– 101 – (3.2 – Council) recognizing that the oversight of the administration and management of the Union and its activities is the key function and responsibility of the Council and the imperative of ensuring that staff matters are addressed as resources vital to success in achieving the Union’s mission; recognizing further that the 1998 and 2002 Plenipotentiary Conferences successfully combined the consideration of personnel and financial matters in a single committee; decides to combine the standing Committee of Council on Finance and the Standing Committee on Staff Matters to create a single Standing Committee on Administration and Management effective as at the 2007 Ordinary Session of Council; further decides to modify the relevant Rules of Procedure as follows: Rule of Procedure 11: “The Council may set up committees and working groups, in the work of which all councillors, their advisers and observers shall be entitled to take part. During Council sessions, one standing committee on the Administration and Management of the Union shall consider staff and financial matters. Observers designated…..” Rule of Procedure 12.2: “The standing committee shall meet immediately after the inaugural plenary meeting, for a length of time decided by the inaugural plenary meeting in the light of the previous Council’s recommendations.” Rule of Procedure 12.4: “The standing committees shall consider the documents allocated to it bythe inaugural plenary meeting, such as the reports by the Secretary-General and the Directors of the Bureaux, the draft budget, the annual report to the Members of the Union, and contributions by Members of the Council, as well as contributions submitted by other Members of the Union where the Council has requested such contributions. The standing committee shall prepare draft resolutions and draft decisions and, where necessary, shall prepare reports for consideration by the plenary meeting of the Council. Working groups shall submit their conclusions to the bodies by which they were established, except if it is decided otherwise.” Rule of Procedure12.5: “The standing committee and working groups shall make every effort to achieve a consensus on the matters submitted to them for consideration; failing this, the chairman of the standing committee or working group in question shall prepare, for consideration by the plenary, a brief report setting out the views expressed by the various participants.” Rule of Procedure 12.6: “The standing committees shall not meet during a plenary meeting.” Rule of Procedure 13.1: “The summary records of plenary meetings and meetings of the standing committee shall be drawn up in concise form by the secretariat of the Council.” Rule of Procedure 13.4a): “a) Revised summary records containing all amendments requested shall be submitted as soon as possible to the plenary meeting or the standing committee for approval. and b): b) Revised summary records which the Council has been unable to examine before the end of the session shall be examined and approved by the Chairman of the Council or of the standing committee.” Ref.: Documents C06/74 and C06/86.