INTRODUCTION
– PROCEDURE OF THE SESSION
1. The Ninety-sixth Session of the Council was held in Rome from 6 to 10 November 1989 under the Chairmanship of Lassaad Ben Osman, Independent Chairman of the Council.
Adoption of the Agenda and Timetable1
2. The Council examined the provisional agenda. On the suggestion of the Director-General, and in order to give more time for consideration of the remaining items, the Council agreed that Item 5 (Progress Report on the Plan of Action for the Integration of Women in Agricultural and Rural Development), Item 6 (Recent Developments in the UN System of Interest to FAO (including the International Conference on Nutrition), Item 8 (Review of the Regular Programme 1988-89), Item 9 ( Review of the Field Programmes 1988-89) and Item 12 (Return of the Regional Office for the Near East to the Region), which were also on the agenda of the Conference, should be deleted from the Council's agenda. However, it was agreed that a statement by Finland regarding Item 3 would be inserted in the verbatim records. In addition document C 89/27 (International Conference on Nutrition) would be considered by the Council under Item 17, Any Other Business.
3. With the above amendments the Council adopted its agenda and timetable. The agenda is given in Appendix A to this report.
Election of Three Vice
–Chairmen, and Designation of the Chairman and Members of the Drafting Committee2
4. The Council elected three Vice–Chairmen for its Session: Hannu Halinen (Finland), Muhammad Saleem Khan (Pakistan), and Atif Y. Bukhari (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia).
5. The Council elected Mónica Deregibus (Argentina) as Chairperson of the Drafting Committee with the following membership: Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Egypt, France, India, Japan,Lebanon, Lesotho, Malaysia, Mexico, Spain, United States of America.
Tribute to the Memory of His Excellency McDonald P. Benjamin, Ambassador of Dominica
3
6. The Council observed a minute of silence in memory of His Excellency McDonald P. Benjamin, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Dominica to FAO, who had died on 23 October 1989, The Director General and the Council paid tribute to his eminent membership on the Programme Committee during 1988-89 and also to his previous experience with the Organization and in working to help resolve agricultural problems. The Council viewed his death as a great loss to the international agricultural community.
1CL 96/1; CL 96/INF/1; CL 96/PV/1; CL 96/PV/9.
2CL 96/PV/1; CL 96/PV/2; CL 96/PV/9.
3CL 96/PV/1; CL 96/PV/9
