITKEN (United Kingdom): To begin with, Mr Chairman, we would like to add our congratulations to those which you have already received on your chairmanship and also add our compliments .to those which have been paid to the other members of the platform, the Chairman and the Vice-Chairman.
My speech will be in two parts, one dealing with the work programme and the other dealing with the budget.
On the work programme, while we support and welcome its general shape, we consider that resources could have been re-allocated to better meet the priorities which emerged at the COAG, Council and Conference. Here we echo very much the comments made on priorities by the delegation of the Netherlands.
The priorities in world agriculture are clear: help for the small farmer, soil conservation, effective farming systems for the arid and semi-arid zones, development of high potential areas in the humid zones, development of the global early warning system, etc. It therefore comes as a surprise to discover that the largest single programme in the technical and economic programme is item 2.1.8.3 Commodity Policies and Trade, absorbing over 84 man/years of work and costing nearly US$ 7.5 million. This contrasts with the programme for water development which only receives US$ 1.8 million, or soil conservation which receives US$ 1.2 million. We could point to other examples: work on desertification; the semi-arid and arid zones are not given as generous an allocation of resources. Clearly, not as much is being spent on trying to make these areas productive as is being spent on studies on commodities and trade. The right balance has to be struck somewhere, and surely is has to favour the production of crops, not studies.
Having said this, in the main we welcome the shift of resources to operational programmes, particularly those which help Africa, although we consider more resources could usefully have been allocated for crop and livestock programmes in Africa.
We consider that greater priority in resource allocation should be given to those activities where FAO's multilateral role gives it a special, unique position, such as the global early warning system,
crop protection and seed production, both on a regional basis. Similarly in fisheries, international collaboration and support for regional bodies is important.
In forestry we would like to see priority given to the collection and provision of global information, regional and sectoral studies. Perhaps the time is now right to make a conscious attempt to increase the resources available to the operational aspects of forestry and FAO's programme.
Turning now to the budget, we welcome the savings which have been found since our Council Session in June. These savings are helpful, but we remain convinced more can be done and further savings can be achieved without damaging operational programmes. We support the calls from the delegate of the Netherlands for greater transparency in the preparation of the budget before us. The budget created difficulties for us when we tried to assemble the information and interpret it. We found ourselves disagreeing with "the suggestions made orally in the presentation of the budget, such as the one asking that the exchange rate fluctuation be included in the presentation of budget costs. We think that in basic planning processes the UN specialized agencies should not attempt to rely on such variable factors to predicate contributions from Members. We also believe that the choice of a base for the calculation of budget growth must be consistent and reflect figures undistorted by exchange rates and other fluctuations. We were not happy with the methodology used to calculate cost increases in the budget before us.
Turning to the question of overhead costs, we looked very carefully at the information contained in Budget paper C 85/3. Using a very conservative approach, our calculations on overhead costs, (and when I say overhead costs, I mean programme management, administration, policy planning, and the use of common services), on the Technical, Economic, Development Support and Technical Cooperation Programmes, we found that they were in the region of 27 percent to 31 percent, and this did not include the cost of the regional offices or the Governing Bodies, Council, Conference, etc. We have also treated publications as an operational programme in its entirety and not an overhead. We would expect similar overheads for a similar bilateral programme to be within 10 percent to 15 percent. We consider that a figure in the region of 27 percent to 31 percent certainly leaves opportunities for reductions, and for the redirection of resources without the need for any real growth in the overall budget.
We have heard that further reductions in overhead costs are not possible. If this is the case, then perhaps the time has come for a careful re-examination of the management structure of the FAO. It may be that the internal structure of the departments and divisions needs to be rethought and the established interrelationships between the divisions and the other components of the Organization reassessed in a manner which will enable priorities to be met in a more cost-effective way, and administrative costs to be contained at a lower level. In this connection we were very interested to listen to the excellent ideas put forward by the delegate of Denmark. We hope it will be possible for Council and Conference to fully examine these topics and others, as well as those mentioned by the delegate of the Philippines, at an early date. In particular we feel FAO would benefit from more evaluation of its activities undertaken by independent groups. We believe that we should take a closer look at the impact of FAO programmes.
At council we made a clear statement of the United Kingdom's position on the budget. Our Ministers are not prepared to support a budget which contains real growth. This remains our position. We have explained before, we would welcome an increase in FAO's operational programmes but this must, and we believe can, be financed from a reduction in overhead costs. This has consistently been our position. When we call for no growth in the budget, we are not calling for less aid and assistance, on the contrary, in practice it is likely to mean more aid and better aid. Let ne explain, any increase in our contribution to FAO or other United Nations development multilateral agencies will come from our aid budget. An increase in our contribution to FAO will mean there will be less for countries under our bilateral programme. I suggest that we should all be concerned about the effects of our actions here and about how the effective cost increases in FAO affect other programmes. If we in the United Kingdom have £100 and we spend it on FAO, on the basis of the overhead costs I have referred to above, only £70 of that money will reach the operational
programmes , £30 will go into overheads. If we put £100 into an organization which has overheads of 15 percent then £85 will reach the field. We are convinced that this difference of £15 is important. It is important to poor people in poor countries and it is how the British Government would like to see its money put to use.
To conclude, I would like clearly to state my Government's commitment to provide assistance to the agricultural sector and the sphere of work being undertaken by FAO. We wish to see growth in the programmes of FAO but we cannot support any real increase in the overall budget. We believe it is possible to reduce administrative overheads and I would like to add our support to those delegations who have asked the Director-General to submit amendments to the budget through this Conference which will enable us all to come to a consensus on a budget that contains no real growth.
Mame Balla SY (Sénégal): En m'excusant très sincèrement auprès de vous de ce retard et de ce contre-temps mais, comme vous l'aurez deviné qui a été indépendant de ma volonté, je voudrais ainsi qu'aux autres vice-présidents vous présenter mes sincères félicitations pour votre désignation à ce poste, persuadé que je suis que, grâce à votre grande expérience et à votre connaissance des questions traitées, vous contribuerez efficacement au succès des travaux de notre Commission.
Quant au Président Bula Hoyos qui est absent, je vous prie de lui transmettre toutes mes félicitations. Vous voudrez bien lui dire également que je le plains plus que je ne le félicite. En effet; je comprends que s'il pouvait librement choisir il aurait sûrement préféré son siège de délégué au siège prestigieux du podium pour pouvoir avec l'éloquence et le don de persuasion qui le caractérisent mieux défendre la position de son pays. Mais en le désignant avec vous pour diriger nos travaux, nous avons voulu mettre à profit votre profonde connaissance des questions afin de parvenir, grâce à votre ouie fine, à corriger les fausses notes qui pourraient venir tenter de rompre l'harmonie de notre mélodie.
Nous ne pouvons pas nous y tromper car vous avez, après chaque délégation, pu retenir l'essentiel et nous aider à comprendre que nombre de nos points de divergence sur le Programme de travail et de budget pour 1986-87 nous rapprochent plus qu'ils ne nous divisent.
En effet, même si certains plaident en faveur d'une augmentation des prévisions tandis que d'autres s'y opposent ou réservent leurs positions, il demeure certain que l'unanimité s'est faite autour des points suivants:
- les objectifs de stratégie, les priorités définies par la FAO;
- la nécessité de mettre davantage l'accent sur les programmes de terrain;
- l'urgence de permettre aux pays confrontés à des difficultés économiques et alimentaires de se doter de moyens nécessaires à leur développement;
- la priorité à donner encore à l'Afrique dont la situation en matière agricole s'est beaucoup aggravée au cours de ces dernières années;
- les efforts considérables consentis par le Directeur général de la FAO pour opérer des réductions supplémentaires sur les prévisions initiales, faisant d'importantes ponctions sur les dépenses administratives ;
- l'utilité et l'efficacité des Programmes de Coopération Technique.
Les seules divergences que nous avons pu entendre portent essentiellement sur la répartition des ressources entre les différents secteurs. Le parallélisme en tout cas entre le programme forestier et le programme de coopération technique a été souvent cité. Le niveau des ressources globales prévu pour le programme de travail a aussi soulevé quelques divergences. La priorité à observer dans la réalisation des actions de programme viendrait avec tant d'autres observations couronner les quelques points qui nous divisent.
Je voudrais que vous me permettiez de vous livrer quelques réflexions sur ces aspects sans préjudice d'une possibilité d'y revenir au cours des prochaines sessions. S'agissant du niveau proposé pour le Programme de travail et Budget, mon humble avis est qu'il semble traduire une modeste augmentation de 1,1 pour cent, mais la réalité est que nous sommes en présence d'une réduction effective. Comment en effet, dans un contexte international où les besoins des principaux pays bénéficiant de ce programme ont sensiblement augmenté, où le taux d'inflation est de plus en plus important, un réajustement aussi peu significatif de 1,1 pour cent des crédits votés lors du
précédent bienniun peut-il soulever des réticences? S'opposer à un tel réajustement ne signifie pas à mes yeux plaider pour la croissance zéro comme certains semblent le soutenir mais vise plutôt à une réduction effective des moyens minima déjà acceptés. J'ose espérer que les pays qui hésitent encore à appuyer le programme de travail ne tarderaient plus à le faire surtout que pour la plupart ils ont posé des questions, qui, j'en suis sûr, seront facilement résolues par le Secrétariat et par les réponses que nous aurons.
Concernant la priorité à donner aux actions, je pense effectivement que l'accent devrait pouvoir être mis sur les activités agroforestières en tenant compte de l'importance du rôle des forêts dans la sécurité alimentaire.
Je crois aussi que la formation, la recherche scientifique et le rôle des femmes dans la production des denrées alimentaires devraient être absolument encouragés de manière beaucoup plus significative. Je pense aussi,et beaucoup de délégations sont intervenues sur ce point, que nous devons accorder une grande importance au renforcement de la coopérative entre pays en développement. En effet, comme vous le savez, lors de la Conférence régionale des Etats d'Afrique pour la FAO ainsi qu'au dernier sommet de l'OUA, il a été dit que bien que l'aide internationale soit nécessaire, les pays africains doivent eux-mêmes prendre en charge leur propre développement et consacrer une plus grande priorité à tous les problèmes agricoles et connexes.
Sous réserve de revenir sur l'ensemble des questions, je voudrais vous confirmer que le Sénégal par ma modeste voix appuie totalement ce projet de programme et budget 1986-87, et qu'il ne saurait tenir compte de toute attitude visant à instituer au niveau de notre Organisation la croissance zéro. Je pense que dans un monde où la situation alimentaire soumet des millions et des millions de populations aux humiliations et aux souffrances qu'aucune morale humaine ne pourrait accepter, il est difficile de refuser à une organisation, qui a été créée par nos ancêtres pour résoudre ces problèmes que déjà des guerres meurtrières nous faisaient entrevoir, les moyens de poursuivre cette lutte qui est encore loin d'être gagnée.
Je crois sincèrement que d'ailleurs ces pays-là n'insisteront pas parce que lorsqu'ils auront reçu des apaisements à leurs questions qui sont plus des questions que des remises en cause, le consensus que nous recherchons tous sera réalisé sans aucun doute.
CHAIRMAN: I wish to thank the delegate of Senegal for his statement. I note in his statement he has identified the areas of agreement among the speakers. I think this will help the Chairman when it comes to the responsibility of summing up the Conference debates at the end of the meeting. I thank the delegate therefore sincerely for his statement.
Abdul Rida Magid BAHMAN (Kuwait) (Original language Arabic): I wish to be brief and to the point. On behalf of my country's delegation I would like to congratulate you on your election to the Bureau of this Committee. I also wish to congratulate the other members of the Bureau also.
My delegation has so far closely followed the consultations and we wish to express our support for the targets and priorities set out in the programme of work. We endorse what was stated and what was said with a view to strengthening the Organization's work.
We welcome the strategies and priorities set out for the next biennium. We also express our full support of the programme for the rehabilitation of agriculture in Africa as well as the agreed priority accorded to this continent which is in dire need of developing its abilities to exploit its rich natural resources and their distribution. We would like to stress the need to grant further attention to strengthening the food production in the needy countries, as well as the need to strengthen technical cooperation and to reduce administrative costs, providing that this does not affect the efficiency of the Organization.
We wish to pay tribute to the excellent goal pursued by this Organization in its attempt to improve the role of rural women, and in designing appropriate programmes to improve women's productivity in the agricultural field in improving their country's economy.
Finally, we hope that the major countries contributing to the Organization will also help it to overcome its financial problems and that they will not belabour the question of the reduction or increase of the Organization's budget by token percentage points, as this will impede the work undertaken by the Organization in improving agriculture and food security.
Hasim ÖGÜT (Turkey): On behalf of my delegation I would like to extend our congratulations to you, Sir, to the Chairman and the other Vice-Chairmen of the Commission on your election. Let me join here with other delegates in the belief that the excellent composition of the bureau will lead us to fruitful conclusions.
Like other member countries, we have taken the benefit of the previous occasions on which delegates were informed of the preparations for the 1986-87 Programme of Work and Budget to look over the strategies and priority programmes proposed. Yesterday we listened to the excellent presentation of Mr Shah on summary programmes and on the final form of the Programme of Work and Budget, which always enlightens our perceptions regarding the key aspects of the budget.
As we gladly note that the final form of the Programme of Work and Budget incorporates to a great extent the desires and recommendations of member countries, including my own, I feel I may limit my observations to only a few selected aspects of the proposed programme budget.
We are happy to note that trainine and extensión remain one of the priority programmes of the Organization. "However, we expected that this activity would receive much greater priority in terms of Regular Budget allocations as it strongly emphasized by many member countries on appropriate occasions. We still observed that this activity continues to be largely dependent on the extra-budgetary resources whose availability cannot be regarded as regular as it is desired to be. We have observed with satisfaction that the TCP has continued in the last biennium to respond effectively to urgent technical assistance requirements of member countries. In the light of its usefulness for the recipient member countries and of the effective way with which the TCP projects are implemented, my delegation strongly endorses the biennium programme proposed for the TCP.
As regards the Regional Programmes, we would like to reiterate our position that the greatest share of the resources should be given to Africa and other developing regions. However, we believe that through the promotion of developing countries participation in some activities of the European Region, the effectiveness of the other Regional Programmes can be increased. As pointed out in the Budget document, this participation has already been achieved in certain activities of the European Region. Indeed, the cooperative research networks established under this region form a good instrument by which developing countries inside and outside the region are given access to research findings of the European countries. We believe that the role played by these networks in this area can be further enhanced by ensuring greater support of the Regular Budget. Let me, however, make my point clear that what we suggest here is the strengthening of such activities of the European Region of FAO which developing countries can participate in and benefit from.
As to the proposed budget level, we would like to express our appreciation to the Director-General for his efforts in further streamlining his initial proposals and bringing the programme increase to 1.1 percent over the present recosted base in an attempt to attain consensus. His attempts to enhance the efficiency of the Organization while keeping expenditures at a minimum level are worthy of praise and Turkey gives her support to the proposed budget.
J.A. Santos OLIVEIRA (Guinée-Bissau): M. le Président, je tiens á vous féliciter de votre élection à la présidence de cette Commission ainsi que le Vice-Président, qui préside aujourd'hui la Commission. Nous voudrions aussi féliciter M. Shah pour l'excellente exposition du document en discussion.
En conformité avec l'intervention de notre délégué à la plénière, nous voudrions attirer l'attention sur le fait que la FAO, Organisation des Nations Unies. créée spécialement pour s'occuper des problèmes d'alimentation et d'agriculture, ne pourra pas répondre, face à la situation actuelle de crise, surtout en Afrique, a nos croissantes demandes si son budget continue d'obéir à la théorie de croissance zéro, comme le préconisent certains pays.
Notre délégation regrette que le budget pour les deux prochaines années soit insuffisant pour la complète réalisation des obligations de l'Organisation. Malgré cela, nous appuyons fermement le montant proposé et également les stratégies et les programmes de travail inhérents au budget pour les années 1986-87.
En ce qui concerne le programme de travail dans le domaine de l'agriculture et de l'alimentation, nous voudrions féliciter le Comité de l'agriculture pour sa contribution à la présentation de ce document. Nous voudrions relever encore une fois l'accent qu'il met sur l'approvisionnement des petits agriculteurs, sur l'enseignement, sur la formation, sur la vulgarisation et surtout sur le rôle des cultures secondaires pour la nutrition et la sécurité alimentaire.
Quant au chapitre 3 de ce document - Programmes de soutien du développement - point 3.4, nous voudrions manifester ici toute notre gratitude à la FAO pour l'ouverture du bureau d'un représentant à Bissau, ce qui a permis à notre pays d'augmenter substantiellement ses rapports avec l'Organisation.
Quant au chapitre 4 du programme - Programme de coopération technique - nous appuyons fermementle plan préconisé et nous souhaitons voir une nette augmentation des ressources de ce programme pour pouvoir répondre à nos besoins croissants. Notre délégation profite de l'occasion pour demander à toutes les délégations, et surtout à celles qui ont fait des observations au sujet de ce document, de l'appuyer à l'unanimité.
J.M. TRAVERS (France): M. le Président, je voudrais tout d'abord, au nom de la délégation française, vous adresser mes plus vives félicitations pour votre élection. Mes félicitations s'adressent également au Président de cette Commission et à l'ensemble du bureau. Je voudrais aussi remercier M. Shah pour la façon remarquable dont il a introduit nos débats.
La délégation française avait déjà fait part, au cours de réunions précédentes, de son appréciation positive vis-à-vis des objectifs et des stratégies proposés au titre du programme de travail pour 1986-87. Comme le temps nous est compté, elle ne s'étendra pas sur ce point. Qu'il me suffise simplement de rappeler que nous approuvons pleinement l'accent mis sur la promotion des productions vivrières et l'amélioration de la sécurité alimentaire. La volonté de l'Organisation de se rapprocher encore plus du terrain et de ses réalités, son souci de favoriser la mise en place de politiques de prix véritablement incitatrices et la priorité accrue accordée au renforcement de la coopération technique et économique entre pays en développement, les orientations retenues dans le domaine des pêches - je songe ici, en particulier, à ce volet très important que constitue l'aménagement - recueillent notre agrément, de même que l'accent mis dans le domaine forestier sur les relations entre les forêts et le développement des productions alimentaires, sur la sauvegarde des écosystèmes forestiers et sur la lutte contre la désertification.
S'agissant des aspects plus spécifiquement budgétaires, ma délégation, lors de la 87ème session du Conseil, en juin dernier, avait rappelé que, compte tenu des difficultés économiques persistantes que connaissent nombre de nos pays et de la rigueur budgétaire à laquelle ils sont astreints, le Gouvernement français estimait que les budgets des organisations internationales ne devaient Das connaître d'augmentation en termes réels au cours du prochain biennium. Elle avait également indiqué que nous étions pleinement conscients de la gravité de la situation alimentaire dans de nombreux pays, et notamment en Afrique, et du rôle particulier qui incombait à l'OAA pour lutter contre cette situation. Elle s'était félicitée de l'évolution que traduisait l'avant-projet de budget en ce qui concerne la répartition des grandes masses budgétaires au détriment des dépenses administratives générales et au profit des programmes opérationnels. De même, elle avait noté avec beaucoup de satisfaction la priorité accordée aux besoins du continent africain. Ma délégation, enfin, avait lancé un appel au Directeur général pour que de nouveaux efforts soient réalisés afin de se rapprocher d'un taux de croissance nul en termes réels et, à cette fin, d'opérer une réduction supplémentaire sur les seules lignes de crédit consacrées aux dépenses administratives.
La délégation française est heureuse de constater que cet appel a été entendu. Certes, le projet que nous avons sous les yeux n'est pas sans présenter encore quelques imperfections. Il comprend une augmentation en termes réels;bien que la part des dépenses de personnel par rapport au total du budget continue de décroître, nous constatons une légère augmentation nette des effectifs et
nous notons, en outre, certains glissements catégoriels. Cependant, au stade où nous en sommes de nos réflexions et de nos travaux au sein de la Conférence, c'est-à-dire dans l'instance qui a le pouvoir de décision final dans l'Organisation, il nous semble qu'il convient de bien distinguer l'essentiel et d'en tirer les conséquences. L'essentiel, à mes yeux, est: l'effort de rigueur que traduit le projet dans sa forme actuelle et la pertinence des orientations auxquelles il obéit, qu'il s'agisse de l'accent mis sur les aspects opérationnels ou de la priorité en faveur de l'Afrique. A ce sujet, il est vrai que la situation alimentaire s'est améliorée au cours de la période la plus récente dans un certain nombre de pays africains, mais nous savons bien que cette amélioration est fragile et qu'une véritable sécurité alimentaire est acquise seulement lorsque le développement des capacités de production agricole d'un pays est tel qu'il lui assure 1'autosuffisance de manière permanente. Nous en sommes encore loin pour bien des pays en développement, et pas seulement en Afrique.
Il est impératif que l'Organisation des Nations Unies pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture, dont c'est la tâche primordiale que d'assurer ce développement des capacités locales de production, ne relâche pas ses efforts et qu'elle dispose des moyens nécessaires pour remplir cette tâche.
L'essentiel, enfin, c'est la bonne volonté qu'a manifestée le Directeur général en opérant une réduction significative du taux de croissance grâce à des réductions réalisées, comme nous l'avions souhaité, sur les seuls postes administratifs. C'est pourquoi, tout en espérant que de nouvelles améliorations pourront être apportées d'ici la fin de nos travaux, notamment en ce qui concerne le niveau d'augmentation en termes réels, la délégation française est en mesure d'apporter son appui au projet de budget de l'Organisation pour le biennium 1986-87.
WALID ABDRABU (Jordan) (original language Arabic): Mr Chairman I would like to express my congratulations to you on your election to the post of Vice-Chairman. I wish you full success in chairing our proceedings today. A large number of my colleagues yesterday and today have extensively dealt with the various aspects of the Programme of Work and Budget. I do not in fact have much to add to their comments and explanations. I agree with them in principle that this Programme was carefully prepared in form and content. Mr Shah has shed further light on the general Programmes in yesterday's meeting. His introduction was clear and frank. We would therefore like to express to him our congratulations and appreciation. The message Mr Shah read out from the Director-General was equally frank and clear and in fact this requires us to make no further comments on the subject.
My first comment today deals with the priorities set out by the Director-General as a basis for the preparation of the Programme of Work and Budget. It goes without saying that these priorities are vast and comprehensive enough to represent a sound basis for the preparation of programmes and budgets for many biennia to come. The Director-General did well to select training as one of these priorities as developing countries without exception have and continue to need help in drawing up their training programmes at all levels, the more so at practical and field levels. We therefore hope that the Organization in adopting these priorities will be able to provide the necessary aid to developing countries in this field.
The collection of information, data and statistics is another aspect of importance. Many developing countries lack the necessary national institutions to undertake this task, that is to say without the provision of outside help and guidance. We therefore hope that the Organization will be able to provide the necessary aid to the developing countries in this field.
The other priority adopted deals with support of field programmes and we believe that the Organization should give special priority to this. Technical support provided by the specialized divisions in the Organization and in the Regional Offices, as well as special support provided to field programmes, is vitally important. In fact the relationship between Regular Programmes and the field programme must be further supported and strengthened in the interests of field programmes. Here I would like to point out that developing countries consider field programmes as an extension of the Regular Programme. Consequently the failure or success of a field programme could have positive or negative effects on the Regular Programmes. This is as far as the priorities are concerned.
Now as far as the Budget level is concerned, we believe that better could not be done in this field. The Director-General in fact undertook his task faithfully and did introduce the necessary amendments to the Draft Budget. We therefore hope it will be ad proved unanimously or at least without any objections. Jordan, as other developing countries, does not approve the principle of zero growth which is advocated by a few developed countries, especially if it concerns the question of providing necessary food for individuals. Neither do we approve the reduction of the Budget at the cost of administrative and support services. I believe that we have reached a juncture in the Organization where we cannot expect any further reductions in support costs as this can adversely affect the Organization's activities and ability to implement technical programmes.
My delegation in declaring its support for the Programme of Work and Budget, and the levels as introduced by the Director-General further wishes to seize this opportunity to renew its expression of confidence in the Director-General, Mr Edouard Saouma, and his sound and wise leadership of the Organization at present and in the future.
A. BROTONS DIEZ (España): La delegación española se siente muy complacida por la designación del Embajador de Colombia para presidir esta importante Comisión, así como por la de usted, que accede a la Vicepresidencia. Sus conocimientos en estos temas presupuestarios y su experiencia lograrán, sin duda, que nuestro trabajo sea especialmente eficaz.
En esta primera intervención, queremos aportar nuestro comentario general a las líneas que han ser-vido de base para la formulación del Programa de Labores y Presupuesto para el bienio 1986-87, que presenta el Director General de la FAO a la Conferencia.
En primer lugar, se observa una mejora continua en cuanto a la aportación de datos en la presentación del presupuesto sobre ejercicios anteriores, que esperamos se siga produciendo para clarificar, con mayor precisión, los objetivos de los programas y las fuentes de financiación que son necesarias para su desarrollo, con expresión de los recursos presupuestarios que no sean imputables en dólares.
La proporción de dotaciones que se dedican a gastos fijos en servicios de personal, a pesar del esfuerzo continuado de FAO por reducirlas en favor de los programas técnicos y económicos, sigue representando un alto porcentaje del presupuesto, por lo que se debe seguir en esta línea de reducción, aprovechando los avances técnicos en la información con que se cuenta en la actualidad.
España pasa como muchos otros países, por una situación preocupante, que no ve claramente la llegada de la mejora positiva en los indicadores económicos. Esto ha obligado a nuestro Gobierno a elaborar un presupuesto nacional restrictivo, con un incremento negativo para el año 1986.
En estas condiciones, es lógico que esta misma política económica se le aplique a los organismos internacionales en los que participamos, pero la FAO representa para nosotros el apoyo al Tercer Mundo y le damos un tratamiento especial. Este apoyo no implica que debamos admitir una expansión de los gastos más allá de lo imprescindible y pedimos al Director General unas medidas de austeridad en consonancia con las que se llevan a cabo en nuestro país, al menos en los gastos de dirección y apoyo.
Conocemos que los objetivos prioritarios seleccionados reflejan las opiniones de los países miembros debatidas a lo largo de múltiples comisiones y equipos de trabajo, Conferencias regionales y Confe-rencias mundiales en distintas áreas, suponiendo una labor muy meritoria de recopilación y síntesis difícil de realizar. En este sentido las grandes líneas prioritarias merecen nuestra aprobación, aunque, naturalmente, no puedan reflejar plenamente las prioridades de una Organización que debe atender a todos sus 156 Estados Miembros.
Apoyamos los esfuerzos dedicados por la FAO a Africa, con especial atención a la rehabilitación de la agricultura y al problema nutricional y educativo de los niños, materializado todo ello con un incremento de 3,2 millones de dólares para Africa de los cinco de aumento que el Director General detrae del Programa Ordinario y dedica a la rehabilitación de la agricultura.
Se considera fundamental el apoyo a la producción de insumos esenciales para la agricultura, sobre todo en Africa, así como la ordenación de los recursos hídricos y la mejora de la sanidad animal, dando prioridad a la producción de vacunas y la mejora de las ganadería autóctonas.
Nos parece preferente el desarrollo de las experiencias y los ensayos sobre la investigación pura en base a que a corto plazo el mundo en desarrollo podrá beneficiarse más de inmediato, mientras que de la investigación cabe esperar resultados a mucho mayor largo plazo.
España viene prestando a la FAO su pleno apoyo en temas de pesca, y colaborando plenamente en la Conferencia Mundial celebrada en 1984 en Roma y en la reunión de los Ministros de Pesca celebrada el passado mes de octubre en nuestro país, por considerar que gran parte de los recursos alimenticios de los países en desarrollo están en el mar.
Se observan que las actividades forestales quedan por debajo del porcentaje deseable en el presupuesto de la Organización y deberían ser aumentadas con cargo a otros programas, como los Programas de Cooperación Técnica. Esto ya lo han indicado otras delegaciones anteriores a nosotros, como Dinamarca, Malí, Malasia, Brasil, Chile, El Salvador y otras, y todo ello en base a los beneficios que comporta la actuación forestal en la estabilidad de los suelos, en la lucha contra la desertización y el aumento de los recursos forestales hoy día escasos. no hay que olvidar que las actuaciones de reforestación ofrecen a los países afectados por la sequía trabajo, comida y un futuro mejor para su agricultura y la de los países vecinos.
Por último, se considera de gran interés el que la FAO pueda prestar un gran servicio a través de un banco de datos de información agraria, pesquera y alimentaria, imposible de obtener por muchos de sus países miembros, que les permita tener una panorámica amplia para la toma certera de sus decisiones.
M; S. DJELLOULI (Tunisie): Je voudrais tout d'abord adresser au nom de la délégation tunisienne nos plus vives félicitations à M. Bula Hoyos et à vous-même et à M. Winkel pour votre élection à la tête de cette importante Commission. Nos compliments vont aussi à l'ensemble des membres du Bureau.
Je tiens à remercier le secrétariat pour les-grandes qualités et la clarté des documents présentés. Nous les avons examinés avec soin et nous avons écouté avec attention l'excellent exposé fait par M. Shah au nom du Directeur général de la FAO.
La délégation tunisienne approuve le Programme de travail et Budget proposé pour le biennium 1986-87, bien qu'elle le juge austère, compte tenu de l'ampleur des tâches que doit affronter la FAO pour lutter contre la faim dans le monde. En effet, la modeste augmentation budgétaire proposée permettrait tout juste de maintenir le Programme à son niveau 1984-85. Nous nous associons aux recommandations faites par la majorité des membres du Comité du Programme et du Comité financier, et entérinées par le Conseil. Nous appuyons également les amendements proposés concernant la création d'une nouvelle catégorie de projets de programmes de coopération technique, destinés à catalyser la coopération entre les pays.
Je voudrais confirmer ici la position prise par le Ministre de.1'agriculture de la Tunisie lors de son intervention à la séance plénière, à savoir que nous approuvons le Programme de travail et Budget pour 1986-87 présenté par le Directeur général, auquel nous tenons à rendre hommage pour la stratégie appliquée et les efforts méritoires accomplis en vue de réduire les dépenses administratives au profit des programmes de terrain.
M. NIETO LARA (Cuba): Señor Presidente, permítaseme felicitarlo a usted y al distinguido representante de la República Federal de Alemania por su elección para dirigir esta importante reunión, y quiero pedirle que transmita nuestro beneplácito al distinguido Embajador de la hermana República de Colombia por su elección para presidir esta Comisión y dirigir nuestros debates, con la plena convicción de que será conducido magistralmente habida cuenta de su experiencia, inteligencia, sabiduría y cabal sentido de la justicia a que nos tiene acostumbrados. Cuente, señor Presidente, con la seguridad de que mi delegación trabajará con ahinco para encontrar las mejores soluciones y contribuir al buen desempeño de su trabajo. Me siento, asimismo, obligado con extremo placer en felicitar al señor Shah por la excelente presentación del tema, ofreciendo una base ilustrativa que con seguridad facilita nuestras reflexiones y decisiones.
Enerando en materia quiero respaldar el criterio expresado por el Director General en la introducción al documento C 85/3 que señala, y cito "el Programa de Labores y Presupuesto marca el pulso de la Organización y representa su fuerza vital". De aquí extraemos una valiosa conclusión para otorgar al examen de este tema un lugar preponderante en nuestro trabajo.
Recordamos nuestras reflexiones y deliberaciones sobre el tema en el pasado 22° período de sesiones de la Conferencia en la que arribamos a la aprobación de un presupuesto estigmatizado por un creci-miento cero, es decir sólo 0,5 por ciento y vemos que este capítulo se repite en la actualidad y tenemos que lamentar que para el bienio 1986-87 sólo se haya propuesto un crecimiento del 1,1 por ciento, que en términos absolutos equivale al no crecimiento en un momento en que el mundo subdesarrollado atraviesa por la más crítica situación de calamidad de su historia y las necesidades son extraordinariamente superiores a las posibilidades y aspiraciones de este modesto presupuesto que se nos presenta. Por consiguiente no debemos aceptar esta tendencia manifiesta al crecimiento cero porque de mantenerse tendríamos que lamentar en el futuro eventuales reducciones.
La situación presupuestaria de la Organización y su desbalance con las necesidades de los países subdesarrollados no constituye un fenómeno aislado de la profunda crisis económica internacional, de los problemas de la agobiante deuda externa y del injusto orden económico imperante. La producción de alimentos y la seguridad alimentaria requieren el máximo esfuerzo de la comunidad internacional, en particular para mitigar la terrible hambruna que azota al continente africano, reconociendo de una parte que más de 800 millones de personas padecen hambre y de otra parte tomamos en cuenta que el incremento neto propuesto es de sólo 5 millones de dólares EE.UU.; la comparación de estas dos cifras nos lleva a la conclusión de que examinamos un valor incremental del presupuesto de algo más de 0,6 centavos de dólar EE.UU. por cada persona hambrienta en el mundo. No se trata únicamente de un problema financiero, se trata de un problema de fondo que nos obliga a meditar profundamente para que encontremos y apliquemos soluciones valederas y desaparezca la vergüenza que siente hoy nuestra sociedad ante la situación de hambre y miseria que padecen nuestros pueblos en los países subdesa-rrollados mientras otros viven en la opulencia.
El papel que está, y seguirá, jugando la FAO como interlocutor y como organización activa en la solución de los problemas del hambre y la miseria en el medio rural merece el decidido apoyo a todos nosotros, no sólo desde el punto de vista moral, sino también en lo que hace a la parte material; esto último, naturalmente, con preferencia por parte de los países ricos con disponibilidades financieras propendiendo a hacer valer el noble principio de la equidad.
En el orden práctico el Programa de Labores y Presupuesto que examinamos en su parte estructural ha mejorado con respecto al del período actual; un leve aumento de 1,2 por ciento en el Programa de Cooperación Técnica demuestra un reforzamiento de esta forma operacional reconocida por la mayoría de los países como muy fructífero y provechoso basado en los resultados alcanzados con su aplicación práctica.
El Programa de Cooperación Técnica ha jugado un papel determinante en la solución de múltiples y variados problemas, no solamente en su modalidad de ayuda de emergencia, sino en la movilización de recursos locales en los países receptores con efecto multiplicador apreciable. De otra parte los proyectos de cooperación técnica en muchos casos han actuado como elemento movilizador identificando y sensibilizando fuentes internacionales de financiamiento y ayuda al desarrollo para aportar la solución de los problemas en una extensión mayor.
En nuestra opinión, el Programa de Cooperación Técnica es un pequeño motor que actúa rompiendo la inercia en que a menudo se encuentra el desarrollo de ciertos sectores o activando prioridades de la agricultura y la alimentación en nuestros países con un poder movilizativo en el marco nacional e internacional que frecuentemente resulta incalculable.
La evaluación del Programa de Cooperación Técnica indicada por el Director General y cuyas conclu-siones se encuentran a disposición de todos los Estados Miembros aportan resultados altamente posi-tivos, evidenciando el pragmatismo de esta modalidad. La transferencia tecnológica, la capacitación y el aporte de insumos especializado han permitido promover en una medida insuficiente respecto de las necesidades el desarrollo de diversas actividades de la agricultura. Por estas y otras razones mi delegación considera que el tope presupuestario de los proyectos de cooperación técnica debe elevarse de 250 a 4 000 dólares EE.UU.
Mi país acumula una rica experiencia en la aplicación de los proyectos de cooperación técnica haciendo un uso racional de los medios asignados y desarrollando el efecto multiplicador que se deriva de la aplicación de la mayoría de los mismos.
Recordamos que cuando nuestras plantaciones de arroz, principal elemento de la tierra nacional se vieron afectadas por una intensa plaga de roedores que amenazaba la pérdida total de las cosechas fue la FAO por intermedio de un proyecto de cooperación técnica quien actuó con dinamismo para ayu-darnos a establecer las medidas de control y disminuir los daños.
Igualmente hemos recibido la asistencia de la FAO a través del Programa de Cooperación Técnica para apoyar los esfuerzos que realizamos en el desarrollo del Programa nacional de la producción de semi-llas de papa, experiencia que será de gran utilidad también para países como el nuestro con similares condiciones ecológicas.
Para no extenderme, sólo mencionaré que los beneficios que hemόs obtenido por este Programa de Cooperación Técnica son múltiples y variados con gran impacto en nuestra agricultura; creo, por consiguiente, que no se puede negar las ventajas de este programa y por ello merece todo nuestro apoyo.
Para terminar quisiera apuntar que los programas regionales y la representación permanente en los países han venido demostrando su eficacia desde hace varios años; esta dependencia de la FAO permite un mayor contacto de la Organización con los Gobiernos y el personal técnico de los países, haciendo que los esfuerzos comunes tengan una mejor canalización y un mayor aprovechamiento. El establecimiento de las redes de cooperación técnica en América Latina y el Caribe, ha resultado una experiencia altamente positiva permitiendo estrechar los contactos a nivel técnico entre los agricultores de nuestros países desarrollando un interesante programa de cooperación horizontal con orientación al intercambio de experiencias, la transferencia tecnológica y disminuir la duplicación de esfuerzos en países con similar ecología y cultura agrícola. En tal sentido deseo reconocer en esta oportunidad los esfuerzos que realiza la Oficina Regional de la FAO para América Latina y el Caribe para el establecimiento, desarrollo y consolidación de las redes de cooperación técnica.
Señor Presidente, permítame sumarme a quienes me han precedido en el uso de la palabra para confir-mar nuestro agradecimiento al Director General por el esfuerzo realizado para presentarnos un presu-puesto equilibrado orientado a responder a las seis prioridades de la Organización y estamos cons-cientes y seguros de que el buen entendimiento y comprensión nos llevará a la aprobación unánime del Programa de Labores y Presupuesto para el bienio 1986-87 el cual mi delegación apoya en toda su extensión.
A.M.M. QURESHI (Pakistan): We are delighted to see you chairing this morning's important session. It is my privilege to extend to you and to Mr Winkel our heartiest felicitations on your election as Vice-Chairmen of this most important and prestigious Commission.
It is our confident hope that you will guide our discussions to constructive conclusions. We have indeed been greatly impressed by your ability and knowledge of many languages. Through you, Mr Chairman, I would also wish to extend our congratulations to Ambassador Bula Hoyos on his unanimous election. We also welcome the Cook Islands and the Solomon Islands in our midst. Our thanks to Mr Shah for his eloquent presentation of the subject.
We would like to comment in general on the whole document and reserve our right to come back to the specifics if the occasion so warrants. The current debate in Commission II is, so to speak, the culmination of a long-drawn-out process of deliberations in the various fora of FAO. As members of the Programme Committee and the Council, we participated in the long discussi diligently and minutely examining in the greatest detail the proposals put forward by the Director-General in document C 85/3. We have carefully studied the document and the Director-General's introduction. We fully recognize the grim world economic situation against the backdrop of which the Director-General has drawn up his proposals for the ensuing biennium 1986-87.
The economies of developing countries have barely benefited from the recent economic upsurge in the developed world. Commodity prices are at their lowest for 27 years, with no effective international mechanism to stabilize them. The external debt of the developing countries has attained a staggering level of nearly US$ 1 000 billion. It is alarming to note that due to economic crisis, the developing countries between 1972 and 1982 were obliged to cut their expenditure in the vital sectors of health and education from 21 to 9 percent of their budgets. The declining trend in multilateral aid, the reluctance of commercial banks to increase their lending, high interest rates, highly unfavourable exchange rates and the export prices of agricultural products being the lowest in 27 years, have only deepened the crisis for developing agricultural economies. Besides, the world has witnessed parts of Africa shrivelling to death due to drought and famine. This is the unhappy scenario against the background of which the Director-General has formulated his budgetary proposals. We appreciate all this. We also hope that the Third World does not have to starve its children to repay its intolerable debts.
We appreciate the imaginative manner in which the Director-General has brought about a balance between the demands for austerity and his concern for maintaining the efficiency and effectiveness of this Organization's core programmes of economic and technical assistance which are truly its raison d'être. We fully endorse the strategies, priorities and the programme proposals as contained in document C 85/3. We recognize that the Director-General had to resort to cuts in the administrative and support costs, so that the vital programmes which respond themselves to the felt needs of member countries are not impaired. We would, however, like to strike a note of caution against the continued application of such a policy which may adversely affect FAO's efficiency and the effective delivery of its programmes in the years to come.
My delegation feels that the so-called doctrine of zero growth cannot be applied indiscriminately within the UN system. The application of the concept of zero growth to a unique, specialized agency such as FAO is highly inconceivable. The many successes that FAO has to its credit are reason enough for just and fair, if not preferential, treatment for it. For the many challenges that lie ahead, we have collectively and individually to lend a hand to FAO in the fulfillment of its charter. Those in the comfortable towns and villages clasped in affluence, and we, in the Conference, at least owe a thought to the poor of the world who constitute nearly two-thirds of its populace, a benign thought which might inspire us to exercise the dictates of our conscience. We owe a thought to the small farmer in the farthest corner of this planet, the poor landless man, with a pair of livestock as his only treasure in the world, the sturdy man eking his living in the forbidding and inaccessible heights of our mountains, and the poor fisherman hardly surviving on his modest daily catch. All of us present here at least owe them a thought.
Our founding fathers who keep silently looking over our shoulders in the various galleries of this Organization, at times provoking our inmost thoughts, expect a still better performance from us. The only homage we can pay to them is to nurture the Organization they built, brick by brick. Let it not be said, when we are judged by posterity, that we quibbled over some inconsequential and inconceivable concept of zero growth. We cannot shrink away from our moral duty to help one another. This was the spirit of FAO 40 years ago and this is the spirit today. The best manner to commemorate its 40th Anniversary is to pledge ourselves once again to strengthening this unique Organization. My delegation, my country wholeheartedly endorses the Programme of Work and Budget as presented in document C 85/3.
K.M. EJAZUL HUQ (Bangladesh): As I am taking the floor for the first time, please allow me, Mr Chairman, to join our voice to those who have spoken before us in paying our tribute on your election as Vice-Chairman and to Ambassador Bula Hoyos as Chairman of this Commission.
My delegation also places on record its appreciation of the logically-framed remarks the Director-General made in introducing agenda item 12 which was read out yesterday by Mr. Shah. Mr Shah's own presentation of the salient features of the Programme of Work and Budget for the biennium 1986-87 also deserves our thanks.
The Programme of Work of any organization, and more so of FAO because of its global implications is the very reason for its existence and its budget is the fuel for its motion. FAO's massive mandate to serve humanity, its impressive track record over the last four decades of serving those countries which needed its service, and the proclaimed common concern of all nations for eradicating poverty and hunger from our earth make this Organization's Programme of Work and Budget a matter of deepest interest to all Member Nations.
Naturally, the developing member nations who are struggling to find their economic emancipation, will not like to see the efficiency and competence of FAO falter due to want of fuel. But the source of the consensus must and hopefully will come from the professed common concern for the welfare of humanity at large.
Let us not forget that the programme priorities and strategies, as set out by the Director-General in Conference document C 85/3 and its addenda were not conceived in a void or unilaterally, nor are they insensitive to the economic difficulties of Member Nations. The Director-General's programme on the major areas in promoting food production, increasing food security and consolidating information systems, emphasizing training, enhancing economic and technical cooperation among developing countries and ensuring impact at the field level emanating from and guided by advice given and demands placed by the Twenty-second Conference, together with the Conference's technical advisory bodies, Council Committees and the Council itself all contributed to the original document. In all these meetings, the member countries had an opportunity to put forward not only the parameters of programme formulation but also to examine the budgetary implications of the demands placed upon the Organization. During this process, the developing and firming up of a realistic programme took place, and the members endorsed the proposals and actions that have coalesced into the work programme and budget now before us.
Recalling this process, it would appear that reaching a consensus on it should be almost automatic; clearly in the case of some countries this is not so. Recalling that in the numerous. preceding meetings agreement was not wanting, it seems ironic that in the face of the reality of unmet needs there is at the same time a forceful effort on the part of some member countries to put a lock on the growth of the programme.
The Bangladesh delegation appeals to them to defer to the historical perspective of collaborative action on the one hand and the pressing needs of the developing world on the other.
The signs of economic recovery currently point to a more hopeful picture, but we must not forget that there is always a considerable time lag for this to reach the developing countries, even more in the case of the low-income food-deficit countries. For these countries this process is rendered even slower by, interalia, depressed agricultural product prices, indebtedness, difficulties in market entry and stiff protectionism.
This being the scenario, FAO's technical input to the growth of these economies will have to continue at a high rate for a long time to come. To be fair to FAO's competence, let us not forget that it cautioned the world well in advance of the crisis that overtook Africa. FAO will have to continue to monitor the world situation effectively and efficiently, lest there be re-enactment of the African drama elsewhere. The other regions must receive adequate attention while rehabilitation of the affected African countries' agriculture continues.
One final point is that if there is a lack of managerial efficiency and effectiveness then it must be achieved, zero budget growth at times may be a means of doing this but this is not an end in itself. Over-stringency also produces inefficiency in management. One must take a dispassionate hard look at the situation to find commensurate action. Real need and its realization is the prime logic which must not be discarded for considerations beyond reality which are not one of need for FAO's effectiveness in most of the countries of the world.
While according our full support for the full Programme of Work and Budget we wish to give our strong support that we gave in the Eighty-eighth Council Session, to the allocations for the Technical Cooperation Programme. We endorsed the whole package which has in it the hallmark of
logic and experience for over a decade. With these words we call upon our fellow Member States to adopt the Programme of Work and Budget.
The Meeting rose at 12.45
La séance est levée à 12 h 45
Se levanta la sesión a las 12.45 horas
