C 2005/LIM/18




Conference



Thirty-third Session

Rome, 19-26 November 2005

Restriction of Attendance by the “general public” to meetings of the Organization


(Extract from the Report of the Hundred and Twenty-ninth Council Session)
(November 2005)1

1. The Council endorsed the following draft Resolution and transmitted it to the Conference for consideration and adoption.

DRAFT RESOLUTION .../..

Amendment to Rule V, paragraph 3 and Rule XXV, paragraph 9(a) of the General Rules of the Organization

THE CONFERENCE,

Having taken note of the views of the Committee on Constitutional and Legal Matters, at its Seventy-ninth Session (Rome, 11-12 October 2005) on the proposed amendments to Rule V, paragraph 3 and Rule XXV, paragraph 9(a) of the General Rules of the Organization;

Considering that the Council, at its Hundred and Twenty-ninth Session (Rome, 16-18 November), agreed to transmit to the Conference, for approval, the proposed amendments to the General Rules of the Organization;

Having noted further that the overarching principle that plenary meetings of the Conference and the Council shall continue to be held in public and that the proposed amendments are intended to clarify the extent of the responsibilities of the Director-General on security matters in connection with exceptional situations which might arise;

Noting its deliberations in connection with the establishment of a Security Expenditure Facility and the related amendment to the Financial Regulations.

Noting also that the implementation of the revised provisions of Rule V and Rule XXV of the General Rules of the Organization with respect to bodies established under Article VI and Article XIV of the Constitution shall be carried out in a progressive and differentiated manner having regard to all pertinent considerations, including the mandate of the concerned bodies;

Decides:2

(a) to amend Rule V, paragraph 3 of the General Rules of the Organization as follows:

“Subject to any decision of the Conference, the Director-General shall, taking into account all relevant security concerns, make appropriate arrangements for the admission of the public and to plenary meetings of the Conference. Subject to any decision of the Conference, the Director-General shall also make arrangements for the admission of representatives of the press and other information agencies to plenary meetings of the Conference.

(b) to amend Rule XXV, paragraph 9(a) as follows:

“Subject to the provisions of subparagraphs (b) and (c ) below, meetings of the Council and of such of its committees as are open to all of its members shall be public. Rule V, paragraph 3 applies mutatis mutandis to the meetings of the Council and of such of its committees as are open to all its members”.


1 CL 129/5; CL 129/PV4;

2 Words struck out to be deleted, words underlined to be added