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As part of the programme
and budget adjustments for 1996-97, the Governing Body decided at its
264th Session (November 1995), to replace the regional conferences convened
hitherto by shorter Regional Meetings with a single agenda item, which
would still be considered as regional conferences for the purposes of
article 38 of the ILO Constitution. On the authority conferred to it by
the International Labour Conference, a set of new rules was adopted on
an experimental basis by the Governing Body at its 267th Session (November
1996). On the basis of experience drawn from five Regional Meetings, the
Governing Body adopted, at its 283rd Session (March 2002), a revised
version of the Rules, which was confirmed by the 90th Session (June
2002) of the International Labour Conference.
In adopting the Rules, the Governing Body also decided to accompany them with the following additional guidelines.
The four-day Regional Meetings are intended to provide a platform for tripartite delegations to express their views on the implementation and programming of the ILO's regional activities. The morning of the first
day is devoted to group meetings, and the remaining three-and-a-half
days to a discussion in plenary of a single agenda item related to ILO
activities in the region concerned. Groups may meet at any time at their
request. 2. Date, frequency and place of Regional Meetings The Governing Body determines the date and place of each Regional Meeting. In principle, a Regional Meeting is held each year for one of the four regions according to the following order: Asia and the Pacific, the Americas, Africa and Europe. Regional Meetings are in
principle held in the country where the relevant ILO regional office
is located. 3. Composition Subject to the discretion of the Governing Body, the composition of each Regional Meeting is in principle determined on the basis of States and territories (or States responsible for those territories) served by the following four ILO Regional Offices: Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (including the States covered by the Regional Office for Arab States); Regional Office for the Americas; Regional Office for Africa; and Regional Office for Europe. The delegations of States or territories invited to the Meeting shall be composed of two Government delegates, one Employers' delegate and one Workers' delegate. As regards advisers, account should be taken of the fact that there will only be one item on the agenda. Additional advisers may be appointed in the delegation of Members responsible for a territory that has not sent a separate tripartite delegation to the Meeting. Member States from a different
region, non-member States, official international organizations and
non-governmental international organizations may also be represented
at Regional Meetings on the basis of individual or standing invitations
of the Governing Body. Requests to be represented at Regional Meetings
should accordingly reach the Office at the latest before the opening
of the Governing Body session preceding the Regional Meeting concerned.
4. Right to address the Meeting and conduct of business The right to address the Meeting is limited to delegates (or their substitutes), ministers, observers and representatives from international organizations and, with the permission of the Officers of the Meeting, representatives of non-governmental organizations. The Officers of the Meeting will arrange the programme of work of the Meeting. Without prejudice to the flexibility afforded to the Officers of the Meeting to determine the organization of the discussion and the conduct of business, the time limit for speeches is in principle five minutes. 5. Credentials In view of the short duration of the Meetings, credentials will have to be submitted 15 days in advance of the opening so that a provisional list of participants can be made available at headquarters a week before the opening of the Meeting. Thereafter, two additional lists of participants are published, one in the morning of the first day of the Meeting, and the second in the morning of its last day. As of the eve of the Meeting, the Office will also make available and keep updated online the official list of participants. The Credentials Committee is competent (article 9, paragraph 3) to examine objections alleging non-observance of the provisions of paragraph 4 of article 1 of the Rules (designations made in agreement with the most representative organizations of employers and workers in the State or territory concerned) or complaints alleging the non-payment of travel and subsistence expenses. Objections are to be submitted by 11 a.m. on the first day of the Meeting, although the Committee may accept for consideration objections received after that deadline (article 9, paragraph 4(a)). In view of time constraints and in order to facilitate the work of the Credentials Committee, objections (and complaints) should be submitted as soon as possible, even before the publication of the name of the delegate or adviser whose credentials are impugned. The Credentials Committee submits a report to the Meeting on its composition and on objections received, as well as on any complaint that it might have been able to deal with. The report of the Committee is noted by the Meeting which may also request that it be brought to the attention of the Governing Body (article 9, paragraph 5). There is no discussion of the report at the plenary of the Meeting. 6. Form, nature and evaluation of results Subject to any indications given by the Governing Body, the results of the proceedings of the Meetings shall take the form of conclusions, reports or resolutions related to the item on its agenda. Decisions will, whenever practicable, be taken by consensus or, where this cannot be achieved, by show of hands (article 12). There is no provision for a record vote or secret ballot, although voting by such means is not excluded (see the word "normally" in article 12, paragraph 4). The results of the Meeting will be submitted by the Office to the Governing Body at its earliest session after the Regional Meeting. The Governing Body may make observations on the results, request the Office to report on the implementation of action called by the Meeting and determine the timing of such report. |