Report by the Director-General

WORLD H EALTH ORGANIZATION ORGANISATION MONDIALE DE LA SANTE EXECUTIVE BOARD Twenty-ninth Session Provisional agenda item 4,1 EB29/29 ^ 15 December 196l ORIGINAL: ENGLISH PROPOSED AMENDED TERMS OF REFERENCE OP THE. MAIN COMMITTEES OF THE HEALTH ASSEMBLY INCLUDING THE PROCEDURE FOR CONSIDERATION OF THE REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR-GENERAL AND THE РИОСЖАММЕ AND BUDGET ESTIMATES - Report by the Director-General 1. Introduction 1.1 The Fourteenth World Health Assembly considered proposals of the Executive Board and the Director-General for reducing as far as possible the length of future World Health Assemblies. This matter had been examined by the Board at its 1 2 twenty-fifth and twenty-sixth sessions and by the Thirteenth World Health Assembly. 3 1.2 In resolution ША1Л. 51, dealing with "Possibilities of reducing the Length of World Health Assemblies", the Fourteenth Health Assembly inter alia requested "the Executive Board to reconsider the terms of reference of the main committees of the Assembly, as established by resolution WHA13.1, and to report to the Fifteenth World Health Assembly". 1.3 The need for this reconsideration arose mainly from the decision of the Fourteenth Health Assembly in paragraph 1 of the same resolution "that at World Health Assemblies one debate only should be devoted to the consideration of the Annual Report of the Director-General (except the annual Financial Report) and that this debate should be in plenary meetings provided that the physical facilities permit this". During the discussions which led to this decision, the view was expressed Resolutions EB23.R56 aud EB26.R)1, Handbook of Resolutions and Decisions, 6th ed., p. 202 2 Resolution WHA1) 斗〇,Handbook of Resolutions and Decisions^ 6th ed. 3 p. 202 )Handbook of Resolutions and Decisions^ 6th ed., p.. 202

that, if the debate devoted to the Annual Report of the Director-General were to take place in plenary- meeting only, the Committee on Programme and Budget would have more time available to examine the main features of the programme for the following year; that this Committee would then discuss and recommend the budgetary ceiling, and thereafter examine the details of the proposed programme. 2. Suggestions of the Director-General 2.1 It is assumed that, in most instances in future, the physical arrangements of the assembly hall, and particularly the electronic equipment, will permit the debate on the Annual Report of the Director-General to take place in plenary meeting will be the case in the reconstructed assembly hall in the Palais des Nations). is therefore suggested to delete the item in sub-paragraph (l) (a) reading,r review (this the Annual Report of the Director-General from the terms of reference of the Committee 1. on Programme and Budget (resolution WHA13» 1) However, to meet the situation if the review cannot take place in plenary meeting, a paragraph might be included to provide that in this event the review shall take place in the Committee on Programme and Budget. 2.2 Considering the views expressed at the Fourteenth World Health Assembly referred to in paragraph 1.3 above^ it is also suggested that the terms of reference of the Committee on Programme and Budget set forth in sub-paragraphs (l) (c) and (d) of resolution WHAIJ. be rearranged and the wording slightly modified. 2.3 In the past, the Committee on Administration, Finance and Legal Matters has dealt with all parts of the Appropriation Resolution other than that for the operating programme ( including аррг о pr i at i on sections for such purposes as Organizational Meetings, Administrative Services, Headquarters Building Fund, the Reimbursement of the Working Capital Fund, Contribution to the Malaria Eradication Special Account and Undistributed Reserve, equalling the assessments of inactive Members and China). Commencing in 196З, an appropriation section will have to be included for Headquarters Building: repayment of loans, which will appear for the following nineteen years The Director-General therefore proposes that sub-paragraphs (l) (e) and (2) (d) of 1 resolution WHA13.1 be amended to reflect the actual practice which has been followed. It 1 Handbook of Resolutions and Decisions) 6th ed p. 215

page 3 2Л To assist the Executive Board, Annex 1 sets forth the text of resolution V/HA13-1 and the amended text as suggested by the Director-General. 3. Action by the Executive Board 3,1 Should the Executive Board agree with the suggestions of the Director-rGeneral, it may wish to adopt a resolution along the follovíiñg' lines: "The Executive Board, Having reconsidered the terms of reference of the main committees of the Assembly, as requested by the Fourteenth World Health Assembly in paragraph 3 of resolution WHA14.in the light of paragraph 1 of the resolution and of a report submitted by the Director-Generai; RECOMIVIENDS to the Fifteenth World Health Assembly the adoption of the following resolution at the сommenсement of its session in order to permit application of the resolution at that Assembly: The Fifteenth World Health Assembly, (insert text as proposed to be amended in Annex 1 or such other text as the Board may decide to recommend. ) Tf

page 4 АШЕХ 1 PRESENT AND PROPOSED TERMS OP REFERENCE OF MAIN COMMITTEES OF THE WORLD HEALTH ASSEMBLY (Text in 匸 ]shows deletions ^ and additions or changes to the text are underr. lined, in comparison with resolution WHA13.1) The /thirteenth? Fifteenth World Health Assembly, Considering Rule )) of the Rules of Procedure of the World Health Assembly which provides, inter alia, that "the main committees of the Health Assembly shall be: (a) the Committee on Programme and Budget; (b) the Committee on Administration, Finance and Legal Matters", DECIDES that: (l) be to: the terms of reference of the Committee on Programme and Budget will /JSL) [Ml (a) review the Annual Report of the Director-Generalj7 consider whether the annual programme follows the general programme of work for a specific period; ^/дс) recommend the budgetary ceiling after examination of the main features of the progmmmej^ examine the main features of the proposed programme ; ) recommend the budgetary ceiling; /X^-) (.d) review and recommend the programme^j examine the operating programme in detail; (e) recommend the ^/completed/ Appropriation Resolution,, after inserting "the amounts ^/relating to Part TlJ in the sections for the Operating Programme, in the text of the resolution, ^/including the amounts for Part 工,Organizational Meetings, and Part 工工 I,Administrative Servicers/ as recommended by the Committee on Administrât ion, Finance and Legal Matters and (f) study such other items as are referred to it by the Health Assembly;

page 5 Annex 1 (2) the terms of reference of the Committee on Administration, Finance and Legal Matters will be to: (a) review the financial position of the Organization, including: (i) the Financial Report and the^:report of the External Auditor for the previous financial year;.... _ - *., (ii) the. status,. f ions, a^id. advances to the Working -; Capital Fund;.............: (iii) the' status óf ~the' Assembly Suspense Account and any other funds whick "hâve" a bearing on "the- financial position of-- the Organi z at i on; - (b) recommend the scale of assessment; (c) recommend the Working Capital Fund resolution, when necessary, including the amount in which it shall be established; (d) review the parts of the budget dealing with ^Organizational Meetings and Administrative Services/ the estimates other than for the operating programme and report thereon to the Corrimittee on Programme and Budget; (e) consider the text of the Appropriation Resolution, insert the amounts for appr o pr i at i on sections other than the operating programme and report thereon to the Committee on Programme and Budget; and (f) study such other items as are referred to it by the Health Assembly; (3) when items (b) and (c) under paragraph (1) are being considered in the Committee on Programme and Budget, there shall not be a meeting of the Committee on Administration, Finance and Legal Matters, and when item (d) under paragraph (2) is being considered in the Committee on Administration, Finance and. Legal Matters, there shall not be a meeting of the Committee on Programme and Budget; /and, final

EB29/30 Rev.l page 2 Annex 1 (4) items (b) and (c) under paragraph (1) shall not be considered by the Committee on Programme and Budget until the Committee on Administration, Finance and Legal Matters has completed the work on items (a) and (b) of paragraph (2); and finally, (5) if j exceptionally, the physical facilities at a session of the Health- Assembly do not permit the debate on the Annual Report of the Director-General (except the annual Financial Report) in plenary meeting, this debate shall take place in the Committee on Programme and Budget and the review of the Annual Report shall in such a case be added to the terms of reference of this Committee.