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The Interministerial Committee for Host Nation Policy (CIPS in French) is in charge of the implementation of the host nation policy (NHP) of the Belgian authorities towards the international governmental organisations (IO’s).
Mandated as the sole Belgian focal point for host nation affairs vis-à-vis all international organisations, CIPS fulfils many tasks:
- insure the mutual exchange of information among Belgian authorities on all aspects of the HNP to ensure coherence in implementation of this policy
- coordinate positions of all levels of governance in Belgium, i.e. the federal authorities, the language-based communities and the geography-based regions, and the local authorities (“communes”);
- timely detect and point out new problems which could arise between Belgium as host country and the IO’s and formulate solutions
- develop new initiatives in the framework of HNP and present them to the political authorities
- take action as helpdesk in case security problems are encountered by IO’s and their staff
The Chair of this committee is appointed by royal decree, established after deliberation by the council of Ministers and
- is in charge of all aspects of hospitality towards the IO’s in Belgium, including the practical implementation of the HNP;
- coordinates implementation of the HNP with all Ministries and public services on the request of the Prime minister or the Minister of Foreign Affairs. He has authority to request these Ministries and public services to study on particular issues and to provide advice
- acts, after the necessary coordination and the agreement of the concerned authorities, as representative of all authorities in Belgium for host nation policy matters of “mixed” nature
- acts as representative of Belgium in contacts and negotiations with IO’s in all HNP-related matters
- negotiates the seat agreements on behalf of Belgium
- reports directly to the Prime Minister, to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and, if necessary, to other Ministers with HNP competences
The Committee operates by means of coordination meetings associating various actors on Belgian side, as well as on the side of IO’s, depending on the nature of the issues addressed.