C 97/12

CONFERENCE

Twenty-ninth Session

Rome, 7-18 November 1997

ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE TWENTY -NINTH SESSION OF THE CONFERENCE

 

Table of Contents

APPENDIX A: TENTATIVE TIMETABLE OF THE CONFERENCE - DETAILED SCHEDULE

APPENDIX B :EXTRACT FROM ARTICLE III OF THE CONSTITUTION OF FAO

APPENDIX C: CRITERIA FOR CONFERENCE RESOLUTIONS AND FUNCTIONS AND OPERATING PROCEDURES OF THE RESOLUTIONS COMMITTEE

 

INTRODUCTION

1. At its Twenty-eighth session (October 1995) the Conference decided that the Twenty-ninth session should be held in Rome from 7 to 20 November 1997

2. Subsequently the 111th Council Session (October 1996) recommended that the duration of the Twenty-ninth Session of the Conference be reduced in the light of the Council's discussions on achieving savings in the meetings of Governing Bodies The Council also recalled that the principle of achieving savings should not adversely affect the quality of the work of the bodies. Bearing in mind the foregoing the Council at its Hundred and Twelfth Session (June 1997) recommended that the Twenty-ninth Conference Session be convened in Rome from Friday 7 to Tuesday 18 November 1997.

3. The Council also reviewed and approved a draft version of this document which was prepared taking into account the recommendations and decisions made by the Conference and the Council.

AGENDA AND SCHEDULING OF ITEMS

4. A provisional agenda for the Conference session containing only matters for which action by the Conference is absolutely required is found in C 97/1 which also lists subjects for which information documents will be tabled during the session.

5. In line with the recommendations of the Hundred and Twelfth Session of the Council, three Commissions would be established, as in the past, to examine the substantive items of the Agenda:

• Commission I dealing with major trends and policies in food and agriculture, except the State of Food and Agriculture which will be examined by Plenary (Part I of the Agenda).

• Commission II dealing with the substantive programmes and activities of the Organization. (Part II of the Agenda).

• Commission III dealing with constitutional and administrative matters (Part III of the Agenda).

6. A tentative timetable of the Conference session is given in Appendix A. The timetable provides that the work of each Commission would generally take up no more than five days. Meetings would normally last from 09.30 to 12.30 hours and from 14.30 to 17.30 hours.

7. As requested by the Council, all foreseen votes are scheduled during the first week of the Conference, for the benefit of Members that may find it difficult to maintain full delegations in Rome throughout the entire Conference period.

COMPOSITION OF DELEGATIONS

8. In accordance with Article III of the Constitution, each Member may be represented by one delegate, who may be accompanied by alternates, associates and advisers (see Appendix B).

9. Delegations are normally headed by Ministers. In deciding on the composition of their delegations, Members will wish to bear in mind the need for effective participation in the work of the Commissions as well as in Plenary.

CONSTITUTIONAL DUTIES OF THE CONFERENCE

10. In addition to adopting amendments to the Constitution, Rules and Regulations of the Organization, approving conventions and agreements, etc., the Conference has the following specific constitutional duties.

Admission of New Members

11. The Conference, as the supreme authority of the Organization, admits new Members to the Organization and deals generally with all matters relating to membership. At the date of preparing this document, one application for membership (Kazakhstan) had been received. Under Rule XIX-2 of the General Rules of the Organization (GRO) applications are receivable up to 30 days before the opening of the Conference Session, i.e. 7 October 1997, The admission of new Members is carried out by secret ballot and requires a two-thirds majority of the votes cast, provided that a majority of the Member Nations of the Organization is present. Membership becomes effective on the date on which the Conference approves the application. This item of the Agenda is scheduled for Friday 7 November 1997 (see paragraph 20 below).

Appointment of the Independent Chairman of the Council

12. In accordance with Article V-2 of the Constitution and Rule XXIII-I GRO, the Conference appoints the Independent Chairman of the Council.

13. Rule XXIII-1(b) GRO lays down that the Council shall determine the closing date for submission, by Member Nations to the Secretary-General of the Conference, of nominations for the Office of Independent Chairman of the Council. Likewise, the Council also sets the date by which the Secretary General shall circulate these nominations to all Members of the Organization. Taking into consideration past practice the Council established 12.00 hours on Friday 22 August 1997 as the closing date for submission of nominations, and 29 August as the date by which such nominations are circulated by the Secretary General.

14. The election for the Office of Independent Chairman of the Council is provisionally scheduled for Friday 14 November.

Election of Council Members

15. In accordance with Article V-1 of the Constitution, the Conference elects the Members of the Council. A separate note on the subject of Council Members, including Nomination Forms will be circulated as a Conference document (C 97/11). In accordance with Rule XXII-10(a) GRO, the Conference decides the date of the election and the date by which nominations for election to the Council must be submitted. The attached Timetable (Appendix C) proposes that the election be held on Friday 14 November. As laid down in Rule XXII-10(c) GRO, nominations must be supported in writing by the delegates of two Member Nations to the Conference, other than the delegate of the Member Nation nominated, and must be accompanied by a formal written acceptance of the nomination by the delegate of the Member Nation nominated. Rule XXII-10(d) further specifies that the General Committee shall communicate the valid nominations received to the Conference at least three working days before the date selected for the election. Accordingly the Council recommended that the deadline for the receipt of nominations be set at 12.00 hours on Saturday 8 November.

OFFICERS OF THE CONFERENCE

16. In accordance with Rule XXIV-5(b) GRO, the Council, at its Hundred and Thirteenth Session (November 1997) will propose candidates for the Offices of Chairman of the Conference and Chairmen of the Commissions of the Conference and, in addition, the Council will elect the Nominations Committee of the Conference consisting of eleven Member Nations.

17. In accordance with Rule VII-2 GRO, the Nominations Committee, which reports directly to the Conference, proposes to the Conference nominations for the offices of the three Vice-Chairmen of the Conference, for the members of the Credentials Committee consisting of nine Member Nations, and for the seven elected Members of the General Committee.

PLENARY MEETINGS

18. The first two Plenary meetings on Friday 7 November 1997 should dispose of the opening procedures.

19. At the first Plenary meeting in the morning, the Conference will elect its Chairman and three Vice-Chairmen and appoint the General Committee and the Credentials Committee (Rule VII GRO). The Plenary will then adjourn to permit the General Committee and the Credentials Committee to hold their first meetings.

20. At the second Plenary meeting in the afternoon, the Conference, acting on the first report of the General Committee, will adopt the Agenda, establish the Commissions, appoint a Resolutions Committee (see paragraphs 26 and 27 below) and deal with the admission of observers and other procedural matters. The vote on the admission of new Members is scheduled for the same afternoon, to be followed by the ceremony of admission of these new Members. While the votes are being counted, the presentation of the B.R. Sen Awards for 1996 and 1997, the A.H. Boerma Award and the Edouard Saouma Award will take place.

21. The third Plenary meeting on the morning of Saturday 8 November will start with the Director-General's Statement to the Conference and the Statement of the Independent Chairman of the Council. Following these reports on the work of the Organization and of the Council, respectively, the discussion on the State of Food and Agriculture in the world will commence. This discussion will be reserved for statements to be delivered by Heads of Delegations and will continue until Thursday 13 November. On the morning of Tuesday 11 November, some time has been reserved for the Plenary to hear the Twentieth McDougall Memorial Lecture.

22. Since only five days are available for statements, and as the great majority of Heads of Delegations present at the Conference will no doubt wish to make statements, the Council recommended that statements be limited to a maximum of 5 minutes each.

23. The Council also recommended that Friday 14 November be set aside for the election of Members of the Council (by secret ballot), for the election of the Independent Chairman of the Council (by secret ballot), and for the vote on the budget level (by roll call vote).

24. The last Plenary meetings of the Session would be used to conclude the remaining items on the Agenda and to adopt the report of the Conference.

25. In view of the shorter duration of the Conference, and the need to streamline procedures and debate during the session, greater emphasis should be placed on preparing items for decision. This will be done primarily by presenting all draft decisions to be taken by the Conference in a form ready for approval and inclusion in the Report.

RESOLUTIONS COMMITTEE

26. The Council recommended the establishment of a Resolutions Committee of the Conference composed of seven members, one from each FAO region.

27. The Council also reiterated the view, repeatedly expressed on previous occasions, that resolutions should be kept to a minimum, and be confined to matters requiring a formal decision by Conference. Appendix C sets out the criteria for Conference resolutions and the functions and operating procedures of the Resolutions Committee, as adopted by the Eighteenth and subsequent sessions of the Conference since 1975.

INVITATIONS

28 . The United Nations and the other organizations in the UN system are entitled to be represented at sessions of the Conference, without the right to vote. Other intergovernmental organizations having agreements with FAO that contain specific provisions to this effect have a right to attend as observers. Those non-governmental organizations which have consultative status are also entitled to send observers to Conference sessions.

29. Other intergovernmental organizations and non-governmental organizations having specialized consultative status or liaison status, may be invited on a provisional basis by the Director-General, subject to Conference approval. Accordingly, the Provisional Agenda of the Session contains an item "Admission of Observers".

30. The above provisions are set out in Rule XVII GRO and also in the "FAO Policy Concerning Relations with International Non-Governmental Organizations" (FAO Basic Texts, Volume II, Section P).

31. Observers from non-governmental organizations will be invited to attend informal meetings to be held on Saturday 8 November in order that their views and suggestions on the activities and programmes of the Organization may be reported to the Conference.

32. The Council noted the Director-General's suggestion to invite the Palestine Liberation Organization to attend the Twenty-ninth Session of the Conference in an observer capacity.

Friday 7 November Plenary

Credentials Committee

1st Meeting

Opening by the Director-General

Item 1: Election of Chairman and Vice-Chairmen

Item 2: Appointment of General Committee and Credentials Committee

(Immediately after appointment of Committee by Plenary)

2nd Meeting

Item 3: Adoption of the Agenda

Item 4: Arrangements for the Session and Allocation of Agenda Items

Item 5: Admission of Observers

Item 28: Applications for Membership in the Organization (Vote)

Item 31:Any Other Matters

31.2: Presentation of B.R. Sen Awards

31.3: Presentation of A.H. Boerma Award

31.4: Presentation of Edouard Saouma Award

Item 28: Applications for Membership in the Organization (cont'd)

(Admission Ceremony)

Plenary

Commission II

3rd Meeting

Director-General's Statement to the Conference

Independent Chairman of Council's Statement to the Conference

Item 6: Review of the State of Food and Agriculture

Item 13: Programme Evaluation Report 1996-97

4th Meeting

Item 6: Review of the State of Food and Agriculture (cont'd)

Item 13: Programme Evaluation Report 1996-97 (cont'd)

Plenary

Commission I

Commission II

Commission III

5th Meeting

Item 6: Review of the State of Food and Agriculture (cont'd)

Item 7: The World Food Summit and its Follow-up

Item 14: Medium-Term Plan 1998-2003

6th Meeting

Item 6: Review of the State of Food and Agriculture (cont'd)

Item 8: United Nations/FAO World Food Programme Pledging Target 1999-2000

Item 9: Standards for Plant Quarantine Harmonization

Item 14: Medium-Term Plan 1998-2003 (cont'd)

Plenary

Commission I

Commission II

Commission III

7th Meeting

Item 31.1 McDougall Memorial Lecture

Item 6: Review of the State of Food and Agriculture (cont'd)

Item 10: Negotiation of a Legally Binding Instrument on Prior Informed Consent (PIC)

Item 11: Desert Locust Situation: Measures Taken and Further Action Required

Item 15: Programme of Work and Budget 1998-99

8th Meeting

Item 6: Review of the State of Food and Agriculture (cont'd)

Item 12: Programme Against African Tryponosomiasis (PAAT)

Item 15: Programme of Work and Budget 1998-99 (cont'd)

Plenary

Commission I

Commission II

Commission III

9th Meeting

Item 6: Review of the State of Food and Agriculture (cont'd)

Item 15: Programme of Work and Budget 1998-99 (cont'd)

Item 16: Amendments to the Basic Texts of the Organization

16.1: Amendments to Rule XXXIII GRO (CFS)

16.2 Amendments to the General Rules of the Organization and Financial Regulations of the Programme Budget Process

16.3 Amendments to Financial Regulations 6.9 and 7.1

Item 17: Revision of the General Regulations of WFP

Item 18: Amendments to the International Plant Protection Convention

Item 19: Cooperation Agreement between FAO and CARDNE

Item 20: Cooperation Agreement between FAO and INFOSAMAK

Item 21: Cooperation Agreement between FAO and INFOFISH Item 22: Other Constitutional and Legal Matters

22.1: Review of FAO Statutory Bodies

22.2 Money and Medals Programme

10th Meeting

Item 6: Review of the State of Food and Agriculture (cont'd)

Item 15: Programme of Work and Budget 1998-99 (cont'd)

Item 23: Audited Accounts 1994-95 and Report on Actions Taken on the External Auditor's Recommendations

Item 24: Scale of Contributions 1998-99

Item 25: Payment by the European Community to cover expenses Arising out of its Membership in the Organization

Item 26 Financial Position of the Organization including Status of Contributions

Item 27: Other Administrative and Financial Matters

27.1: Approval of the Commissary Accounts by the Finance Committee

Plenary

Commission I

Commission II

Commission III

11th Meeting

Item 6: Review of the State of Food and Agriculture (cont'd)

Adoption of Report

Adoption of Report

12th Meeting

Item 6: Review of the State of Food and Agriculture (cont'd)

Adoption of Report (cont'd)

Adoption of Report (cont'd)

Plenary

Commission I

Commission II

Commission III

13th Meeting

Item 29: Election of Council Members

Adoption of Report

14th Meeting

Item 29: Election of Council Members (cont'd)

Item 30: Appointments

30.1: Appointment of the Independent Chairman of the Council

Adoption of Commission II Report on Item 15 (Programme of Work and Budget 1998-99)

Plenary

Commission I

Commission II

Commission III

15th Meeting

Item 30: Appointments

30.2: Appointment of Representatives of the FAO Conference to the Staff Pension Committee

Item 31: Date and Place of the Thirtieth Conference Session

Item 32: Any Other Matters

16th Meeting

Adoption of Report of Commission II (cont'd)

Plenary

Commission I

Commission II

Commission III

17th Meeting

Adoption of Report of Commission I

Adoption of Report of Commission III

Plenary

Commission I

Commission II

Commission III

T O T A L

2

1

4

2

2

6

2

4

3

8

4

6

3

10

8

2

3

12

6

10

3

14

1

16

1