The eighth meeting of the IMSO Advisory Committee was held on 14 November in London. This Committee is composed of 15 members elected by the Assembly (the organisation’s top body), and represents the IMSO member countries according to the principle of fair geographic distribution. In co-ordination with the director, it oversees the organisation’s management between Assembly sessions and meets every two years.
At the top of the meeting agenda was approval of the 2004 budget. One of the aspects with substantial impact on the proposed budget was extension of the contract for the organisation’s technical head, currently on a part-time basis (four days per week), to full-time (i.e., five days a week), with additional benefits beyond what would result from a simple proportional conversion of work time. Some countries made acceptance of the proposed conditions depend on the director’s submission of a duly grounded demonstration that the changes/progress in the said technical official’s functions would justify the proposed increase.
Another polemic budget proposal item was also related to the planned execution of the 2003 budget, likewise presented at the meeting, and concerned the figure for spending on trips. Some countries hold that the presented figures are exaggerated and not transparent enough, especially as they concern involvement in activities not directly derived from the IMSO mandate but are rather related to areas to which the director would like to extend the organisation’s scope, but over which the Assembly has yet to rule on; the same countries are generally against any extension of the IMSO mandate. The figure for trips was nevertheless accepted in general; a suggestion was made that future budget proposals should be more detailed and transparent, thus enabling the Committee to identify the activities and matters involved in each item.
In this context, the budget was approved with an exception for the technical official’s contract; the definitive figure are to be approved after the director submits the requested information to the members. Other current management issues were also dealt with.
The Committee’s next meeting was not scheduled.
