Committee on Fisheries
Source: Unofficial Text - Report of the Conference of FAO Thirteenth Session Rome, 20 November - 9 December 1965
THE CONFERENCE
Noting that one of the major proposals prepared by the Director-General in response to Resolution 8/63 adopted at the Twelfth Session of the Conference is for the establishment of a permanent Committee on Fisheries within the framework of FAO,
Agreeing with the view expressed by the Council at its Forty-Third Session that the desired ends in international collaboration in fisheries might best be achieved through the establishment of a permanent Committee on Fisheries, consisting of selected Member Nations to deal with these matters and to advise the Conference and Council as well as the Director-General on the formulation, implementation and coordination of policy and on the Organization's programs and activities in this field,
Agreeing further with the recommendation made by the Council at Its Forty-Fourth Session that in view of the considerations set out in the Director-General's proposals and the comments made at the Ad Hoc Committee on Conference Resolution No. 8/63 established by the Council at its Forty-Third Session, a Committee on Fisheries should be established by amending Article V of the Constitution, and that the composition and terms of reference of such a Committee should be governed by a Rule to be added to the General Rules of the Organization,
Also agreeing with the further recommendation by the Forty-Fourth Session of the Council that non-Member Nations should be eligible for membership in the subsidiary bodies of the Committee on Fisheries in the same way as they are for membership in Commodity Study Groups,
Adopts the following amendment to Article V.6 of the Constitution (words underlined to be added);
"6. To assist the Council in performing Its functions, the Council shall appoint a Program Committee, a Finance Committee, a Committee on Commodity Problems, a Committee on Fisheries and a Committee on Constitutional and Legal Matters. These committees shall report to the Council and their composition and terms of reference shall be governed by rules adopted by the Conference. "
Amends the General Rules of the Organization by adding after Rule XXIX a new Rule XXX [the present Rules XXX to XXXVIII being renumbered XXXI to XXXIX], the text of which shall read as follows:
"RULE XXX
Committee on Fisheries
1. The Committee on Fisheries provided for in paragraph 6 of Article V of the Constitution shall be composed of not more than thirty Member Nations elected by the Council for a period of two years at the session of the Council immediately following the regular - session of the Conference. In selecting the members of the Committee the Council shall give due consideration to the desirability of ensuring adequate representation both of nations with special Interests in fisheries and of nations having Interests in different parts of the oceans and inland waters. The Council shall, as well, give due consideration to continuity of experience in matters dealt with by the Committee. The members of the Committee shall be eligible for reelection. The Committee shall elect its own Chairman from among its members.
2. Nomination of any Member Nation for election to the Committee shall be submitted in writing by one or more Member Nations to the Secretary-General of the Conference or Council by a deadline to be determined by the Chairman of the Council in time to be circulated on the morning of the day set for the election. A Member Nation may nominate Itself. Member Nations nominated shall signify their willingness to serve on the Committee if elected. Members of the Committee should, as far as possible, be represented by their most senior officers responsible for fisheries.
3. The provisions on voting arrangements of Rule XII of these Rules shall apply mutatis mutandis to the election of members of the Committee.
4. The Committee shall determine the date and place of its sessions. Normally the Committee shall hold two sessions during each biennium, to be convened by the Director-General in consultation with the Chairman of the Committee. One of these sessions shall be convened sufficiently in advance of the sessions of the Council held approximately midway between the regular sessions of the Conference, in order that the report of the Committee may be circulated to the Members of the Council, in accordance with the provisions of Rule XXV. 7 (a) of these Rules.
5. If required, the Committee may hold additional sessions on the call of Its Chairman or the Director-General or on request submitted in writing to the Director-General by a majority of the members of the Committee.
6. The Committee shall:
(a) review the programs of work of the Organization in the field of fisheries and their implementation;
(b) conduct periodic general reviews of fishery problems of an international character and appraise such problems and their possible solutions with a view to concerted action by nations, by FAO and by other intergovernmental bodies;
(c) similarly review specific matters relating to fisheries referred to the Committee by the Council or the Director-General, or placed by the Committee on its agenda at the request of a Member Nation in accordance with the rules of procedure of the Committee, and make recommendations as may be appropriate;
(d) consider the desirability of preparing and submitting to Member Nations an international convention under Article XIV of the Constitution to ensure effective international co-operation and consultation in fisheries on a world scale;
(e) report to the Council or tender advice to the Director-General, as appropriate, on matters considered by the Committee.
7. Any recommendation adopted by the Committee which affects the program or finances of the Organization shall be reported to the Council with the comments of the appropriate subsidiary committees of the Council. The reports of the Committee should, as in the case of certain other Committees established under Article V of the Constitution, also be placed before the Conference.
8. The Director-General or his representative shall participate in all meetings of the Committee and may be accompanied by such officers of the staff of the Organization as he may designate.
9. The Committee may adopt and amend its own rules of procedure, which shall be consistent with the Constitution and the General Rules of the Organization.
10. The Committee may, when necessary, establish subcommittees, subsidiary working parties or study groups subject to the necessary funds being available in the relevant chapter of the approved budget of the Organization, and may include in the membership of such subcommittees, subsidiary working parties or study groups Member Nations that are not members of the Committee and Associate Members. The Council may admit to membership of subcommittees, subsidiary working parties and study groups established by the Committee nations which, while not Member Nations or Associate Members of the Organization, are members of the United Nations. Former Member Nations of the Organization that have withdrawn leaving arrears of contributions shall not be admitted to membership until such time as they have paid up all such arrears, or the Conference has approved an arrangement for the settlement thereof, or unless the Council in special circumstances decides otherwise with respect to such admission.
11. The subsidiary bodies referred to in the preceding paragraph may adopt or amend their own rules of procedure, which shall be approved by the Committee on Fisheries and shall be consistent with the rules of the Committee!"
(Adopted 1 Dec 65)
