CL 115/INF/18

Council

Introduction

1. The issue of the regional distribution of Council seats was raised at the Twenty-first FAO Regional Conference for Europe under the agenda item "Any other Business". The report of the Regional Conference on this item reads as follows:

"The Conference took note of the statement delivered on this agenda item by the Head of the Delegation of Germany, which is reproduced below in extenso:

• In meetings previous to the 21st FAO Regional Conference for Europe, the member countries of the European Regional group had identified the unbalanced distribution of Council seats between the seven FAO Regions and within the European Region as one needing a satisfactory solution. A similar unbalanced situation is found with respect to seat distribution in the subsidiary bodies of the Council.
  
• This problem has its main cause in the increase of the number of FAO members over the past twenty years, both in Europe and in other regions to a total of 175 Member Nations, whilst the number of Council seats has remained unchanged, i.e. 49.
  
• The issue of a more balanced distribution of Council seats should therefore be discussed at the 115th Session of the Council in November 1998.
  
• The Director-General is requested to place this topic on the agenda of the forthcoming Council Session.
  
• To facilitate the finding of viable options for the solution to this problem, we suggest that a similar procedure be adopted as in the mid-seventies in preparing for the latest change in the number of Council seats (November 1977).
  
• This entails the establishment by the Council of an inter-regional working party on the composition of the Council, the Programme and Finance Committees and the Committee on Constitutional and Legal Matters."

2. By letter dated 29 June 1998, the Permanent Representative of the Federal Republic of Germany, which is currently a Member of the Council, in accordance with Rule XXV.7(b) of the General Rules of the Organization (GRO) [ Rule XXV.7(b) "Any Member of the Council may request the Director-General, not less than 30 days before the proposed date of any session, to insert an item in the provisional agenda for that session. The Director-General shall thereupon, if necessary, circulate a revised provisional agenda to all Member Nations and Associate Members, together with any necessary papers."] formally requested the Director-General to insert this item on the provisional agenda of the present Council session.

Background

3. The original Constitution of FAO provided, in Article V, for an Executive Committee of 9 to 15 Members. Article V was amended by the Third Session of the Conference in August/September 1947 to provide for a Council of 18 Members. The first members were Czechoslovakia, Denmark, France, Italy, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Canada, United States of America, Brazil, Chile, Cuba, Mexico, China, India, Philippine Republic, Egypt, Union of South Africa, Australia. There were 54 Member Nations of the Organization.

4. Since the number of Council Members is set out in the Constitution, changes to the membership are effected by an amendment to the Constitution adopted by the Conference.

5. The following information on changes in the number and regional distribution of Council seats is presented for the information of the Council.

CHANGES IN THE NUMBER AND REGIONAL DISTRIBUTION
OF COUNCIL SEATS

Changes up to 1970

6. At its Seventh Session, in 1953, the Conference adopted Resolution No. 42, increasing the membership of the Council from 18 to 24: two additional seats were allocated to the Asia and Far Eastern Region, one each to the European region and the Latin American Regions, and two to the Near Eastern Region.

7. The distribution of Council seats following this increase was as follows:

Africa: Council seats 1 (Member Nations 2)

Asia and the Far East: Council seats 5 (Member Nations 13)

Europe: Council seats 7 (Member Nations 21)

Near East: Council seats 3 (Member Nations 11)

Latin America: Council seats 5 (Member Nations 20)

North America: Council seats 2 (Member Nations 2)

Southwest Pacific: Council seats 1 (Member Nations 2)

Total of 24 seats and 71 Member Nations

8. At its Tenth Session in November 1959, the Conference, by Resolution 56/59, decided to increase the membership of the Council from 24 to 25, and to allocate the additional seat to the African Region. The number of Member Nations of the Organization then stood at 77.

9. At its Eleventh Session in November 1961, the Conference adopted Resolution 19/61, again increasing the membership of the Council from 25 to 27, and allocating the two additional seats to the African Region. The number of Member Nations was then 100.

10. At its Thirteenth Session in December 1965, the Conference adopted further amendments to the Constitution increasing the membership of the Council from 27 to 31. Of these four additional seats, three were allocated to the African Region, and one to the Latin-American Region. The Conference furthermore requested the Council to make preparations for a further increase at the Fourteenth Session. The number of Member Nations was then 109.

11. At its Fourteenth Session in November 1967, the Conference, by Resolution 12/67, increased the Council membership from 31 to 34. The Conference confirmed the decision, taken at its Thirteenth Session to allocate one of the additional seats to Asia and the Far East, one to Europe and one to the Near East. The number of Member Nations was then 117.

12. At that time, the 34 seats were distributed as follows: Africa 7; Asia and the Far East 6; Europe 8; Latin America 6; Near East 4; North America 2; Southwest Pacific.

Changes in 1973

13. At its Seventeenth Session in November 1973, the Conference, by Resolution 8/73, decided to further increase the membership of the Council from 34 to 42. Two additional seats each were allocated to the African, Asian and the Far East, and Latin American Regions, and one additional seat each to the European and the Near East Regions.

14. The distribution of Council seats after the 1973 amendments was as follows:

Africa: Council seats 9 (Member Nations 36)

Asia and the Far East: Council seats 8 (Member Nations 18)

Europe: Council seats 9 (Member Nations 29)

Near East: Council seats 5 (Member Nations 18)

Latin America: Council seats 8 (Member Nations 24)

North America: Council seats 2 (Member Nations 2)

Southwest Pacific: Council seats 1 (Member Nations 3)

Total of 42 seats and 130 Member Nations

Changes in 1977

15. At its Nineteenth Session in November 1977, the Conference, by Resolution 16/77 increased the membership of the Council from 42 to 49. The seven additional seats distributed as follows: 3 for Africa, and one for each of the following regions: Asia and the Far East, Europe, Latin America and the Near East.

16. The distribution of Council seats after these amendments was as follows:

Africa: Council seats 12 (Member Nations 44)

Asia and the Far East: Council seats 9 (Member Nations 19)

Europe: Council seats 10 (Member Nations 29)

Near East: Council seats 6 (Member Nations 19)

Latin America: Council seats 9 (Member Nations 27)

North America: Council seats 2 (Member Nations 2)

Southwest Pacific: Council seats 1 (Member Nations 4)

Total of 49 seats and 144 Member Nations

The Current Membership of the Organization and Distribution of Council Seats is as follows: [ As of 1 January 1998, see C 97/11, Appendix A; Conference Report para 163-165.]

Africa: Council seats 12 (Member Nations 48)

Asia: Council seats 9 (Member Nations 21)

Europe: Council seats 10 (Member Nations 41 [ The European Community exercises membership rights in the Council on an alternative basis with its Member States Members of the Council and is thus not counted as an additional Member.] )

Near East: Council seats 6 (Member Nations 21)

Latin America and the Caribbean: Council seats 9 (Member Nations 33)

North America: Council seats 2 (Member Nations 2)

Southwest Pacific: Council seats 1 (Member Nations 9)

Total: 49 Council seats and 175 Member Nations