Skip to main content

Annotated agenda


Item 1. Opening of the session

The nineteenth session of the Board will be opened by the President of the eighteenth session, Mr. Istvan Posta (Hungary).

Item 2. Election of officers

In accordance with rule 23.1 of the rules of procedure, each year, at the commencement of its first regular session, the Board shall elect from among the representatives of its members a President, three Vice-Presidents and a Rapporteur. Rule 23.3 also stipulates that the offices of the President, the three Vice-Presidents and the Rapporteur shall be subject to equitable geographical rotation within a five-year cycle described in appendix A to the rules of procedure. Accordingly, for the nineteenth session, the President should be elected from members of the Board among the States included in List C of Annex I to the Constitution, and the three Vice-Presidents should be elected from members of the Board among the African States and Asian States in List A, and the States in List B, respectively. The Rapporteur should be elected from among the representatives of members of the Board among the States included in List D.

Item 3. Adoption of the agenda

A provisional agenda for the nineteenth session, based on the provisional agenda adopted by the Board at its eighteenth session (IDB.18/Dec.18), and including other items referred to the nineteenth session, is submitted to the Board for adoption in document 1DB. 19/I.

Item 4. Annual report of the Director-General on the activities of the Organization in 1997

In accordance with Article 11.6 of the Constitution, the Director-General is to prepare an annual report on the activities of the Organization. In its resolution GC.4/Res.2, the General Conference at its fourth session requested the Director-General to fully incorporate in future annual reports the programme performance report according to Board decision IDB.7/Dec. 11.

In resolution GC.6/Res.2, the General Conference requested the Director-General to adapt, beginning with the Annual Report of UNIDO 1995, the annual report into a consolidated report covering
(i) new technical cooperation programmes,
(ii) progress on current programmes and
(iii) an assessment of completed programmes.

Item 5. UNIDO technical cooperation activities in 1997, including operational activities for development

Resolution 50/120 adopted by the United Nations General Assembly at its fiftieth session further developed various elements contained in its resolution 47/199 on the triennial policy review of the operational activities for development within the United Nations. In resolution 47/199 the General Assembly requested the governing bodies of the specialized agencies to take appropriate action for the full implementation of the resolution and requested the respective executive heads to submit a yearly progress report to their governing bodies on measures taken and to be taken for its implementation.

Item 6. Second Industrial Development Decade for Africa

The General Conference at its sixth session requested the Director-General to provide progress reports to the Board on the implementation of the programme for the Second Industrial Development Decade for Africa (GC.6/Res. 11).

Item 7. Industrialization of the least developed countries

In resolution GC.6/Res.8, the General Conference requested the Director-General to provide progress reports on the implementation of the programme to the sessions of the Board and to report to the Conference through the Board on the implementation of that resolution. Subsequently, the Board at its sixteenth session adopted decision IDB. 16/Dec. 14, in which it requested the Director-General to continue to report on the implementation of the projects in the least developed countries.

Item 8. Field representation

Among the mandates contained in resolution GC.7/Res. 11 was a request for the Director-General to develop and implement, in consultation with Member States, a final proposal for country coverage and location of country and subregional field offices, based on objective criteria, in accordance with the Business Plan, and on the work of the ad hoc open-ended working group on issues related to field representation. The Conference also requested the Director-General to present a progress report to the Board at its nineteenth session.

Item 9. International Centre for Science and High Technology

Following the adoption by the Industrial Development Board of decision IDB.18/Dec.16, the General Conference at its seventh session adopted resolution GC.7IRes. 12 in which it took note of the ending of the Institutional Agreement between the Government of Italy and UNIDO regarding the International Centre for Science and High Technology. The Conference requested the Director-General to initiate consultations with UNESCO and the Government of Italy and to present a progress report on those consultations to the Board at its nineteenth session.

Item 10. Performance indicators

The Board, in decision IDB.18/Dec.14, requested the intersessional working group on the future role and functions of UNIDO to continue its work under the chairmanship of Mr. I. Posta (Hungary). The Board requested the working group in particular to further develop, in consultation with the Secretariat, a set of criteria and indicators that would allow the future assessment of the implications and monitoring of the implementation of the UNIDO reform process, including the performance of the Organization, in particular through the programme and budgets. The Board requested the Chairman of the working group to report to the Board at its nineteenth session.

Item 11. Timely payment of assessed contributions

At its twelfth session, the Programme and Budget Committee, in conclusion 97/12, noted with concern the very irregular payment pattern by Member States and the consequences it might have on the Organization's ability to meet its commitments. The Committee stressed the importance of reactivating - in view of the seriousness of the situation - the open-ended discussion group on timely payment of assessed contributions. In its decision IDB.18/Dec.1 1, the Board decided that the open-ended discussion group on timely payment of assessed contributions should continue its work under the chairmanship of Mr. A. Benmoussa (Morocco). Subsequently, the General Conference reiterated the concerns expressed by the Committee and requested the intersessional open- ended discussion group to present concrete recommendations to the Board at its nineteenth session (GC.7/Dec.lO). In resolution GC.7/Res.2 on the withdrawal of the United States of America, the Conference requested the discussion group, taking into account the difficult financial situation of UNIDO, to examine the various options for the recovery of arrears contained in document IDB.18/18, as well as any other proposals coming from Member States, and to make concrete recommendations to the Board at its nineteenth session.

Item 12. Matters related to intergovernmental, non-governmental, governmental and other organizations

Article 19.1 of the Constitution stipulates that the Director-General may, with the approval of the Board and subject to guidelines established by the General Conference

  • (a) enter into agreements establishing appropriate relationships with other organizations of the United Nations system and with other intergovernmental and governmental organizations;

  • (b) establish appropriate relations with non-governmental and other organizations the work of which is related to that of the Organization; and that when establishing such relations with national organizations the Director-General shall consult with the Governments concerned.


Guidelines regarding relationships with the organizations mentioned above were established by the Conference in decision GC. 1/Dec .41. In accordance with these guidelines, the Director-General shall:

  • (a) present the draft texts of agreements with other organizations of the United Nations system to the Board for its approval;

  • (b) circulate among the members of the Board information on intergovernmental and governmental organizations that have expressed the wish to enter into agreements with UNIDO and seek the approval of the Board before concluding an appropriate relationship agreement with the organizations concerned; and

  • (c) circulate among the members of the Board information on international and national non-governmental organizations and other organizations seeking consultative status, following which the Board shall decide whether to accord consultative status to the organizations concerned in accordance with the guidelines established by the Conference.


Item 13. Personnel matters, including composition of the Secretariat


The General Conference, in decision GC.7IDec.17, requested the Director-General to implement the staff separation programme resulting from the 1998-1999 programme and budgets, in accordance with the policy and guiding principles described in paragraphs 5 to 11 of document PBC. 13/16.

By decision GC.1/Dec.37 the General Conference accepted the Regulations of the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund and established the UNIDO Staff Pension Committee. In its decision GC.7/Dec.20, the Conference elected the two members and two alternate members of the UNIDO Staff Pension Committee for the biennium 1998-1999. One of the member posts will become vacant upon the departure from Vienna of Mr. S.O. Fatunla (Nigeria), and the Board may wish to proceed with the election for that post for the remainder of the term in accordance with Conference decision GC.7/Dec.20, paragraph (b).

Item 14. Provisional agenda and date of the twentieth session

In accordance with rule 10.2 of the rules of procedure, the Director-General shall submit to the Board at each regular session the provisional agenda for the following regular session. In decision IDB. 18/Dec. 18, the Board decided on the following dates for the fourteenth session of the Programme and Budget Committee and the twentieth session of the Board:

  • 9-11 September - Programme and Budget Committee, fourteenth session

  • 19-20 November - Industrial Development Board, twentieth session