Governance

Private Sector Mechanism Governance Guidelines

Purpose

The Private Sector Mechanism (PSM) is an open platform for providing a permanent seat for for-profit enterprises and agri-food associations across the agricultural value chains at the UN Committee on World Food Security, as well as engaging in similar multilateral processes. 

Membership

The Private Sector Mechanism is open to food or agricultural companies, multi-national corporations, and other organisations engaged in the agri-food private sector or development activities that promote market-based principles and entrepreneurial models within this sector. 

Memberships shall be considered renewed for the upcoming year unless notice is received via e-mail to the secretariat by September 30th of the prior year. 

To ensure support for all functions of PSM, support of optional programmes and special projects is available to only those private sector actors who have paid voluntary fees to support the overall work of the PSM. Event sponsorship and grants are allowed from groups not paying voluntary fees.

Governance and Funding

  1. Every two years, the PSM shall elect a Focal Point, which must be an international association. The chair of the Focal Point also serves as the chair of the PSM. That Focal Point will be responsible for raising the funds for the operations of the PSM and for chairing its meetings. The governance of those funds and the services they provides shall be directed by the Focal Point and the PSM Supporting Members. The Focal Point shall convene no fewer than two meetings per year with the Supporting Members of the PSM to set strategic priorities, budgets, and workplans. 
  2. Participation of non-paying members is welcome. Those members will receive information updates via the monthly newsletter and will be invited to participate in the annual meeting. Input into the PSM, including membership of macrocommittees, is welcome regardless of membership status. Notices of UN meetings open to private sector delegations are shared and all are welcome. 
  3. PSM members may make voluntary financial contributions. 
  4. Based on the core PSM budget, which is to be set at the annual meeting in May or June for the upcoming year, there will be a work plan developed no later than December founded on the CFS workplan for the coming year. It will be finalised by January 31 of the budget year based on the funding raised to date. 
  5. Special projects will be considered if members within the PSM raise extra-budgetary funds for work on a specified project provided such members have made voluntary contribution to the core PSM budget. 
  6. In an event when non voluntary contributing members raise funds for special projects, fiscal contributions from such members shall be first allocated to support core PSM budget with amounts in excess thereof fully available to support the special project. 
  7. The annual and collective budgets for any special projects shall not exceed the total amount collected and available for said project. 
  8. Those members who fund special project will form a steering committee which will meet on a regular basis to direct those specific projects including the budget for those funds. Steering Committees shall report quarterly to the PSM Governing Council on activities and budget matters as PSM Governing Council shall retain overall budgetary management. The PSM Governing Council shall be considered ex officio members of such Steering Committees. PSM policies will still be subject to review by relevant committees, Governing Council and PSM as a whole.
  9. Special projects will be considered if members within the PSM membership who are already paying voluntary commitments raise additional funds to work on a specified project. Those members who contribute funds will form a Steering Committee, which will meet on a regular basis to direct those specific projects including the budget for those funds. Steering Committees shall report quarterly to the PSM Governing Council on activities and budget matters as PSM Governing Council shall retain overall budgetary management. The PSM Governing Council shall be considered ex officio members of such Steering Committees. PSM policies will still be subject to review by relevant macrocommittees, Governing Council and PSM as a whole, and work must be conducted in the area agreed by the Mechanism at its regular meetings.
  10. The secretariat of the Focal Point is not responsible for the support of members’ hotel arrangements, travel, and personal scheduling. When individual members ask for additional services outside the scope of the PSM activities, they are to be charged separately.
  11. The High Level Dinner is an annual PSM-hosted event. Private sector access to this event shall be limited to paying PSM members and must be pre-paid. Provision is made for the PSM chair to invite special guests.

Membership Recruitment

Member recruitment is a joint responsibility between the secretariat of the Focal Point and the members. Suggested activities for enlargement of the base include:

  1. The PSM Chair is to activelt seek new members during his/her chairpersonship. 
  2. Each sector.macrocommittee is to set a list of targets to approach with a standard membership pack. 
  3. The secretariat is to identify sectors not yet active and approach them. 
  4. Members of PSM delegations are to receive the voluntary membership packages. 

Documents