Upon reflection and having read the very interesting reactions to my memoranda of late November and 20 December, I should like to make a personal proposal concerning the point on the reform of the controlling bodies (point II of the document of 20 December).

Over my 10 years of experience of our activities, I have noted that all our major projects and all the advances we have made were made possible by individuals who were particularly committed, regardless of whether they or the INGOs they represented had an official function or title.

The source of our success is and will remain personal commitment.

And our various bodies should enable such commitment to be exercised in a transparent and democratic process and also to be accessible to all INGO representatives who so desire.

I therefore propose that the INGO Conference should hold at least two plenary meetings a year and that it should have a single body for organising its activities and representing it, namely a Bureau.

Composition of the Bureau:

• A Chair and three Vice-Chairs (elected by the INGO Conference)
• Two rapporteurs and two co-ordinators (elected by the INGO Conference)
• The chairs of the groupings/committees (and their vice-chairs as substitutes)
• The Chair of INGO-Service
• The chairs of the transversal groups or groups of experts (in a consultative capacity)

Bureau meetings would be open to representatives of the INGOs holding participatory status (observers).

I do not wish to set out my ideas on the responsibilities and operation of such a Bureau. Instead, I would urge you to devise them yourselves on the basis of the many documents on the reform at our disposal.