Administrative Council

Administrative Council of the PCA

The Administrative Council of the PCA embodies its global mission. Its 124 Members act together to provide general guidance and direction to the PCA’s work, and supervise, along with the Secretary-General, the administration, budget, and expenditure of the organization. Pursuant to the Founding Conventions, the PCA Administrative Council is composed of “the Diplomatic Representatives of the Contracting Powers accredited to The Hague, and of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, who will act as President”.

Acting Presidents of the Administrative Council

In order to further promote the direct involvement of the PCA’s Contracting Parties in its activities and oversight, the Administrative Council also benefits from the efforts of its Acting President. The Rules of Procedure of the Administrative Council of the PCA, as amended by a decision of the Administrative Council at its 201st meeting held on 16 December 2019, provide under Article 3 that “[i]n the absence of the President, the acting presidency of the Administrative Council is held for a two year term by representatives of the Contracting Parties on the basis of a rotational equitable geographical distribution” based on the Regional Groups accepted by the United Nations, namely the African Group; Asia-Pacific Group; Eastern European Group; Latin American and Caribbean Group; Western European and Others Group.

The following is a list of the acting Presidents of the Administrative Council since the position was created by a resolution of the Council at its 201st meeting held on 16 December 2019:

Budget

The budget of the PCA is funded in part by contributions from Contracting Parties, the amount of which is based on the system of units maintained by the Universal Postal Union (one of the few intergovernmental organizations in existence in 1899). The Secretary-General reports annually to the Administrative Council on the activities of the PCA and its expenditure.

Financial Committee and Budget Committee

The Administrative Council entrusts the financial supervision of the International Bureau to a Financial Committee composed of three independent experts elected by the Administrative Council for three-year terms. A Budget Committee exists and functions in parallel to the Financial Committee and is open to the representatives of all Contracting Parties – thereby enabling the full membership of the organization to give early consideration to documents of a financial nature.