This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

130840Z Mar 06

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 10 AMMAN 001830 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR PRM, NEA AND IO 
USUN FOR MEL ANG 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREF KPAL KUNR PREL JO UNGA
SUBJECT: UNRWA STAKEHOLDERS RE-INVIGORATE AGENCY'S ADVISORY 
COMMISSION AS UNRWA WARNS OF IMMINENT SERVICE DISRUPTIONS 
 
REF: A. 05 AMMAN 646 
 
     ¶B. 04 STATE 179901 
     ¶C. 04 AMMAN 5918 
     ¶D. 04 GENEVA 1643 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Representatives of 20 governments and 
observers from the European Commission, the PLO and the Arab 
League convened in an extraordinary meeting in Amman February 
27-28 to re-invigorate the moribund governance structure of 
the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine 
Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).  The culmination of a 
two-year-old donor-driven reform plan, the negotiations were 
contentious but concluded with agreement that UNRWA's 
UNGA-mandated Advisory Commission (AdCom) should have broad 
powers to review UNRWA's new policy initiatives.  It also 
took two steps aimed at giving the AdCom immediate relevance: 
drafting formal rules of procedure that may give stakeholders 
some oversight over UNRWA's budgets, and approving a 2006 
work-plan that calls on the AdCom to convene in Amman in May 
to examine the agency's response to political and security 
developments in Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon, in addition 
to reviewing normal service delivery issues.  UNRWA's 
Commissioner-General used this unusual gathering to 
underscore her commitment to other proposed reforms, 
including a plan to overhaul the agency's management 
structure, and to strive to provide services in Gaza and the 
West Bank "in full and on time."  However she warned that 
UNRWA, which operates on voluntary contributions, is in a 
precarious financial position that will force it to suspend 
operations at the end of March.  END SUMMARY. 
 
--------------------------------------------- - 
BRINGING A TWO-YEAR REFORM CAMPAIGN TO A CLOSE 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
¶2. (SBU) The February 27-28 meeting of UNRWA's major 
stakeholders was the culmination of a two-year old governance 
reform process initiated by donors (including the U.S.) and 
Jordan at the high-level international conference Switzerland 
hosted in 2004 to assess the effectiveness and relevance of 
UNRWA's operations.  In addition to examining UNRWA's service 
delivery, the meeting looked at UNRWA's governance structures 
and the chronic budget shortfalls that have resulted from the 
fractured system of seven separate, and often completely 
disconnected meetings, that UNRWA uses to solicit stakeholder 
comments on its programs and budgets. 
 
BACKGROUND ON UNRWA'S OLD GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
¶3. (SBU)  The UN established UNRWA 56 years ago to support 
Palestinian refugees in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, the West Bank 
and Gaza who now number 4.2 million.  UNRWA is one of the few 
UN agencies to report directly to the General Assembly. 
Unlike UNHCR, it does not have an executive committee nor 
governing board that meets regularly to review programs and 
budgets.  Instead, the UNGA-mandated Fourth Committee Working 
Group on the Financing of UNRWA and the Fifth Committee's 
Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions 
meet annually to review UNRWA's budgets.  The Fifth Committee 
also reviews an annual report that UNRWA's Commissioner 
General submits to the UNGA, as well as draft resolutions 
related to UNRWA's mandate and operations, audit findings and 
any requests the agency makes for additional international 
staff.  However, in recent years, the report of the Working 
Group on UNRWA Financing has been prepared in advance by 
UNRWA's External Relations Department, and debate has been 
limited to marginal changes in its wording.  The annual 
pledging conference UNRWA holds in New York each December is 
also largely a ceremonial event, as the timing does not match 
the budget cycles of the agency's largest donors. 
¶4. (SBU)  UNRWA also convenes meetings in Amman, which with 
Gaza, is one site of UNRWA's headquarters.  For the last ten 
years, UNRWA has convened its Advisory Commission -- which 
was created by the UNGA through the same 1949 resolution that 
created the agency itself -- to "advise and assist" the 
Commissioner-General, only once a year.  The sole exception 
was a January 2005 extraordinary session that former ComGen 
Peter Hansen convened to decide how to respond to a request 
from Palestinian Authority President Mahmud Abbas (Abu Mazen) 
to allow UNRWA staff to run as candidates in PA municipal 
elections (ref A).  The AdCom used to offer active policy 
advice periodically in the 1950s-1980s, but since then it has 
done little more than endorse the ComGen's own annual report 
to the General Assembly.  Debate on the annual report's 
contents has been limited largely to how strongly it should 
criticize Israeli actions in the West Bank and Gaza.  In the 
1990s, UNRWA also started to convene larger informal meetings 
of donors who contribute over $1 million annually to the 
agency and refugee-hosting governments to respond to 
stakeholders' demands for greater information on its programs 
and budgets.  UNRWA also holds periodic meetings to highlight 
urgent humanitarian needs and review technical issues, such 
as the standards its uses to deliver food aid or rehabilitate 
refugee housing.  While UNRWA has started to review its 
planning assumptions and draft budgets in these informal 
meetings, they have offered limited platforms for donors or 
host governments to make concrete proposals, as they have no 
legislated mandate or formal reporting system. 
 
CHANGES MADE SINCE THE 2004 GENEVA CONFERENCE 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) The U.S., Switzerland and Jordan initiated calls at 
the 2004 Geneva Conference for UNRWA to establish a more 
formalized method of interaction with its key stakeholders 
(ref C).  UNRWA established a field-based working group to 
help it develop a governance reform "roadmap" in the fall of 
¶2004.  With the active participation of over 20 donors and 
all of the regional states hosting Palestinian refugees, this 
"Working Group on Stakeholder Relations" eventually decided 
to use UNRWA's UNGA-mandated AdCom as the primary vehicle for 
reform.  (NOTE: The refugee hosting governments refused to 
accept the U.S. proposal to establish a new Executive 
Committee.  END NOTE.).  Participants in this process have 
made concerted efforts to revamp the AdCom over the last year 
with the support of UNRWA's new Commissioner-General Karen 
Abu Zayd.  To date, these efforts have led the UNGA to 
approve a significant expansion in AdCom membership, designed 
to more accurately reflects UNRWA's donor base.  (NOTE:  In 
November, the General Assembly invited eight new member 
states (Australia, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Italy, the 
Netherlands, Norway, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, 
Switzerland) and two new observers (the European Commission 
and the Arab League) to join existing AdCom 
members/observers: the U.S., UK, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, 
Syria, Belgium, Japan, Turkey and "Palestine."  END NOTE.) 
UNRWA's senior management and its major stakeholders also 
agreed on the margins of the UNGA that the expanded AdCom 
should convene early in 2006 to finally define the powers of 
the AdCom and develop clear working procedures in line with 
modern management practices. 
 
------------------------------------------ 
RESULTS OF THE FEBRUARY 27-28 NEGOTIATIONS 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶6. (SBU) The focus of the February 27-28 meeting was to 
develop an agreed view of the AdCom's "mission," draft the 
commission's first formal rules of procedures, agreed on the 
modalities of decision-making, and set a work-plan for 2006. 
The USDEL was lead by PRM/ANE Director Richard Albright and 
included Amman refcoord Claire Kaneshiro and PRM/ANE Program 
Officer Liana Brooks-Rubin.  At the outset, host countries 
(Jordan, Lebanon and Syria but particularly the latter two), 
joined by Spain, voiced their suspicion that donors were 
colluding to commission reports critical of host country 
treatment of Palestinian refugees, or to push for policies 
that might place additional financial burdens on them. 
However, the atmosphere became more constructive as delegates 
took pains to point out that donors and host nations were 
both working to improve Palestinian refugee living 
conditions, and that competing demands for humanitarian 
funding and accountability requirements meant that donors are 
faced with the annual task of justifying our contributions on 
the basis of UNRWA's performance and transparency.  Delegates 
also found common ground in their shared frustration over 
UNRWA's bureaucracy.  Canada, Jordan, Italy and Syria, for 
example, made similar highly critical and animated 
interventions to protest the agency's refusal to meet 
stakeholders' request for ample lead time to review critical 
working documents, such as the ComGen's annual report to the 
General Assembly. 
 
¶7. (SBU) Debate on the AdCom's role consumed almost the first 
full day; consensus was finally reached after Lebanon, the 
AdCom Chair, suggested that a small group of delegations 
including the U.S. leave the plenary to draft a "mission 
statement."  The text, adopted by consensus as a preamble to 
a new rules of procedure (full text at para. 10), preserves 
broad rights to review substantive program, budget and policy 
issues.  The expanded AdCom also made significant progress 
developing other procedures to allow the Commission to review 
substantive topics, but there was protracted and contentious 
discussion over the modality of decision-making and the right 
of smaller groups of AdCom members to commission studies. 
These forced the meeting to adopt a provisional draft rules 
with bracketed text that will have to re-visited at the next 
AdCom session, which the agency notionally agreed to schedule 
in May at the urging of incoming AdCom Chair (the 
Netherlands) and the U.S.  The AdCom also approved a 2006 
work-plan that should allow UNRWA stakeholders to examine the 
agency's response to political developments in Gaza, the West 
Bank and Lebanon in May, and review UNRWA's program and 
budget at key points in the agency's planning cycle as well 
as that of the UNGA Fourth and Fifth Committees. 
 
THE OUTSTANDING ISSUES 
---------------------- 
 
¶8. (SBU) When the AdCom reconvenes in May, it will have to 
determine how the commission establishes subsidiary bodies 
and authorizes special reports.  There was broad consensus in 
the February 27-28 session that standing subcommittees should 
be established to start reviewing key aspects of the agency's 
normal work cycle, such as the development of UNRWA's 
biannual budgets.  However, the US, supported by the UK, 
requested that the AdCom also establish procedures that would 
allow a limited number of commission members to form ad hoc 
subcommittees to study time-sensitive issues   or facilitate 
discussion on topics of limited interest to the whole 
committee, such as harmonized performance indicators. 
However, the host governments, with the strong support of 
Spain and Sweden, insisted that such studies should only be 
initiated after securing the consensus of the whole 
commission.  Members were close to agreement on a compromise 
"non-objection" arrangement that would have allowed 
subcommittees and/or reports to be established by small 
groups of commission members after the AdCom Chair had 
confirmed they were within the AdCom's UNGA mandate and not 
detrimental to the national interests of any commission 
member, but lack of time precluded the commission from 
adopting this mechanism. 
 
The AdCom also agreed to re-visit two additional points by 
2009: 
 
--  MODALITIES OF DECISION-MAKING: Most donors, with the 
exception of Sweden and Spain, favored establishing a voting 
system to be used in extraordinary situations where consensus 
could not be reached.  However, host governments vigorously 
opposed this idea.  After considerable and often animated 
discussion on the need to preserve the principle of consensus 
in international fora, delegates agreed to submit advice to 
the ComGen in the form of a report containing clear 
recommendations that highlight any areas of disagreement. 
However, the AdCom was deadlocked over the mechanism to 
change the AdCom's own rules of procedures, as the host 
governments insisted that the principle of consensus be 
maintained.  The Canadian delegation broke the impasse by 
proposing that the principle of consensus be used for a 
provisional two-year period. 
 
-- FORMAL OVERSIGHT ROLE FOR ADCOM:  At the request of 
UNRWA's ComGen, the AdCom also agreed to defer discussion on 
a USG proposal to allow the ComGen to invite AdCom members to 
sit as external members of the agency's audit and inspection 
committee to respond to a July 2004 recommendation the UN 
Board of Auditors made in made to increase the transparency 
of that body (A/59/5/Add.3 in the official records of the 
General Assembly's 59th Session) to a later session in 2006, 
after the ComGen explained that the UN Board of Auditors had 
subsequently clarified in communications with the agency that 
this recommendation was a request to appoint external 
auditors who could increase the Audit Committee's expertise. 
 
 
--------------------------------------------- ----------- 
COMGEN WARNS CASH SHORTFALLS WILL LEAD TO SERVICE BREAKS 
--------------------------------------------- ----------- 
 
¶9. (SBU) Commissioner-General Karen Abu Zayd used this 
extraordinary AdCom meeting to underscore her personal 
commitment to other reform processes, including a 
donor-driven plan to start overhauling the agency's 
management structure.  While discussion of political events 
was left to corridor discussions (septel), she briefly noted 
the impact that recent deterioration in security conditions 
in Gaza and the West Bank and political developments were 
having on the agency.  While noting that the increase in 
movement restrictions were affecting the agency's Palestinian 
staff, she assured the AdCom that the agency had successfully 
maintained planned services to date, adding that UNRWA 
intended to "continue to provide all services within its 
mandate in full and on time."   However, she warned that 
UNRWA, which operates entirely on voluntary contributions, is 
in a precarious financial situation due to poor donor 
response to appeals to support its normal operating budget 
and its extensive emergency programs in Gaza and the West 
Bank.  Without an immediate response, Abu Zayd predicted that 
the agency would be forced to "start suspending operations at 
the end of March." 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------------- 
ADCOM RULES OF PROCEDURE PROVISIONALLY ADOPTED FEBRUARY 28 
--------------------------------------------- ------------- 
 
¶10. (SBU) BEGIN TEXT: 
 
(Working Draft of 28/2, 1900hrs) 
 
Preamble 
 
As initially established under UNGA Resolution 302 (IV) of 8 
December 1949, the purpose of the Advisory Commission of 
UNRWA is to advise and assist the Commissioner-General in the 
execution of the programme.  The work of UNRWA and the 
Advisory Commission is guided by the UN General Assembly 
resolutions concerning Palestine refugees. 
 
As subsequently elaborated, and to promote good practice in 
line with UN directives, the Advisory Commission will advise 
and assist the Commissioner-General on UNRWA's planning, 
implementation and evaluation of its programmes for the 
benefit of Palestine refugees.  With the objective of 
exercising its mandate, the Advisory Commission shall discuss 
important operational issues, such as items pertaining to the 
strategic planning, budget, the apportionment of funds among 
projects, proposed changes in previously approved plans and 
current operations, and the Commissioner-General's Annual 
Report to the UN General Assembly.  These will be discussed 
in a timely manner corresponding to UNRWA's schedule and the 
work cycle of the General Assembly.  As specified in these 
Rules of Procedure, the Advisory Commission may, in 
consultation with the Commissioner-General, also respond to 
extraordinary developments affecting Palestine refugees 
related to the work of the Agency. 
 
The Advisory Commission will strive to undertake its work by 
consensus and in a transparent manner that promotes the 
principles of partnership. In that spirit, the 
Commissioner-General will strive to keep the Advisory 
Commission informed of developments affecting the Agency. 
Likewise, the Commissioner-General, with the support of the 
Advisory Commission, will inform the Agency's informal 
stakeholder bodies of its main conclusions and 
recommendations. 
 
¶I.    Sessions 
 
a.  Annual Session 
i.  The Commission shall convene in an Annual Session, in the 
autumn of each year, to consider inter alia the 
Commissioner-General's Annual Report prior to its submission 
to the UN General Assembly. 
 
b.  Regular Sessions 
i.  The Commission shall meet in one or more Regular Sessions 
between the Annual Session, at times determined in the annual 
Calendar of Meetings of the Commission, and in line with the 
reporting and annual work cycle of UNRWA and the General 
Assembly. 
 
c.  Extraordinary Sessions 
i.  An Extraordinary Session may be convened in order to 
discuss urgent business, at the request of: 
 The Commissioner-General; 
 The Bureau; or 
 At least three Members. 
 
d.  Place of Meetings 
i.  Annual and Regular Sessions of the Commission will 
ordinarily take place in Amman, Jordan.  With the approval of 
the Advisory Commission, sessions may be convened under 
exceptional circumstances in other locations. 
ii.  If the Session takes place at a location away from the 
Headquarters of the Agency, the Government responsible for 
hosting the meeting will be responsible for additional costs 
incurred by the Agency in consequence. 
 
e.  Notification of Sessions 
i.  The Secretariat shall convey to the members the date, 
place and provisional agenda of each Regular Session (at 
least six weeks) before the commencement of each session. 
 
II.  Agenda 
 
a.  With the objective of exercising its mandate of advising 
and assisting the Commissioner-General in the most effective 
manner, the Advisory Commission may discuss agenda items 
pertaining the budget, the apportionment of funds among 
projects and the annual report in a timely manner 
corresponding to the UNRWA schedule and its submission of the 
budget and annual report to the General Assembly. 
 
b.  Adoption of the Annual Work Plan 
i.  At the final Regular Session of each calendar year, the 
Commission shall adopt an annual Work Plan and Calendar of 
Meetings for the following year, in coordination with the 
Commissioner General. The Calendar shall be synchronized with 
the annual and biennial work cycles of UNRWA, the UN's 
consolidated annual calendar of meetings, and statutory 
reporting requirements of the Agency. 
ii.  The annual Work Plan shall be prepared by the 
Secretariat under the direction of the Bureau. 
 
SIPDIS 
iii.  The annual Work Plan shall monitor and measure 
performance. 
 
c.  Adoption of the Agenda 
i.  A Provisional Agenda for each Regular and Extraordinary 
Session shall be prepared by the Secretariat under the 
direction of the Bureau, including proposals made by the 
Commissioner General. 
ii.  The Agenda shall be adopted at the beginning of each 
session. 
 
III.  Submission of Reports 
 
a.  Annual Report 
i.  The Commissioner-General shall submit his or her Annual 
Report to the General Assembly in advance to the Commission, 
for its consideration; 
ii.  After reviewing the Annual Report, the Commission shall 
forward it to the Commissioner General for onward 
transmission to the UN General Assembly accompanied by a 
Letter from the Chair. 
(alt.) Before submitting his or her Annual Report on the work 
of the Agency to the UN General Assembly, the Commissioner 
General forwards it to the Advisory Commission, for its 
consideration 
iii.  The Advisory Commission agrees on the letter directed 
to the Commissioner General which comments on the Annual 
Report and the work of the Agency. The letter is attached to 
the Annual Report when submitted to the General Assembly. 
 
b.    Other Reports 
 
i.  (On the request of the Commissioner-General, and with the 
approval of the Bureau) (On the request of the Bureau), other 
reports from UNRWA, other UN Member States, Specialized 
Agencies or Inter-Governmental Organizations may be submitted 
to the Commission (for its consideration) (for information). 
 
IV.  Documentation and Languages 
 
a.  Official languages 
ii.  Official languages of the Commission and its Subsidiary 
Bodies for oral proceedings and written documentation shall 
be Arabic, English and French; 
iii.  Documentation related to items on the Provisional 
Agenda of each Regular Session shall be available to 
Commission members and observers in all three languages four 
weeks prior to the meeting. 
iv.  Issuance of reports of the Commission.  The Commissioner 
General, with the support of the Advisory Commission, will 
brief the Hosts and Donors Meeting on the outcome of its 
proceedings. 
 
¶V.  Agreed Conclusions 
 
a.  Acknowledging the advisory and assisting character of the 
Advisory Commission, the Commission shall endeavour to reach 
clear conclusions through consensus on substantive and 
organizational matters. 
 
b.  In the event of significant differences on substantive 
advice, the Summary Record of the Session shall provide a 
full account of all views. The Summary Record shall not 
exceed 15 pages in length, single-spaced, and shall be 
circulated to Members and Observers, for comments on accuracy 
within one month of the meeting. 
 
VI.  Representation 
 
a.  The names of representatives, alternate representatives 
and advisers shall be submitted to the Secretariat, if 
possible, no less than 10 days before the session they are to 
attend. 
 
b.  The Secretariat shall circulate the list of participants 
ahead of the meeting. 
 
VII.  Officers and Bureau 
 
a.  Officers of the Commission will consist of a Chair, and a 
Vice-Chair. Together the two office holders constitute the 
Bureau; 
 
b.  The Bureau serves as the link between the Advisory 
Commission and UNRWA, to promote dialogue and common 
understanding of issues facing the Commission. It will direct 
the Secretariat, inter alia, in the preparation and 
organization of Commission Sessions; 
 
c.  The Bureau provides general direction on the 
implementation of the Commission's annual Work Plan and 
facilitates transparent decision-making; 
 
d.  The Chair and Vice-Chair will each hold office for 
twelve-month terms, commencing on 1 July. To ensure 
continuity, the Vice-Chair will become Chair in the 
subsequent year; 
e.  The Chair and Vice Chair will be rotated between Members 
in the alphabetical order of the country's name, in the 
English language, alternating between hosts and donors for 
each position; 
 
f.  If the Chair is the representative of a Palestine refugee 
host country, the Vice-Chair shall be a representative of a 
donor country, and vice-versa; 
 
VIII. Secretariat 
 
a.  UNRWA shall provide the Secretariat of the Commission; 
 
b.  The Commissioner-General will designate a member of the 
Secretariat to serve as the Secretary of the Commission; 
 
SIPDIS 
 
c.  The responsibilities of the Secretariat will be to assist 
in arranging meetings and ensuring the smooth conduct of the 
Commission's meetings, to provide background documentation in 
advance of meetings, and prepare reports on these meetings. 
 
IX.  Conduct of Business 
 
a.  The presence of a quorum is required for the convening of 
Regular, Annual and Extraordinary Sessions of the Commission; 
 
b.  A quorum shall consist of a double majority of Members, 
both hosts and donors; 
 
c.  Proceedings of the Commission shall be conducted in 
private; 
 
d.  The Commissioner-General or a member of the Agency 
designated by him or her as a representative may, at any 
time, make either oral or written statements to the Advisory 
Commission or any of its Subsidiary Bodies. 
 
e.  The Chairman shall declare the opening and closing of 
each meeting of the Commission, shall direct the discussion 
in line with the agreed agenda, ensure observance of these 
rules, accord the right to speak and announce decisions. 
 
f.  Subject to these rules, the Chairman shall have complete 
control over the proceedings of the Commission and over the 
maintenance of order at its meetings. He or she shall rule on 
points of order, which shall take precedence over substantive 
business. He or she may propose to the Commission the closure 
of the list of speakers, a limitation on the time to be 
allowed to speakers and on the number of times the 
representatives of each Member or Observer may speak on an 
item of the debate, and the suspension or adjournment of a 
meeting. 
 
¶X.  Subsidiary Bodies 
 
The Commission may form subsidiary bodies, such as Standing 
Committees. (The Commission will study the possibility of 
establishing ad hoc Working Groups at a future date.) Ad hoc 
Working Groups may also be formed (by Members)(in 
coordination with the Bureau). These bodies report back to 
the full Advisory Commission. 
 
a.  Standing Committees 
i.  Standing Committees need to be established with the 
consensus of the full Advisory Commission. These are 
Committees of the Whole, in which all Members and Observers 
may participate. 
ii.  A Standing Committee shall execute its mandate as set by 
the Advisory Commission 
iii.  A Standing Committee shall serve for a period decided 
upon by the Advisory Commission 
 
b.  Ad Hoc Working Groups 
iv.  An ad hoc Working Group, limited in scope and duration, 
may be proposed by a minimum of five Members and/or Observers 
to examine issues related to the annual Work Plan of the 
Advisory Commission or other extraordinary topics related to 
UNRWA's work. 
v.  The formation of an ad hoc Working Group is made in prior 
coordination with the Bureau. The Bureau will ensure that the 
Working Group is not in conflict with the interests of nor 
opposed by any Member or Observer, (according to the 
assessment of the latter) and that the scope of its work is 
consistent with the mandate of the Advisory Commission. 
vi.  Following formation of an Ad hoc Working Group, Members 
and Observers of the Commission will be informed. 
Participation is open to any Member and/or Observer. 
 
c.  The rules of procedure of the Advisory Commission shall 
apply to the proceedings of its subsidiary bodies, in so far 
as they are applicable. 
 
XI.  Consultations on Commissioner-General Nomination 
 
a.  When the UN Secretary General requests to consult with 
the Commission regarding a nominee for UNRWA 
Commissioner-General, the Chair will consult with Members and 
Observers, and draft a letter of reply to the Secretary 
General giving consensus views. 
 
b.  If necessary, an Extraordinary Session may be held to 
discuss the matter. 
 
XII.  Participation of Non-Members 
 
Further to the decision of the UN General Assembly (reference 
number) of December 2005, 
i.  Palestine shall be invited to attend and fully 
participate in the meetings of the Advisory Commission, as an 
Observer; 
ii.  The European Community shall be invited to attend the 
meetings of the Advisory Commission; 
iii. The League of Arab States shall be invited to attend the 
Advisory Commission as an observer. 
iv.  Observers shall enjoy all the rights and privileges 
accorded to them by UNGA practice. 
 
XIV.  Amendments 
 
Amendments to or suspension of these Rules of Procedure can 
be effected through consensus. This clause will be 
provisionally adopted for two years after adoption of these 
Rules of Procedure. 
 
XV. Interpretation of the Rules of Procedure 
 
The Rules of Procedure of the Advisory Commission should be 
in line with UNGA Resolution 302 (IV) of 8 December 1949. In 
case of any conflict in the interpretation of the Rules the 
Resolution itself shall prevail. 
 
END TEXT. 
 
HALE