As we said at the Conference in November last year, we consider that in order to tackle the complex tasks asssociated with the Organization’s role in policy analysis and the increased demand for advice to individual developing countries a more geographical focus is needed. The paper itself recognizes the need to strengthen FAO’s capacity in country policy work and that improvements in the in-house country policy information system are needed, together with an improved mechanism for closer coordination, and we were grateful to Mrs Killingsworth for keeping us in touch with the latest developments and the Director-General’s recent bulletin in her useful introductory statement.
To this effect the United Kingdom did write to the Director-General in May of this year following up its offer of technical assistance made at the Conference in the form of management advice to the Director-General to help examine all the issues necessary to fulfil paragraph 8 of the Resolution in the most efficient and effective way. However, to date we have not had a response to our offer and we would welcome some indication at this meeting of whether or not it is likely to be accepted.
We remain ready to provide this assistance in whatever form may be agreed to be most appropriate
We are pleased to see progress in strengthening FAO country offices and the role of FAORs in field operations, though we are disappointed that because of financial difficulties the original proposals have had to be scaled down. However, we recognize the difficulties faced by the Organization in this regard.
Paragraph 54 goes some way towards this
Due account will once again need to be taken of General Assembly Resolution . No mention is made of the comparative roles of the regional and country offices and we consider that at some point this will need to be addressed in order to fulfil the provisions of that Resolution.
We read with interest the comments of the Director-General about field inspection. The proposed streamlining of field inspection activities of the different units is certainly to be welcomed, but that is not quite the end of the story. The Resolution actually speaks of strengthening field inspection. Streamlining may simply comprise the avoidance of duplication and unnecessary activities. We should also like to be assured that field inspection has been strengthened or that there is every intention of strengthening it. It is important that the new field office inspector ensures that proper coordination and feedback takes place.
Other elements of the Resolution are being dealt with in separate papers and matters relating to these can be taken up at the appropriate time.
In conclusion I should like to support the remarks of the delegate of Finland on improving the workings of the Governing Bodies.
DONG QINGSONS (China) (Original language Chinese): Allow me to begin by thanking the secretariat for document CL that has been prepared for us. I would also like to thank Mrs Killingsworth for her introduction. We feel that document CL gives us a very clear and concise picture of the efforts made by the Director-General in the implementation of Conference Resolution . Even though this is only a preliminary report, I think it does make it possible for us to see that encouraging progress has been made already in this, thanks to the efforts which the Director-General has made, despite the extremely precarious financial situation in which the Organization finds itself. We are very pleased dominican cupid to see that the follow-up to the Conference Resolution does respond to the items which are covered in that Resolution.