7

1 7 FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONSof the The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) concerning the legal or development status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The mention of specific companies or products of manufacturers, whether or not these have been patented, does not imply that these have been endorsed or recommended by FAO in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned. FAO 2017 FAO encourages the use, reproduction and dissemination of material in this information product. Except where otherwise indicated, material may be copied, downloaded and printed for private study, research and teaching purposes, or for use in non-commercial products or services, provided that appropriate acknowledgement of FAO as the source and copyright holder is given and that FAO s endorsement of users views, products or services is not implied in any way.

2 V O L U M E I V O L U M E II A. Constitution .. 3 B. General Rules of the Organization .. 17 C. Financial Regulations .. 71 D. Rules of Procedure of the Council of FAO .. 87 E. Rules of Procedure of the Programme Committee .. 91 F. Rules of Procedure of the Finance Committee .. 95 G. Rules of Procedure of the Committee on Constitutional and Legal Matters .. 99 H. Rules of Procedure of the Committee on Commodity Problems .. 103 I. Rules of Procedure of the Committee on Fisheries .. 109 J. Rules of Procedure of the Committee on Forestry .. 113 K. Rules of Procedure of the Committee on Agriculture .. 117 L. Rules of Procedure of the Committee on World Food Security .. 121 _____ A. Use of gender-neutral language in the Basic Texts .. 131 B. Definition of Governing Bodies .. 133 C. Implementation of the Immediate Plan of Action regarding the Conference .. 135 D. Implementation of the Immediate Plan of Action regarding the Council .. 137 E. Implementation of the Immediate Plan of Action regarding the Independent Chairperson of the Council.

3 139 F. Implementation of the Immediate Plan of Action regarding the Reform of the Programming, Budgeting and Results-based Monitoring System .. 141 G. Implementation of the Immediate Plan of Action regarding Ministerial Meetings .. 145 H. Charter for the FAO Office of Evaluation .. 147 I. Granting of Observer Status (in respect of Nations) .. 155 J. Cooperation with International Governmental Organizations .. 161 K. Guiding Lines regarding Relationship Agreements between FAO and Intergovernmental Organizations .. 163 L. Cooperation with International Non-governmental Organizations .. 167 M. FAO Policy concerning Relations with International Non-governmental Organizations 169 N. Granting of Observer Status (in respect of International Governmental and Non-governmental Organizations) .. 175 O. 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.

4 177 P. FAO Policy regarding Assistance in Establishing Regional Research and Training Institutes .. 201 Q. Reform of the Committee on World Food Security .. 209 R. Alphabetical Index .. 221 VOLUME I VOLUME I A A. CONSTITUTION Preamble The Nations accepting this Constitution, being determined to promote the common welfare by furthering separate and collective action on their part for the purpose of: raising levels of nutrition and standards of living of the peoples under their respective jurisdictions; securing improvements in the efficiency of the production and distribution of all food and agricultural products; bettering the condition of rural populations; and thus contributing towards an expanding world economy and ensuring humanity's freedom from hunger; hereby establish the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, hereinafter referred to as the "Organization", through which the Members will report to one another on the measures taken and the progress achieved in the field of action set forth above.

5 article I Functions of the Organization 1. The Organization shall collect, analyse, interpret and disseminate information relating to nutrition, food and agriculture. In this Constitution, the term "agriculture" and its derivatives include fisheries, marine products, forestry and primary forestry products. 2. The Organization shall promote and, where appropriate, shall recommend national and international action with respect to: (a) scientific, technological, social and economic research relating to nutrition, food and agriculture; (b) the improvement of education and administration relating to nutrition, food and agriculture, and the spread of public knowledge of nutritional and agricultural science and practice; (c) the conservation of natural resources and the adoption of improved methods of agricultural production; (d) the improvement of the processing, marketing and distribution of food and agricultural products; (e) the adoption of policies for the provision of adequate agricultural credit, national and international; (f) the adoption of international policies with respect to agricultural commodity arrangements.

6 3. It shall also be the function of the Organization: (a) to furnish such technical assistance as governments may request; (b) to organize, in cooperation with the governments concerned, such missions as may be needed to assist them to fulfil the obligation arising from their acceptance of the CONSTITUTION VOLUME I 4 recommendations of the United Nations Conference on Food and Agriculture and of this Constitution; and (c) generally to take all necessary and appropriate action to implement the purposes of the Organization as set forth in the Preamble. article II Membership and Associate Membership 1. The original Member Nations of the Organization shall be such of the nations specified in Annex I as accept this Constitution, in accordance with the provisions of article XXI. 2. The Conference may by a two-thirds majority of the votes cast, provided that a majority of the Member Nations of the Organization is present, decide to admit as an additional Member of the Organization any nation which has submitted an application for membership and a declaration made in a formal instrument that it will accept the obligations of the Constitution as in force at the time of admission.

7 3. The Conference may by a two-thirds majority of the votes cast, provided that a majority of the Member Nations of the Organization is present, decide to admit as a Member of the Organization any regional economic integration organization meeting the criteria set out in paragraph 4 of this article , which has submitted an application for membership and a declaration made in a formal instrument that it will accept the obligations of the Constitution as in force at the time of admission. Subject to paragraph 8 of this article , references to Member Nations under this Constitution shall include Member Organizations, except as otherwise expressly provided. 4. To be eligible to apply for membership of the Organization under paragraph 3 of this article , a regional economic integration organization must be one constituted by sovereign States, a majority of which are Member Nations of the Organization, and to which its Member States have transferred competence over a range of matters within the purview of the Organization, including the authority to make decisions binding on its Member States in respect of those matters.

8 5. Each regional economic integration organization applying for membership in the Organization shall, at the time of such application, submit a declaration of competence specifying the matters in respect of which competence has been transferred to it by its Member States. 6. Member States of a Member Organization shall be presumed to retain competence over all matters in respect of which transfers of competence have not been specifically declared or notified to the Organization. 7. Any change regarding the distribution of competence between the Member Organization and its Member States shall be notified by the Member Organization or its Member States to the Director-General, who shall circulate such information to the other Member Nations of the Organization. 8. A Member Organization shall exercise membership rights on an alternative basis with its Member States that are Member Nations of the Organization in the areas of their respective competences and in accordance with rules set down by the Conference.

9 ARTICLES VOLUME I 5 A 9. Except as otherwise provided in this article , a Member Organization shall have the right to participate in matters within its competence in any meeting of the Organization, including any meeting of the Council or other body, other than bodies of restricted membership referred to below, in which any of its Member States are entitled to participate. A Member Organization shall not be eligible for election or designation to any such body, nor shall it be eligible for election or designation to any body established jointly with other organizations. A Member Organization shall not have the right to participate in bodies of restricted membership specified in the rules adopted by the Conference. 10. Except as otherwise provided in this Constitution or in rules set down by the Conference, and article III paragraph 4 notwithstanding, a Member Organization may exercise on matters within its competence, in any meeting of the Organization in which it is entitled to participate, a number of votes equal to the number of its Member States which are entitled to vote in such meeting.

10 Whenever a Member Organization exercises its right to vote, its Member States shall not exercise theirs, and conversely. 11. The Conference may, under the same conditions regarding the required majority and quorum as prescribed in paragraph 2 above, decide to admit as an Associate Member of the Organization any territory or group of territories which is not responsible for the conduct of its international relations upon application made on its behalf by the Member Nation or authority having responsibility for its international relations, provided that such Member Nation or authority has submitted a declaration made in a formal instrument that it will accept on behalf of the proposed Associate Member the obligations of the Constitution as in force at the time of admission, and that it will assume responsibility for ensuring the observance of the provisions of paragraph 4 of article VIII, paragraphs 1 and 2 of article XVI.