Host Country Agreement

The process for the establishment of an FAO presence in a country is triggered by a formal request by the Member Country and is governed by a Host Country Agreement (HCA) to be signed by the government and FAO.

While the first FAO country offices were established through a simple exchange of letters, presently HCAs comprise the following:

• a standardized legal framework regarding the scope of the undertaking, including: the appointment and functions of the FAOR; modalities for FAO technical  assistance; and facilities, privileges and immunities extended by the government to FAO, including  status of the  FAOR.
• an  annex with a detailed description of the government contribution towards the setting up and operations of the country office (including premises, equipment/furniture, staffing, operating expenses, etc) and security arrangements. 

Negotiations and Establishment

The decision to establish a new office is the prerogative of the Director-General. Liaison with the country concerned is assured directly by OSD, through the FAOR in case of Multiple Accreditations.

Negotiation is carried out on an ad-hoc basis either through missions or through high-level contacts and/or correspondence, and proceedings of the negotiations are often recorded in a signed Aide Memoire, preparing the ground for the finalization of the HCA.

In some cases, when it is decided to set up country coverage through multiple accreditation arrangements, the agreement is formalized through a simple exchange of letters (even though this sometimes may require parliamentary approval, e.g. Georgia). The arrangement for multiple accreditation may envisage the appointment of either an Assistant FAOR (Programme), and support staff, or a National Correspondent.

Sample documents related to the negotiation process can be found in the box on the right.