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WORLD HEALTH ORGAN I ZATION
ORGANISATION MONDIALE DE LA SANTE
REGIONAL OFFICE FOR
THE WESTERN PACIFIC
BUREAU REGIONAL ·DU PACIFIQUE OCCIDENTAL
REGIONAL CCl\1MI'ITEE Nineteenth Session Manila 1-8 October 1968 Provisional agenda item 16 '. ~
WPR/RC19/l0 12 August 1968 ORIGD{AL: ENGLISH
COST OF REGIONAL COMMITrEES HErD AWAY FROM REGIONAL IIF.ArQUARTERS
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The
~~nty-first
World Health Assembly agreed to request Regional (An extract
Committees to include on their respective agendas an item "Cost of Regional Committees held away from regional headquarters". of this document). 2. In accordance with that request the following information relevant (1) Resolutions adopted by the Regional Committee on the rotation of place of sessions (a)WP/Rq3.R9 (September 1952) - The Regional Committee "CONSIDERS that the place of regional meetings should be the site of the regional headquarters unless Member governments issue invitations in good time, and the Secretary is authorized to make detailed arrangements with the host government." (b) WP/Rc4.R3 (September 1953) - The Regional Committee "Considering that the Organization has a limited sum only available for committee meetings and that the extra expenses over and above those normally incurred When /meetings are to the Western Pacific Region is provided: from document A2l/AFi/SR/5 is reproduced, for ready reference, in Annex 1
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WPR/RC19/10 page 2 meetings are held at regional headquarters must be borne by the government. "REAFFIRMS the principle of rotation approved by the Committee at its third session." (2) World Health Organization - Western Pacific Region Cost of Regional Committee Meetings (Years 1950-1967) ... '....·.. -~·····--"1·--·-·"-··
r·······__ ········ . · ..... ,.............................._ ...............
..·..-······'·····-·-··· ·r········_ ....·....··· ..···· .. ········ ...... ...... .. _ ...................,.
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Amount i Expenses borne by: 1 foreseen in r'·.."'·, . ··················T·········"·HOst"·' .... ·i budget (US$)
Year r"····-'''.. ···.. ,·· ....··
ReM No. ........._ .. M . . . . . . . . ' , ••••
Place of meeting
i I 1
WHO
Government ............. "...........
Toral Actual Expenditure (US$)
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.. .................",..... ·······'··1·..... ········ .. · ................ ,.~
(**)
! ; 1
!
!
· · . . "". ···~"·' . ·-"·-"'l 3 671 11976 11 006 5 850 8 427 3092 7 679 7 021 8436 6 096 18441 4114 1'1 135 5 '140 16180 6282 18 '112 ....iu...._ .................."..
! . I I
1950 1951 1952
fust second third
Geneva Manila Salgon .
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1-'
1~:E i
I ~::~ I ! ;
!r~7 ninth
:~;:h
~:~re Manila
~::l~ong
1958
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! I !
!
L_~~.~. . _ . :~:~~:~.~, L.~~~~..............__ ..._........J,....~. ~~~.............. L. ~.~. . . . ...i j ....... ......
1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966
~::~ :~:~nth
twelfth thirteenth fourteenth fifteenth sixteenth seventeenth
~~~
Wellington Manila Port Moresby Manila Seoul Manila
2200 5200 5115 5800 5 000 6200 4500 7 000 5600 7900 7 200 '1 000 6 000 6 000 6 000 6 000
36'11 6 777 5691 5850 3298 3092 4500 7021 3579 6096 4 763 4 114 2 802 5 '140 6 192 6 282
5 199 5 315 5 129 3 179 4 857 13678 14333 9988 92'19 .............................._......._
., J I -
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(**) ~
These figures exclude any expenses which were borne and paid directly by the government.
WPR/RC19/10 page 3 ANNEX. 1
EXTRACT FROM DOCUMENT A21/AFL/SR/5
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1.
REVIEW OF THE PROGRAMr<lE AND BUOOErr' ESTIMATES FOR 1969: the Agenda (Official Records Nos. 163 and 166) Item 3.2.1 of the Agenda
Organizational meetings:
Dr VENEDIKTOV, representative of the Executive Board, introducing the item, drew attention to pages 19 and 20 of the Proposed Programme and Budget Estimates for 1969 (Official Records No. 163) which referred to organizational meetings, a\Well as to the comments thereon of the Executive Board's Standing Committee n A~inistration and Finance and the Board itself; these were contained in Chapter II of the Board's report on the proposed programme and budget estimates for 1969 (Official Records No. 166), paragraphs 20 to 30.
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The Executive Board had, following a thorough study, approved the estimates, as indicated in paragraph 30. Savings, amounting to a total of $ 9200, had been effected in respect of documentation for the Health Assembly and the Board, without any detrimental effect on quality, and they would be utilized to offset increases necessary for General Service salaries • The Executive Board had given attention to the question of holding regional committee sessions away from the site of the regional offices. It had come to the conclusion that the decision adopted in the Western Pacific Region, whereby the inviting country assumed the extra costs involved, could not necessarily serve as a model for other regions, since the holding of regional committee sessions away from the regional offices, and especially in developing countries, was often of great value in disseminating knowledge of WHO's work and in drawing attention to health problems in the country concerned. Nevertheless. the matter had been brought to the Committee's attention so that it would have the opportunity of giving its views. Any action which the Health Assembly might take on the matter could apply only to future years, since plans had already been made for 1969. !VIr SAITO (Japan) wished to point out, in connexion with paragraph 24
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of the Chapter of the Executive Board's report und~r discussion and with the second operative paragraph of resolution WHA9.20 reproduced in paragraph 25. that, since all Member States of WHO bore the cost of
WPR/RC19/l0 Annex 1 page 4 regional committee sessions and since the Western Pacific Region had seen fit to provide that additional costs should be borne by the host government, the desirability of extending that procedure throughout the regions should be considered. Dr DICANCRO (Uruguay) said that it was the view of his delegation that the host country should assume all additional expenditure for regional committee sessions held away from the site of the regional office. Generally speaking, sessions should be held in the regional offices, particularly when one took account of the great improvements in the regional offices for which approval had been given so that the best possible facilities were afforded.
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The CHAIRMAN reminded the Committee that the conclusions of the Executive Board were sufficiently flexible so as to make it possible to request the host country to pay either part or all of the additional costs involved. Naturally, the views expressed in the Committee would be taken into consideration. Dr KONE (Ivory Coast) emphasized the fact that for a country to invite a regional committee did not merely confer prestige but served a vital purpose in calling attention to national health problems and in impreSSing national authorities with the need to include health plans within general economic development plans. It might be a deterrent if countries were required necessarily to bear all additional costs involved and he was therefore in favour of maintaining a measure of flexibility.
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Dr NCHINDA (Cameroon) also stressed the value of holding regional committee sessions away from the site of the regional office. There could be no doubt that where many developing countries were concerned health problems·were not accorded their proper'place within the overall development structure. It was accordingly desirable to draw attention to their importance by such means. In that connexion, he drew particular attention to the conclusion of the Board, contained in paragraph 27 of Chapter II to the effect that as advantages could not be measured in monetary terms, any decision to change the present arrangements could not be based on financial criteria alone. He recalled that the matter had been extensively discussed at the previous session of the Regional Committee for Africa and that there had been general agreement that the host country should be prepared to participate to some extent in the additional expenditure involved. He did not think, however, that the host country should have to pay the total extra costs when that constituted hardship, as it would be regrettable to deprive countries of the possibility of having the benefit of a regional committee session on their soil. There were also advantages for the Secretariat in having an opportunity better to acquaint themselves with the problems of countries in the region.
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WPR/RC19/10 Annex 1 page 5 Dr DICANCRO (Uruguay) said that he had in no way intended to convey
an impression that he underestimated the benefits for the host country of having a regional committee session on its territory, as he fully shared the view that it was a way in which the place of health services in a general economy could be emphasized. His point had been to seek to take full advantage of the excellent services provided by the regional offices and to which all Member states were contributing. Clearly, hot'16ver, it was desirable that additional costs should be borne by the host country so that an additional burden was not placed on the budget of WHO as a whole.
Mr BREW (Ghana) agreed that the holding of regional committee sessions away from the site of the regional office was often a great value. The host country could be reqUested to pay all additional expenditure involved but should be given assistance if it did not find it possible to meet the full amount. Far-reaching benefits could be derived from such meetings. which were of mutual advantage to WHO and the countries oonoerned. and served also to promote health education. Mr SIEGEL, Assistant Director-General, Secretary, thought it might
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be useful to recall that in paragraph 25 (page 25 of Official Records No. 166) the Exeoutive Board had speciflcally referred to Article 48 of the Constitution and to the provisions of resolution WHA9.20. The DirectorGeneral would be prepared to ask each of the Regional Directors to include an item relating to the holding of meetinss of regional committees away from the site of the regional office in the agenda of the following regional committee session, with a reference both to the conclusions of the Board and to the present discussion in the Committee. It would then be for each of the regional committees to arrive at whatever decision it saw fit regarding the extent to which the host country should incur additional expenditure involved in holding meetings away from the regional office.
Dr ADEMOLA (Nigeria) believed that it was desirable that regional committee sessions should be held both at the regional office. in order to take advantage of the services provided, and, on occasion, in a country in the region as that was beneficial to the host country, to other countries in the region, as a clear appreciation of the position in another country might help them better to review their own. and. finally. to WHO, which could increase its first-hand knowledge of existing conditions. He suggested that the host country should be given some advance indication of the costs involved. Furthermore. it might be possible. should the total amount be too much of a burden, for that country to pay. say, the administrative costs and for WHO to assume travel costs. or for some similar formula to be adopted. He supported the suggestion made by the Assistant Director-General regarding inclusion of an item on that point in the agenda of the regional committees at their follOwing sessions.
WPR/RC19/10 Armex 1
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Mr CORDERO CEBALLOS (Venezuela) supported the stand adopted by the delegation of Uruguay regarding the responsibility for additional expen~ diture involved in holding regional committee sessions away from the sit~ of the regional office. It seemed to him that, over and above the financial question, practical considerations, such as documentation services, accommodation, etc. had to be taken into account. He did not entirely wish to exclude the possibility of acceptance of invitations, but felt that sessions should be held at the regional office as a general practice. Dr Al-WAHBI (Iraq) said that he had been entirely satisfied with the
conclUSions of the Executive Board on that point, as set out in its report, particularly taking into account the thorough marmer in which the Board and its Standing Committee on Administration and Finance had studied the questions involved. He drew attention to Appendix 7 of. Official Records No. 166, which showed the wide differences in the additional costs according to the country concerned. In any event, the amount itself was negligible in view of the benefits accruing to the host country in acquainting others with its health problems. His delegation was accordingly opposed to any proposal which would make it mandatory on the host country to pay the total additional expenditures required, It should. furthermore, be borne in mind that the host country did, in any case, bear extra costs relating to such headings as transport, entertaining and, in some cases, accommodation. Professor VANNUGLI (Italy) said that his delegation was satisfied with the present practice followed. As the delegate of Iraq had just pointed out, the host country always incurred supplementary expenses over and above the additional costs as specified in Appendix 7. Reference had already been made to the considerable advantages of holding regional committee meetings in different countries and they certainly outweighed the relatively slight extra expense for the Organization. Article 48 of the Constitution clearly governed the situation and resolution WHA9.20 interpreted that provision and recalled an earlier recommendation that regional committees should consider holding their meetings from time to time at the site of the regional office, taking into account the costs involved for the Organization and the Member states concerned. Consequently, if the Committee wished to change the excellent existing procedures, it would have to propose an amendment to Article 48. Dr VASSlLOPOULOS (Cyprus) said that he was in favour of the practice of holding some regional committee meetings away from the site of the regional office, and believed that the host country should bear some percentage of the additional expenditure involved. The Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean would be holding its session the following August in Cyprus, which would be contributing 75 per cent. of the additional costs involved, as well as any extra expenses incurred by entertaining and accommodation for the meeting. He took the opportunity of extending a welcome to all who would be participating. Cyprus would, moreover, be honoured to have the presence of the Director-General or his representative.
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WPR/RC19/l0
Annex 1 page 7 The CHAIRMAN said that he assumed that the Comm1 ttee would agree to the proposal made by the ASSistant Director-General requesting the regional committees to include an item on that question in the agenda at their following session and to arrive at their individual decisions in the matter, taking into account the conclusions of the Executive Board, as well as the discussion which had taken place in the Committee on Administration, Finance and Legal Matters. It was so ~reed.
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PART II - MINUTES OF THE NAIN COMMITTEE (see Part II of Document I-lPR/RC19/l4)
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• PART III - PROGRMlME AND BUDGET SUB-CCMllITTEE DOCUMENTS (~ also Annex B of document WPR/RC19 /14, pages 67/68)
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