Convention on the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture Message to the Senate Transmitting the Convention.

To the Senate of the United States:

I transmit herewith, for Senate advice and consent to ratification, the Convention on the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (the Convention) which was signed at Washington on March 6, 1979. For the information of the Senate, I also transmit the report of the Department of State with respect to the Convention.

The Convention is a revision of the 1944 Convention on the Inter-American Institute of Agricultural Sciences. It clarifies the 1944 Convention and strengthens and broadens the mandate of the Inter-American Institute of Agricultural Sciences (the Institute).

Membership in the Institute under the Convention is open to states which are members of the OAS and the existing Institute, or other American states whose admission is accepted by the Inter-American Board of Agriculture.

Under the Convention, the Institute will consist of three principal organs—the Inter-American Board of Agriculture, the Executive Committee, and the General Directorate. The Inter-American Board of Agriculture will be the highest organ of the Institute and will consist of one representative from each Member State. The new Convention stipulates that such representatives should preferably be persons connected with agriculture or rural development. This Board will be responsible for setting policy and budgetary priorities of the Institute.

To reflect the changed responsibilities of the Institute, its name has been changed to the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture.

The Convention will enter into force when two-thirds of the states parties to the 1944 Convention have deposited instruments of ratification. Correspondingly, the 1944 Convention will cease to be in force for those states for which the new Convention is in force.

I recommend that the Senate give early and favorable consideration to the Convention and advice and consent to ratification.

JIMMY CARTER

The White House,

November 14, 1979.