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II SÉRIE — NÚMERO 80

ihc international character of this duty and shall refrain from all attempts to influence the president or die staff in the discharge of their duties.

d) In appointing the staff, the president shall, subject to the paramount importance of securing the highest standards of efficiency and of technical competence, pay due regard to the importance of recruiting personnel on as wide a geographical basis as possible.

c) The president and staff shall maintain at all times the confidcncialily of information obtained in carrying out the Agency's operations.

Article 34

Political activity prohibited

The Agency, its president and staff shall not interfere in the political affairs of any member. Without prejudice to the right of the Agency to take into account all the circumstances surrounding an investment, they shall not be influenced in their decisions by the political character of the member or members concerned. Considerations relevant to their decisions shall be weighed impartially in order to achieve the purposes suited in article 2.

Article 35 Relations with international organizations

The Agency shall, within the terms of this Convention, cooperate with the United Nations and with other intergovernmental organizations having specialized responsibilities in related fields, including in particular the Bank and die International Finance Corporation.

Article 36 Location of principal ofllce

a) The principal office of the Agency shall be located in Washington, D. C, unless die Council, by special majority, decides to establish it in another location.

b) The Agency may establish other offices as may be necessary for its work.

Article 37 Depositories for assets

Each member shall designate its central bank as a depository in which the Agency may keep holdings of such member's currency or other assets of the Agency or, if it has no central bank, it shall designate for such purpose such other institution as may be acceptable to the Agency.

Article 38 Channel of communication

a) Each member shall designate an appropriate authority with which the Agency may communicate in connection with any matter arising under this Convention. The Agency may rely on statements of such authority as being statements of the member. The Agency, upon the request of a member, shall consult with that member with respect

to matters dealt with in articles 19 to 21 and related to entities or insurers of that member.

b) Whenever the approval of any member is required before any act may be done by the Agency, approval shall be deemed to have been given unless the member presents an objection within such reasonable period as the Agency may fix in notifying die member of die proposed act.

CHAPTER VI Voting, adjustments of subscriptions and representation Article 39

Voting and adjustments of subscriptions

a) In order to provide for voting arrangements that reflect the equal interest in die Agency of die two categories of States listed in schedule A of this Convention, as well as the importance of each member's financial participation, each member shall have 177 membership votes plus one subscription vote for each share of stock held by that member.

b) If at any time within three years after the entry into force of this Convention, the aggregate sum of membership and subscription votes of members which belong to either of the two categories of Suites listed in schedule A of this Convention is less than forty percent of the total voting power, members from such a category shall have such number of supplementary votes as shall be necessary for the aggregate voting power of the category to equal such a percentage of the total voting power. Such supplementary votes shall be distributed among the members of such category in the proportion that the subscription votes of each bears to the aggregate of subscription votes of (nc category. Such supplementary votes shall be subject to automatic adjustment to ensure that such percentage is mainuiincd and shall be cancelled at the end of the above-mentioned three-year period.

c) During the third year following the entry into force of this Covcntion, the Council shall review the allocation of shares and shall be guided in its decision by the following principles:

0 The votes of members shall reflect actual subscriptions to the Agency's capital and the membership votes as set out in section a) of this article;

if) Shares allocated to countries which shall not have signed die Convention shall be made available for reallocation to such members and in such manner as to make possible voting parity between the above-mentioned categories; and

«0 The Council will take mensurcs that will facilitate members' ability to subscribe to shares allocated to them.

d) Within the three-year period provided for in section b) of this article, all decisions of the Council and Board shall be taken by special majority, except that decisions requiring a higher majority under this Convention shall be taken by such higher majority.

e) In case the capital stock of die Agency is increased pursuant to section c) of article 5, each member which so