United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization Act 1944

Appropriation................................

The Schedule—Constitution Of The Food And Agriculture Organization Of The United Nations

Notes

An Act to approve the Acceptance of the Constitution of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, and for other purposes

Preamble

WHEREAS the United Nations Interim Commission on Food and Agriculture has recommended for the approval of its constituent Governments the Constitution of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (a copy of which is set out in the Schedule to this Act):

AND WHEREAS the Constitution is open for acceptance by the nations specified in Annex I thereof, including Australia, and will come into force upon being signed on behalf of not less than twenty of the said nations who have notified their acceptance of the Constitution:

AND WHEREAS it is desirable that the acceptance of the Constitution by the Commonwealth should be approved by the Parliament of the Commonwealth, and that appropriate financial provision should be made for the purpose of meeting the obligations of the Commonwealth under the Constitution when it comes into force:

BE IT THEREFORE ENACTED by the King’s Most Excellent Majesty, the Senate, and the House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Australia, as follows:

1. Short title [see Note 1]

This Act may be cited as the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization Act 1944.

2. Commencement [see Note 1]

This Act shall come into operation on the day on which it receives the Royal Assent.

3. Interpretation

In this Act, the Constitution means the Constitution of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, recommended, in a report bearing date the first day of August, One thousand nine hundred and forty-four, by the United Nations Interim Commission on Food and Agriculture for the approval of its constituent Governments, a copy of which Constitution is set out in the Schedule to this Act.

4. Approval of acceptance of Constitution

The acceptance of the Constitution by the Commonwealth is approved.

No amendment made under Article XX of the Constitution which involves any new obligation for Australia shall be accepted for Australia unless with the approval of the Parliament.

5. Appropriation

5. There shall be payable out of sums appropriated by the Parliament for the purpose such amounts as are necessary to enable the Commonwealth, when the Constitution comes into force, to make the contributions referred to in Article XVIII of the Constitution.

The Schedule—Constitution Of The Food And Agriculture Organization Of The United Nations

Section 3

PREAMBLE

The Nations accepting this Constitution, being determined to promote the common welfare by furthering separate and collective action on their part for the purposes 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 toward an expanding world economy, 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 fields of action set forth above.

Article I (Functions of the Organization)

1. The Organization shall collect, analyze, interpret, and disseminate information relating to nutrition, food and agriculture.

2. The Organization shall promote and, where appropriate, shall recommend national and international action with respect to—

scientific, technological, social, and economic research relating to nutrition, food and agriculture;

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;

the conservation of natural resources and the adoption of improved methods of agricultural production;

the improvement of the processing, marketing, and distribution of food and agricultural products;

the adoption of policies for the provision of adequate agricultural credit, national and international;

the adoption of international policies with respect to agricultural commodity arrangements.

3. It shall also be the function of the Organization—

to furnish such technical assistance as governments may request;

to organize, in co-operation with the Governments concerned, such missions as may be needed to assist them to fulfil the obligations arising from their acceptance of the recommendations of the United Nations Conference on Food and Agriculture; and

generally to take all necessary and appropriate action to implement the purposes of the Organization as set forth in the Preamble.

Article II (Membership)

1. The Original Members 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. Additional Members may be admitted to the Organization by a vote concurred in by a two-thirds majority of all the members of the Conference and upon acceptance of this Constitution as in force at the time of admission.

Article III (The Conference)

1. There shall be a Conference of the Organization in which each Member nation shall be represented by one member.

2. Each Member nation may appoint an alternate, associates, and advisers to its member of the Conference. The Conference may make rules concerning the participation of alternates, associates, and advisers in its proceedings, but any such participation shall be without the right to vote except in the case of an alternate or associate participating in the place of a member.

3. No member of the Conference may represent more than one Member nation.

4. Each Member nation shall have only one vote.

5. The Conference may invite any public international organization which has responsibilities related to those of the Organization to appoint a representative who shall participate in its meetings on the conditions prescribed by the Conference. No such representative shall have the right to vote.