International Regional Organization Of Animal And Plant Health Second Convention Of San Salvador
Source: Amos J. Peaslee and Dorothy Peaslee Xydis. 1975. International governmental organizations: constitutional documents. The Hague, Martinus Nijhoff, pp. 354-359.
The Governments of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua and Panama, through their Plenipotentiaries to the
Fifth Conference of Ministers of Agriculture of Central America, Mexico, l Panama, which took place in San Salvador, Republic of El Salvador,
Considering:
That devastating sicknesses and pests exist which attack domestic plants and animals and which, once they appear in one country, may easily and quickly spread to the neighboring countries;
That, in order to safeguard their peoples against the serious economic damamage occasioned by these sicknesses and pests, a general co-operative plan by the Governments is necessary;
That the International Committee for Co-ordination of Anti-Locust activities in Central America-Mexico (CICLA) has demonstrated the effectiveness of this type of co-operation;
That support by those countries for the maintenance of an administratively and technically qualified International Organization of Animal and [ant Health would be very economical in relation to the great losses in agriculture and stock which can result from infestations of locusts (Schistocerca sp.); coffee mildew or rust (Hemileia vastatrix), (Hemileia coffeicola); coffee drill (Stephanoderes coffeae), (Stephanoderes hampei); A. also Foot and Mouth disease, Contagious Abortion and other similar scourges;
That the Consultative Regional Conference on Foot and Mouth disease which met in Panama in August 1951 considered thoroughly the problem of the above diseases and arrived at conclusions worthy of being taken into account;
That modern means of communication encourage the exchange of persons and products between countries which also greatly assists in the spread of pests and contagious sicknesses of plants and animals;
That International Organizations like the FAO and OAS to which the countries at this Conference belong, have on various occasions expressed their sympathy with the International Regional Organization of Animal and Plant Health of Central America, Mexico and Panama, and have indicated their ability to contribute effective support;
That effective co-operation could also be requested from the Foreign
1 OIRSA publication, translated from the original Spanish by D.P. Xydis.
Operations Administration of the United States of America through Program of Co-operative Technical Assistance;
That in previous Conferences of Ministers of Agriculture the need to create a wider organization with more extended functions than the International Committee for Co-ordination of Anti-Locust Activities, (CICLA) has been expressed;
That the taking of preventive measures against such serious common dangers cannot be deferred;
Have agreed as follows:
Committee .
Art. 1.
To constitute an International Regional Committee of Animal and Plant Health (CIRSA), formed of the Ministers of Agriculture of the signatory countries or by their duly accredited representatives, which shall have as its purpose to co-ordinate or suggest among these countries means of prevention and resistance with international ramifications, in regard to the sicknesses and pests which harm agriculture and stock raising.
Meetings of the Committee shall be rotating and its sessions shall take place successively in each of the member countries.
The Committee shall meet in ordinary session each year in the month of July, and in extraordinary session upon convocation by one of the Ministers but, in the latter case, the meeting shall treat only the specific matters which were the motive of its calling.
A Technical Co-ordinating Committee shall also be established, composed of representatives of the Ministers of Agriculture of the member countries.
The Technical Co-ordinating Committee shall meet in ordinary session each year in the month of January at the seat of the Organization in order to consider the progress of its activities.
The President of the Committee shall be the Minister of Agriculture of the country where the meeting takes place.
Organization
Art. 2.
The objectives of the Committee shall be carried out by means of a permanent organization of a technical and administrative character which shall be called the "International Regional Organization of Animal and Plant Health (OIRSA)" and shall have the following functions;
(1) To decide, after the necessary technical studies, what sicknesses, pests, or animal and plant health problems constitute an economically significant danger for the signatory countries in addition to the existing ones as follows: a) Locusts; b) Foot and Mouth Disease; c) lack of quarantine and d) lack of uniformity or deficiency in adequate and uniform legislation concerning plant and animal health;
(2) To maintain a nucleus of personnel technically prepared and e-quipped to control any sicknesses and pests which would entail serious economic damage for the area;
(3) To advise signatory countries who so request on the functioning of their plant and animal health services;
(4) To organize services of prevention and. to carry out, in close collaboration with the corresponding national organizations, the control of
pests and sicknesses mentioned in paragraphs (1) and (2);
(5) To keep the Ministers of Agriculture of the signatory countries informed concretely and periodically about the activities of the Organization and the conditions which prevail in the health field in each of the member countries.
Art. 3.
The Organization shall have the following basic structure:
(1) An Executive Direction;
(2) A Treasury;
(3) An Auditor; and
(4) The necessary departments to carry out the functions laid down in Article 2.
Art. 4.
The Organization shall have the following Officials;
(1) An Executive Director;
(2) A Deputy Director;
(3) A Treasurer;
(4) The heads of the Departments.
Art. 5.
The Executive Director, the Deputy Director and the Treasurer shall be appointed by the Committee.
The officials of the Organization shall be nationals of the member countries and may be advised by one or more technicians designated for this purpose by the international Organizations.
The personnel shall be composed, preferably, of nationals of the member countries in an equitable proportion as far as possible.
Art. 6.
The Executive Director is the official directly and immediately responsible before the Committee for all administrative affairs of the Organization. He shall have the authority to appoint the auxiliary administrative and technical personnel, the latter upon the proposals of the respective heads of departments and in conformity with the Regulations.
The Treasurer shall be responsible for the assets of the Organization which shall be managed in accordance with the Regulations.
The auditing of the accounts of the Organization shall be effected by
public auditor or an auditing company, appointed by the Committee. The person or company who exercises the functions of Auditor of the Organization shall have all the facilities and authority necessary for the supervision of the financial year, in accordance with the Regulations, and shall render quarterly reports on the results of his investigations directly o the Ministers of the Committee and to the Organization.
Financing
Art. 7
. In order to be able effectively to carry out its work, the Organization must be able to count on the economic support of each of he participating countries. The annual quota for each country shall be thirty thousand dollars which shall be paid in two equal instalments in the months of February and August, starting with the year the Convention enters into effect. In cases of emergency, the signatory
governments will be asked for extraordinary contributions of up to 50% of their annual quotas.
The budget of the Organization shall be drawn up each year in accordance with the Regulations, and may be changed by the Committee only in those cases where urgent necessity requires.
A minimum of 25% of the contributions of the Governments shall be retained to form a Reserve Fund. This percentage may be increased or diminished by agreement of the Ministers in Committee session and shall be used exclusively to provide for the expenses that may be occasioned by an emergency, in accordance with the Regulations of the Convention.
In case of emergency, if the funds of the Organization are insufficient, Governments shall be asked for an additional contribution of 50% of their annual contributions.
If such additional contributions are not sufficient to carry out the purpose proposed, the Committee shall meet in extraordinary session to take the measures it considers necessary.
A portion of the income of the Organization shall be destined to pay for the training of personnel in the signatory countries in the specialized field related to the purposes of this Convention and in the national economic interest. The distribution of this amount shall be made in an equitable manner among the member countries.
General Provisions
Art. 8.
The provisional seat of the Organization shall be in El Salvador and the permanent headquarters shall be decided upon at the first meeting of the Committee. Subsidiary offices may be established in any place in the member countries for purposes of investigation or action in the health field.
Art. 9.
The duration of the present Convention shall be for four years in accordance with the provisions of Article 14; denunciation of the Convention may only take place within six months from the end of this period and shall be communicated to the Ministry of Foreign Relations of El Salvador. The duration shall be prolonged automatically and tacitly so long as the Convention continues in effect for four or more of the signatory countries.
Art. 10.
The regulation of the Convention shall be drawn up by the Ministers of Agriculture, or their Representatives specially authorized, at the first meeting to be held.
Art. 11.
The Governments of the signatory countries shall grant to the personnel of the Committee and of the Organization all facilities to enable them to visit any part of their territory.
Art. 12.
The Organization shall be exempt in the signatory countries, insofar as their respective constitutional provisions do not interfere, from the payment of direct or indirect taxes whether national or municipal as well as from all kinds of duties and charges which. might result from the aquisition, transfer, transit, exportation or importation of goods, vehicles, equipment, chemical and biological products, fuels, lubricants and
accessories necessary to the accomplishment of its purposes or acquired in relation there to.
The participating countries shall grant free postal, telegraphic, telephonic and radio facilities for service matters to the personnel, both directing and subordinate, of the Committee and the Organization, as well as on the national railroads and ships.
Art.13.
In order to facilitate the free transit of persons connected with the Committee or Organization so long as they remain in office, the participating countries shall grant passports, permits and visas which will facilitate the crossing of frontiers as many times as necessary; they shall also respect the international license plates of vehicles in the service of the Committee or the Organization.
Art.14.
The present Convention shall enter into effect as soon as it is ratified by four of the signatory countries and the corresponding instruments of ratification shall be deposited with the Ministry of Foreign Relations of El Salvador which shall communicate the date of deposit to the other member countries.
Art. 15.
The Governments of the signatory countries undertake to inform periodically the Organization, in accordance with the Regulations, regarding their respective animal and plant health conditions.
