resolution 13/97 on the "Review of FAO Statutory Bodies" adopted by the
Conference
at its Twenty-ninth Session, in which the Conference recognized "the continuing need to enhance the efficiency of the Organization and its governance in a time of financial challenge, to eliminate Statutory Bodies that are obsolete, to ensure more flexible task-oriented and time-bound working arrangements for those that remain and to limit the creation of new Bodies to those that are strictly necessary",
Also
recalling
the earlier consideration by the
Conference
and the
Council
of matters concerning the abolition and establishment of Statutory Bodies, including, inter alia,
Resolution 12/79 adopted by the Conference at its Twentieth Session,
Recalling
further the Principles and Procedures which should govern Conventions and Agreements concluded under
Articles XIV and
XV of the Constitution, and Commissions and Committees established under
Article VI of the Constitution, as contained in the Basic Texts of the Organization,
Conscious
that, while substantial progress has been made in the implementation of
Resolution 13/97, further efforts are required in order to achieve its objectives,
1.
Reaffirms
the validity and relevance of
Resolution 13/97, in particular the procedures set forth therein relating to the establishment and abolition of statutory bodies;
2.
Requests
the Secretariat to take an active role in identifying statutory bodies that the
Council
or
Conference
may wish to abolish because they are inactive or are mandated to discharge functions that could be undertaken through more flexible task-oriented and time-bound working arrangements, as called for by
Resolution 13/97;
3.
Requests
the
Director-General
to continue to explore methods to enhance cost efficiencies for statutory bodies, in particular, in relation to the meetings of such bodies;
4.
Authorizes
the
Director-General
, where possible, and following any consultations that may be required under the applicable Rules of Procedure and relevant decisions:
(a)
to recommend to the Members of a statutory body established under
Article VI of the Constitution not to hold a session when, in his considered judgement, effective decision-making will not be possible because a quorum will not be achieved and, in the absence of objection from the minimum number of Members that would represent a quorum, to decide not to convene the session; and
(b)
to consider organizing ad hoc technical consultations to address matters falling within the mandates of such bodies in the place of the sessions, as required;
5.
Decides
that any proposal to establish a new body under
Articles VI or
XIV of the Constitution shall be accompanied by a document setting forth in detail:
(a)
the objectives that are to be achieved through the establishment of the body;
(b)
the manner in which the body will carry out its functions and any impact that its creation may have on current or future programmes of the Organization ;
(c)
the financial implications of the establishment of the body for the current biennium, as well as a forecast of the financial implications for the future biennia;
(d)
a specific assessment of whether the objectives of the proposed statutory body could be met through a different type of working arrangement, such as the organization of ad hoc technical consultations or other task-oriented and time-bound arrangements; and
(e)
whether there are any existing statutory bodies covering the same, similar or related fields as those to be addressed by the proposed new statutory body.
