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- Constitution of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) on October 16, 1945
- Article XIV. Conventions and Agreements
Article XIV. Conventions and Agreements
Article XIV.
Conventions and Agreements
1. The Conference may, by a two-thirds majority of the votes cast and in conformity with rules adopted by the Conference, approve and submit to Member Nations conventions and agreements concerning questions relating to food an agriculture.
2. The Council, under rules to be adopted by the Conference, may, by a vote concurred in by at least two thirds of the membership of the Council, approve and submit to Member Nations:
a. agreements concerning questions relating to food and agriculture which are of particular interest to Member Nations of geographical areas specified in such agreements and are designed to apply only to such areas;
b. supplementary conventions or agreements designed to implement any convention or agreement which has come into force under paragraphs 1 or 2 (a).
3. Conventions, agreements, and supplementary conventions and agreements shall:
a. be submitted to the Conference or Council through the Director-General on behalf of a technical meeting or conference comprising Member Nations, which has assisted in drafting the convention or agreement and has suggested that it be submitted to Member Nations concerned for acceptance;
b. contain provisions concerning the Member Nations of the Organization, and such non-member States as are members of the United Nations, any of its specialized agencies or the International Atomic Energy Agency, and regional economic integration organizations, including Member Organizations, to which their Member States have transferred competence over matters within the purview of the conventions, agreements, supplementary conventions and agreements, including the power to enter into treaties in respect thereto, which may become parties thereto and the number of acceptances by Member Nations necessary to bring such convention, agreement, supplementary convention or agreement into force, and thus to ensure that it will constitute a real contribution to the achievement of its objectives. In the case of conventions, agreements, supplementary conventions and agreements establishing commissions or committees, participation by non-member States of the Organization that are members of the United Nations, any of its specialized agencies or the International Atomic Energy Agency or by regional economic integration organizations other than Member Organizations, shall in addition be subject to prior approval by at least two thirds of the membership of such commissions or committees. Where any convention, agreement, supplementary convention or agreement provides that a Member Organization or a regional economic integration organization that is not a Member Organization may become a party thereto, the voting rights to be exercised by such organizations and the other terms of participation shall be defined therein. Any such convention, agreement, supplementary convention or agreement shall, where the Member States of the organization do not participate in that convention, agreement, supplementary convention or agreement, and where other parties exercise one vote only, provide that the organization shall exercise only one vote in any body established by such convention, agreement, supplementary convention or agreement, but shall enjoy equal rights of participation with Member Nations parties to such convention, agreement, supplementary convention or agreement;
c. not entail any financial obligations for Member Nations not parties to it other than their contributions to the Organization provided for in Article XVIII, paragraph 2 of this Constitution.
4. Any convention, agreement, supplementary convention or agreement approved by the Conference or Council for submission to Member Nations shall come into force for each contracting party as the convention, agreement, supplementary convention or agreement may prescribe.
5. As regards an Associate Member, conventions, agreements, supplementary conventions and agreements shall be submitted to the authority having responsibility for the international relations of the Associate Member.
6. The Conference shall make rules laying down the procedure to be followed to secure proper consultation with governments and adequate technical preparation prior to consideration by the Conference or the Council of proposed conventions, agreements, supplementary conventions and agreements.
7. Two copies in the authentic language or languages of any convention, agreement, supplementary convention or agreement approved by the Conference of the Council shall be certified by the Chairman of the Conference or of the Council respectively and by the Director-General. One of these copies shall be deposited in the archives of the Organization. The other copy shall be transmitted to the Secretary-General of the United Nations for registration once the convention, agreement, supplementary convention or agreement has come into force as a result of action taken under this Article. In addition, the Director-General shall certify copies of those conventions, agreements, supplementary conventions or agreements and transmit one copy to each Member Nation of the Organization and to such non-member States or regional economic integration organizations as may become parties to the conventions, agreements, supplementary conventions or agreements.