WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION EXECUTIVE BOARD 105th Session Provisional agenda item 7.6 EB105/39 Add.1 1 December 1999
Executive Board matters Report by the Secretariat
1. The Chairman of the Executive Board has requested the Secretariat to prepare options concerning the terms of reference of the Programme Development Committee (PDC) and the Administration, Budget and Finance Committee (ABFC), with respect to their functions, periodicity of meetings and membership. These options are presented below.
PROGRAMME DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE Functions 2. Current functions include oversight of the process and effects of reforms initiated to implement the recommendations of the Executive Board Working Group on the WHO Response to Global Change (which completed its work in May 1993) and of implementation of the Ninth General Programme of Work, covering the period 1996-2001. These specific functions are now out of date. The fundamental functions of the Committee can be expressed as follows: (1) (2) to assist in the process of programme development in WHO to review the programme aspects of the programme budget in coordination with ABFC.
Periodicity of meetings 3. The Committee has met annually in January since it was established. However, since 1998, the Board members have participated in a retreat in October and have been able to discuss informally a wide range of programme development matters. To the extent that the retreats can be continued, and in the interest of economy, it may be worth considering holding PDC meetings in budget years only.
Membership 4. Membership is currently composed of six Executive Board members, one from each of the WHO regions, plus the Chairman or a Vice-Chairman of the Board.
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ADMINISTRATION, BUDGET AND FINANCE COMMITTEE Functions 5. The functions of ABFC are more complex than PDC. Current terms of reference assign two distinct roles to ABFC: • to assist the Board in its consideration of management and financial matters (similar to the role of PDC with respect to programme development matters) • to replace the former Committee to Consider Certain Financial Matters prior to the Health Assembly, in which capacity it acts on behalf of the Board in carrying out the relevant provisions of the Financial Regulations. 6. The functions relating to the first point in paragraph 5 remain valid, and can be expressed as follows: (1) to analyse administrative, budgetary and financial aspects of the programme budget in liaison with PDC, and to make comments or recommendations thereon to the Board (2) to review any other matters on the agenda of the session of the Board in the administrative or financial fields, in coordination with the Audit Committee where appropriate, and to make comments or recommendations thereon to the Board. 7. The functions relating to the second point in paragraph 5 can be expressed as follows: (1) to examine the Director-General’s financial report and the report(s) of the External Auditor, and to consider any other administrative, budgetary or financial matter that the Director-General deems appropriate, taking into account the views of the Audit Committee (2) to make comments or recommendations thereon to the Health Assembly on behalf of the Executive Board. 8. These functions may need to be reviewed. In this connection questions arise as set out below: • Bearing in mind that the Audit Committee reports directly to the Board and not through ABFC, is it appropriate for ABFC to transmit to the Health Assembly the Audit Committee’s views on the financial report, albeit in its role as the Committee to Consider Certain Financial Matters, in which case it is acting on behalf of the Board and not as a Committee of the Board? • ABFC (as the replacement of the Committee to Consider Certain Financial Matters) meets for one-half day prior to the Health Assembly. Is it economical for a Committee of seven to perform this work on behalf of the Board, or would it be better to revert to the previous practice of assigning this responsibility to four persons, i.e. the representatives of the Executive Board to the Health Assembly? Assigning this responsibility to the four representatives to the Health Assembly designated by the Board would have the added advantage of enabling these representatives to present views to the Health
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Assembly on financial matters, a task consistent with their role, which would be accomplished at no additional cost to the Organization.
Periodicity of meetings 9. Assuming the terms of reference of ABFC are revised to reflect only its role as an advisory committee of the Board and not the role as Committee to Consider Certain Financial Matters, it would meet annually before the January session of the Board.
Membership 10. Membership is currently composed of six Executive Board members, one from each of the WHO regions, plus the Chairman or a Vice-Chairman of the Board.
MERGING OF PDC AND ABFC 11. As a further economy, the Board may wish to consider merging PDC and ABFC. In this case, the functions contained in paragraphs 2 and 6 would be combined. The amalgamated Committee would meet annually before the January session of the Board. Membership could be limited to, say, nine members, plus the Chairman of the Board ex officio.
ACTION BY THE EXECUTIVE BOARD 12. Depending on the outcome of discussions, the Executive Board may wish to consider adoption of a resolution establishing new terms of reference for the committees.
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WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION EXECUTIVE BOARD 105th Session Provisional agenda item 7.6 EB105/39 1 December 1999
Executive Board matters Report by the Chairman
1. This report provides a summary of matters discussed at the retreat for members of the Executive Board in Lyons (France) from 20 to 22 October 1999 and, in connection with those discussions, proposes changes to the terms of reference of the Programme Development Committee (PDC) and the Administration, Budget and Finance Committee (ABFC) of the Executive Board.
SUMMARY OF MATTERS DISCUSSED AT THE RETREAT FOR MEMBERS OF THE BOARD 2. The retreat was made possible by the generous support of the Government of France, the city of Lyons, and the Agency for Economic Development of the Lyons Region. The Director-General’s renewal fund covered the travel costs of members of the Board. 3. Presentations were made on the following matters, which also feature on the provisional agenda for the Board: • towards a strategic agenda for the WHO Secretariat • programme budget priorities for 2002-2003 • working in and with countries. 4. During the discussions, Board members underlined the need for the strategic agenda (also referred to as the corporate strategy) and the programme budget to be linked. Questions were raised on whether the corporate strategy would enable policy-makers to “sell” WHO better at home. The need to involve countries and regions was stressed. 5. Board members were provided with updates on four technical and health matters that had been dealt with by the Executive Board and the Health Assembly in 1999: • eradication of poliomyelitis • framework convention on tobacco control
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• revised drug strategy • smallpox eradication (destruction of variola virus stocks). 6. Poliomyelitis, the framework convention on tobacco control, and the revised drug strategy are included on the provisional agenda for the 105th session of the Executive Board. The information conveyed at the retreat is contained in the respective Executive Board documents. With respect to smallpox, the members of the Board were informed that the WHO Advisory Committee on Variola Virus Research, established in response to resolution WHA52.10, would meet for the first time from 6 to 9 December 1999. 7. A visit to IARC and presentations on several technical activities of the Agency were much appreciated, especially by the members of the Board who had not previously been to the Agency. 8. A discussion took place on methods of work of the Board, focusing on the election of the Chairman (see document EB105/31) and the committees of the Board (see document EB105/32 and the section below). The Board members concluded that the retreats serve a useful function and should be continued, if resources were available.
CHANGES TO TERMS OF REFERENCE OF THE PROGRAMME DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE AND ADMINISTRATION, BUDGET AND FINANCE COMMITTEE PROPOSED BY THE CHAIRMAN 9. PDC and ABFC were established in 1994 by resolution EB93.R13 that defined the functions of the committees. The frequency of meetings for ABFC is also defined in the resolution. Decision EB94(3) further elaborated the methods and plans of work of the two committees. In view of recent changes in WHO and the establishment of a new Audit Committee, the terms of reference for PDC and ABFC merit review. 10. During discussions at the retreat, concern was expressed that members of committees of the Board should be particularly qualified to perform the functions assigned to a specific committee. (In fact, the resolution establishing ABFC states that the members, with their alternates or advisers, should whenever possible have experience of administration, finance or of WHO’s procedures in such matters.) A view was expressed that PDC and ABFC could be combined and the question was raised of whether a meeting of PDC was necessary in nonbudget years. 11. Taking these considerations into account, the Chairman requested the Secretariat to prepare options for revised terms of reference for PDC and ABFC. The terms of reference concern functions, periodicity of meetings and membership and are contained in an addendum to this document.
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