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II.
4.
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THE PLANT PROTECTION AGREEMENT FOR THE ASIA AND PACIFIC REGION: ADOPTION AND PRESENT STATUS
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The Plant Protection Agreement for the South-East Asia and Pacific Region was approved by the Twenty-third Session of the FAO,Council on 26 November 1955 under Article XIV of the FAO Constitution. The "Region" to which the Agreement applies was defined in Article I(a) thereof. The "Region" as defined then did not include China as China was not a Member Nation of FAO at that time.
5.
The Agreement entered into force on 2 July 1956 in accordance with Article XI.1 thereof. Some amendments were approved by the Council between 1955 and 1979 and have entered intg force on acceptance by the required number of Contracting Governments. At present, 24 FAO Member Nations are Contracting Governments to the Agreement.
6.
The provisions with respect to amendments of the Agreement are set out in Article IX of the Agreement. The procedure comprises two stages. The first stage requires that a proposal for amendment be communicated through the Asia and Pacific Plant Protection Commission to the Director-General of the Organization, who presents it to the FAO Council for approval. If the amendment is approved by the FAO Council, the second stage begins. This stage provides that such amendment comes into, force 30 days after acceptance by two-thirds of the Contracting Governments. "Acceptance" is an executive procedure whereby a Contracting Government decides to be bound by the amendment. "Acceptance" is signified to the Depositary (the Director-General of FAO) by a formal instrument signed by an appropriate authority (e.g. the Minister of Agriculture).
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III.
7.
AMENDMENT TO ARTICLE I(a): ADOPTION AND PRESENT STATUS
At the Thirteenth Session of the Asia and Pacific Plant Protection Commission in April 1983, the observers from China expressed the keen interest of their country in participating in the activities of the Commission. The Commission then considered the question of a possible amendment to the definition of the geographical scope of the Region as set out in Article I(a) of the Agreement. The Commission considered that for technical reasons, Article I of the Agreement should be amended to include
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The original title was changed to read: "Plant Protection Agreement for the Asia and Pacific Region" as a result of amendments approved at the Seventy-fifth Session of the FAO Council in June 1979, which entered into force on 16 February 1983; cf. Council document CL 75/REP, paragraphs 194 to 196 and Circular State Letter G/LE-25 of 14 February
1983.
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Report of the Twenty-third session, page 27 and Appendix B thereto.
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4
C 89/10, paragraphs 30 to 37 (Document of the Twenty-fifth Session of the FAO Conference).
Paragraphs 1, 2 and 4 of Article IX.1 of the Agreement.