UNITED NATIONS ASIAN AND
PACIFIC CENTRE FOR
AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERING AND
MACHINERY (UNAPCAEM) STATUTE
Establishment
1. The Asian and Pacific Centre for Agricultural Engineering and Machinery, established on 22 May 2002 pursuant to Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific resolution 58/5, shall continue in existence under the title ¡°United Nations Asian and Pacific Centre for Agricultural Engineering and Machinery¡± (hereinafter referred to as UNAPCAEM) and under the terms of this Statute.
2. The membership of UNAPCAEM is identical to the membership of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (hereinafter ¡°ESCAP¡± or ¡°the Commission¡±).
3. UNAPCAEM has the status of a subsidiary body of ESCAP.
Objectives
4. The objectives of UNAPCAEM are to enhance technical cooperation among the members and associate members of ESCAP as well as other interested Member States of the United Nations, through extensive exchange of information and sharing of commercially successful machinery and technology, and to promote research and development and extension of agricultural engineering including machinery and rural industry for poverty reduction in the region.
5. The Centre will achieve the above objectives through undertaking, inter alia, the following functions:
(a) Assistance for the improvement of agricultural engineering, mechanization, automation, biotechnology and genetic engineering;
(b) Enhancement of farm mechanization technologies in addressing issues related to subsistence farming for increased food security and poverty reduction and promoting agro-based small and medium-sized enterprise development and commercial farming to seize opportunities for increased market access and agro-food trade;
(c) A focus on an agro-based enterprise cluster concept and enterprise development activities to enhance the capabilities of members in identifying potential agricultural commodities in their respective countries on a clustering basis;
(d) Regional cooperation in technology transfer through networking of focal point national institutes in UNAPCAEM¡¯s member countries and other relevant institutions;
(e) Promotion of the technology transfer process from research and development institutes to the agricultural and farm machinery extension systems in member countries for poverty reduction;
(f) Dissemination and exchange of commercially successful machinery, and drawings of appropriate tools, machines and equipment;
(g) Training workshops and advisory services on food safety standards and ¡°sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS)¡± issues under the World Trade Organization agricultural trade mandate.
Status and organization
6. UNAPCAEM shall have a Governing Council (hereinafter referred to as ¡°the Council¡±), a Director, a Deputy Director subject to availability of funds, staff, and a Technical Committee.
7. UNAPCAEM is located in Beijing, China.
8. The activities of UNAPCAEM shall be in line with relevant policy decisions adopted by the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council and the Commission. UNAPCAEM shall be subject to the financial and staff regulations and rules of the United Nations and the applicable administrative instructions.
Governing Council
9. The Centre shall have a Governing Council consisting of a representative designated by the Government of China and eight representatives nominated by other members and associate members of ESCAP elected by the Commission. The members and associate members elected by the Commission shall be elected for a period of three years but shall be eligible for re-election. The Executive Secretary or his/her representative shall attend meetings of the Council.
10. The Director of the Centre shall serve as Secretary of the Council.
11. Representatives of (a) States that are not members of the Council, (b) United Nations bodies and specialized and related agencies, (c) such other organizations as the Council may deem appropriate as well as experts in fields of interest to the Council may be invited by the Executive Secretary to attend meetings of the Council.
12. The Council shall meet at least once a year and may adopt its own rules of procedure. Sessions of the Council shall be convened by the Executive Secretary of ESCAP, who may propose special sessions of the Council at his/her own initiative and shall convene such special sessions at the request of a majority of Council members.
13. A quorum for meetings of the Council shall be a majority of its members.
14. Each member of the Council shall have one vote. Decisions and recommendations of the Council shall be made by consensus or, where this is not possible, by a majority of the members present and voting.
15. The Council shall, at each regular session, elect a Chairman and Vice-Chairman. They shall hold office until the next regular session of the Council. The Chairman or, in his/her absence, the Vice-Chairman shall preside at meetings of the Council. If the Chairman is unable to serve for the full term for which he/she has been elected, the Vice-Chairman shall act as Chairman for the remainder of that term.
16. The Council shall review the administration and financial status of UNAPCAEM and the implementation of its programme of work. The Executive Secretary shall submit an annual report, as adopted by the Council, to the Commission at its annual sessions.
Director and staff
17. UNAPCAEM shall have a Director, a Deputy Director subject to availability of funds, and staff, who shall be ESCAP staff members appointed under the appropriate United Nations regulations, rules and administrative instructions. The Director shall be appointed in a manner consistent with United Nations regulations and rules. The Council will be invited to nominate candidates for the position of Director, once the vacancy is announced, and provide advice, as appropriate. Other members and associate members of the Commission may also submit nominations for the post.
18. The Director shall be responsible to the Executive Secretary of ESCAP for the administration of UNAPCAEM and the implementation of its programme of work.
Technical Committee
19. UNAPCAEM shall have a Technical Committee consisting of experts from members and associate members of ESCAP as well as intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations. Members and associate members of ESCAP will be invited to propose candidates for the Technical Committee. Members of the Technical Committee shall be appointed by the Director in consultation with the Executive Secretary. The Director may also invite governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental institutions to propose experts who would best contribute to Technical Committee discussions on a specific topic.
20. The Technical Committee shall be responsible for advising the Director on the formulation of the programme of work and on other technical matters concerning the operations of UNAPCAEM.
21. Reports of meetings of the Technical Committee, with the Director¡¯s observations with respect thereto, shall be submitted to the Council at its next session.
22. The Chairman of the Technical Committee shall be elected by the Committee itself at each meeting.
Resources of the Centre
23. All members and associate members of ESCAP should be urged to make a regular annual contribution to the operations of the Centre. The United Nations shall administer a joint contribution trust fund in which these contributions shall be deposited.
24. UNAPCAEM will endeavour to mobilize sufficient resources to support its activities.
25. The United Nations shall maintain separate trust funds for voluntary contributions for technical cooperation projects or other extraordinary voluntary contributions for activities of UNAPCAEM.
26. The financial resources of UNAPCAEM shall be administered in accordance with the United Nations Financial Regulations and Rules.
Amendments
27. Amendments to the present Statute shall be adopted by the Commission.
Matters not covered by this Statute
28. In the event of any procedural matter arising that is not covered by this Statute or rules of procedure adopted by the Governing Council under paragraph [12] of this Statute, the pertinent part of the rules of procedure of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific shall apply.
Entry into force
29. The present Statute shall enter into force on the date of its adoption by the Commission. Members and associate members elected to the Governing Board of UNAPCAEM by the fifty-ninth session of the Commission in April 2003 will serve as members of the UNAPCAEM Governing Council until the sixty-second session of the Commission in 2006.
