14. Proposals for Strengthening the Secretariat
(from "Chairman's Report of the Twenty-Fifth Meeting")
The Report of the Committee which had been appointed by the Chairman, in
accordance with the decision reached at the last meeting, to consider
proposals for strengthening the Secretariat was considered by the Finance and
Administration Committee.
The ad hoc Committee (i) made proposals for re-organising the structure
and functions of the Secretariat including the establishment of an office for
the Commission and the appointment of full time staff including a scientist as
its chief officer and (ii) submitted for consideration alternative methods of
funding the new organisation.
The finance and Administration Committee agreed to recommend the adoption of
the proposals in (i); in doing so it drew attention to the indication given in
the Committee's report that the number of staff it had suggested was the
minimum requirement and the salary proposed for the Secretary was the minimum
that should be offered to provide a suitable field for selection.
So far as the salaries were concerned, with the present rate of inflation it
seemed more than probable that those suggested by the Committee would have to
be increased.
The Finance and Administration Committee reached a measure of agreement on
methods of funding.
It agreed that the choice lay between two of the three methods put forward in
the report and on amendments to the basis of assessment in them.
This agreement was reached on the assumption that whaling by member nations on
a proper management basis would be maintained, but some delegations were
unable to support a recommendation to adopt a method of funding at this time
because of the uncertainties created in the consideration of the moratorium
proposals.
The Finance and Administration Committee's report was adopted by the
Commission but no progress was made on the question of providing the necessary
funds.
The Japanese and Soviet Union Commissioners said that they fully supported the
idea of strengthening the Commission through its Secretariat but in view of
the uncertain future of whaling, particularly having regard to certain
decisions reached at this meeting, they were unable to agree at the present
time to the increased contribution that the adoption of the re-organisation
proposals would require.
The Chairman urged strongly delegations to pursue the different possibilities
of financing the strengthened secretariat with their Governments so that a
final and satisfactory decision could be taken at the next meeting enabling
the new Secretary to be functioning by the following autumn.
In the meantime he would be working with the Secretary in getting the
proposals advanced as much as possible.
The adoption of the Committee's proposals would require amendments to the
Commission's Rules of Procedure and Financial Regulations.
In the absence of agreement on the proposals the Finance and Administration
Committee was unable to consider these amendments and it suggested that a full
examination of the Rules and Regulations should be undertaken by the
Secretariat and a revised issue circulated in good time to enable questions to
be raised by Commissioners and the revised issue to be approved at the next
meeting.
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