First report: Financial questions

Programme and Budget for 2006–07
(First item on the agenda)

(a) Regular budget account and Working Capital Fund as at 31 December 2007 (including transfers between budget items)

The Governing Body took note of this section of the report. (GB.301/10/1(Rev.), paragraphs 5–9.)

(b) Treatment of the net premium earned

The Governing Body decided to propose to the 97th Session (June 2008) of the International Labour Conference that, subject to audit,

(a) in derogation of article 11.5 of the Financial Regulations, the net premium earned during 2006–07, amounting to 32,270,415 Swiss francs, be credited to the Building and Accommodation Fund to finance partially the refurbishment of the headquarters building; and that

(b) in order to ensure an equitable contribution by all member States to the costs of renovating the headquarters building, the one-half of the net premium earned during 2006–07 amounting to 16,135,207 Swiss francs, that would have been distributed to member States through the Incentive Fund, be recognized as a payment made in advance by each member State for their respective share of any future assessments that may be made upon them for the purposes of renovating the headquarters building; and that

(c) it adopt a resolution in the following terms:

The General Conference of the International Labour Organization,

Noting that the operation of the Swiss franc assessment system has resulted in a net premium earned of 32,270,415 Swiss francs in the 2006–07 biennium,

Decides, in derogation of article 11.5 of the Financial Regulations, to transfer the full amount of the net premium earned amounting to 32,270,415 Swiss francs to the Building and Accommodation Fund, and that the one-half share of the net premium earned during 2006–07, amounting to 16,135,207 Swiss francs, that would have been distributed to member States through the Incentive Fund, be recognized as a payment made in advance by each member State for their respective share of any future assessments that may be made upon them for the purposes of renovating the headquarters building.

(GB.301/10/1(Rev.), paragraph 42.)

(c) Use of resources in the Special Programme Account

The Governing Body:

(a) authorized the use of resources available in the Special Programme Account totalling, subject to audit, 35.8 million Swiss francs (US$31.4 million) as summarized in Appendix II of document GB.301/10/1(Rev.), in accordance with the criteria recalled in document GB.301/PFA/1/3, paragraphs 3 and 6; and

(b) requested the Office to submit a document, following consultations, to its November 2008 session further detailing the allocation of resources to support technical programmes in countries totalling US$7.8 million.

(GB.301/10/1(Rev.), paragraph 61.)

ILO programme implementation 2006–07
(Second item on the agenda)

Preliminary consultation on the Strategic Policy Framework for 2010–15
(Third item on the agenda)

The Governing Body took note of these sections of the report. (GB.301/10/1(Rev.), paragraphs 62–161.)

Review of the ILO field structure
(Fourth item on the agenda)

The Governing Body requested the Office to:

(a) further elaborate the field structure review by carrying out additional analysis and consultation consistent with the original terms of reference; and

(b) produce an additional document giving further details of the Office proposals drawn up on the basis of analyses and consultations with the constituents for presentation to the Programme, Financial and Administrative Committee at the 304th Session (March 2009) of the Governing Body, to be preceded by an oral presentation to the Committee on Technical Cooperation in November 2008 on the consequences for technical cooperation.

(GB.301/10/1(Rev.), paragraph 190.)

Follow-up to the report of the Chief Internal Auditor a.i. for the year ended 31 December 2006
(Fifth item on the agenda)

The Governing Body took note of this section of the report. (GB.301/10/1(Rev.), paragraphs 191–195.)

Report of the Chief Internal Auditor for the year
ended 31 December 2007
(Sixth item on the agenda)

The Governing Body approved the Internal Audit Charter attached as Appendix II to GB.301/PFA/6 as a means to underpin the mandate and authority of the Chief Internal Auditor. (GB.301/10/1(Rev.), paragraph 213.)

Delegation of authority under article 18 of the Standing Orders of the International Labour Conference
(Seventh item on the agenda)

The Governing Body delegated to its Officers, for the period of the 97th Session (2008) of the Conference, the authority to carry out its responsibilities under article 18 of the Standing Orders of the Conference in relation to proposals involving expenditure in the 71st financial period ending 31 December 2009. (GB.301/10/1(Rev.), paragraph 218.)

Technical meetings reserve
(Eighth item on the agenda)

The Governing Body decided that, in addition to the three meetings agreed upon in November 2007, the following meetings be financed from the technical meetings reserve for 2008–09: Tripartite Meeting of Experts on the Measurement of Decent Work (US$178,500) and Meeting of Experts on the Revision of the List of Occupational Diseases (Recommendation No. 194) (US$227,844). (GB.301/10/1(Rev.), paragraph 252).

Programme and Budget for 2008–09: Collection of contributions from 1 January 2008 to date
(Ninth item on the agenda)

The Governing Body took note of this section of the report. (GB.301/10/1(Rev.), paragraphs 253–259.)

Report of the Building Subcommittee
(Tenth item on the agenda)

The Governing Body:

(a) supported, in principle, a balanced treatment of the net premium earned during the 70th financial period (2006–07) and of resources in the Special Programme Account arising from the income surplus from the same period, as recommended by the Programme, Financial and Administrative Committee on the basis of the relevant documents submitted to it, including the report of the Building Subcommittee;

(b) approved the renunciation and sale of the leasehold on the parcel of land identified in Appendix III of document GB.301/PFA/BS/1 (parcel 3924) on terms to be negotiated by the Director-General;

(c) subject to the approval of the transfer of resources from the net premium earned and/or the Special Programme Account, authorized the Director-General to charge expenditure of up to 6 million Swiss francs to the Building and Accommodation Fund to cover the costs of an expert team for the development of the master plan and the bidding and contract administration processes for Phase II.

(GB.301/10/1(Rev.), paragraph 267.)

Other financial questions
(Eleventh item on the agenda)

Financial arrangements for the tripartite
delegation of the Governing Body to the
XVIII World Congress on Safety and Health
at Work and to the Safety and Health Summit
(Seoul, Republic of Korea, 29 June–2 July 2008)

The Governing Body decided that the total cost of the tripartite delegation of US$30,700 be financed in the first instance from savings in Part I of the Programme and Budget for 2008–09, on the understanding that, should this not prove possible, the Director-General would propose alternative methods of financing at a later stage in the biennium. (GB.301/10/1(Rev.), paragraph 273.)

Independent Oversight Advisory Committee

The Governing Body appointed Mr Gil BELTRAN (Philippines); Mr Denys CHAMAY (Switzerland); Mr Reckford KAMPANJE (Malawi); Mr Arto KUUSIOLA (Finland); Mr Oscar MAFFE (Argentina) as members of the Independent Oversight Advisory Committee. (GB.301/10/1(Rev.), paragraph 276.)