On Friday 21 November, the Governing Body (GB) of the ILO accepted the recommendation of the Programme, Finance and Administrative Committee that the CIS be authorized for the 2004-05 biennium. The Centres network is considered one of the best things the CIS has to offer the world, so the GB was willing to see us reduce our commitment to earning money in order to leave us more time for real networking, listening to what people want in OSH information and improving our product line.

The 2004-05 programme and budget text is on the Web at www.ilo.org/public/english/standards/relm/gb/docs/gb288/pdf/pfa-5-1.pdf.

And the record of the discussion is at www.ilo.org/public/english/standards/relm/gb/docs/gb288/pdf/gb-9-1.pdf.

Following the 2003 CIS Centres Meeting, the Arab Labour Office requested the recognition of the Arab Occupational Health and Safety Institute (AOHSI) in Damascus as a CIS Centre. The AOHSI has all the qualities of a National Centre, but its being associated with an intergovernmental organization makes the term inaccurate, so CIS has redrafted its statement of relations with Centres to include the concept of a Regional Centre.

This also responds to the wish to have ASEAN OSHNET recognized as a CIS Centre.