220. The Council considered a draft paper 2 setting out the arrangements for the Sixteenth Session of the Conference, including the Provisional Agenda and Tentative Timetable, and the comments thereon made by the Programme Committee at its Nineteenth Session (April-May 1971) 3.
221. The Council agreed to the changes in the Conference Provisional Agenda suggested by the Programme Committee. It was informed that the item “Amendment to Financial Regulation III.3” should read “Amendments to Financial Regulations”. It was further informed that the Seventh McDougall Memorial Lecture would be delivered by the 1970 Nobel Prize winner Dr. Norman E. Borlaug.
222. The Council further agreed to the proposal that the Tentative Timetable of the Conference be amended to extend by one day the total time allotted to Commission II, which would therefore conclude its work on Wednesday 17 November and adopt its report on Friday 19 November. An extra half-day could thus be allotted to the “Review of the Organization's Activities and Programmes (including Regular Programme and Field Activities)”, and to “Medium-Term Activities and Programmes (including Regular Programme and Field Activities)”. it being understood that the field aspects of FAO's programmes would be mainly discussed under “Medium-Term Activities and Programmes”. It was further agreed that a maximum of one day would be allocated to the “Second World Food Congress”. The Council also noted that, should the Conference decide to suspend Rule XXXIII-1(a), which provides for the election of the Director-General to take place within the first three working days following the opening date of the Session, consequential adjustments would have to be made to the Tentative Timetable 4.
223. The Council also agreed that the Director-General should supply specific guidelines for heads of delegations in preparing their general statements for presentation in Plenary, and that those guidelines should be included in the document on arrangements for the session.
224. The Council agreed that it might not be necessary for the Chairman of the Conference to sum up at the end of the general statements in Plenary, but that the running summaries prepared by the Rapporteur from Plenary to Commission I during the debate could be used for this purpose as required.
225. The above changes would be incorporated in a revision of document CL 56/24, which would be issued in the normal manner as a Conference document, and circulated as an attachment to the invitations to the Sixteenth Conference Session.
226. The Council noted that the Heads of Delegations represented at the Council met during the Session, and had designated the individuals who would be approached to serve as Chairman of the Conference and Chairmen of Commissions I, II and III.
1 CL 56/PV-14, CL 56/PV-16 and CL 56/PV-18.
2 CL 56/24.
3 CL 56/3, paras. 146 and 147.
4 See para. 109 above.
5 CL 56/PV-14 and CL 56/PV-18.
227. The Council noted that the Conference at its Sixteenth Session would be required to appoint the Independent Chairman of the Council, the term of office of the present incumbent expiring this year.
228. The Council also noted that with regard to the nominations for this office, Rule XXIII-1(a) of the General Rules laid down that the Council determine the closing date for such nominations which must be submitted by Member Nations and addressed to the Secretary-General of the Conference. The Council accordingly established the deadline for the receipt of such nominations at 17.00 hours on Monday 6 September 1971. Nominations would be circulated by the Secretary-General to all Member Nations and Associate Members by Monday 13 September 1971.
