eneral ssembly
NATIONS Distr. GENERAL
ENERAL SSEMBLY
A/AC. 35/SR. 149 6 July 1956 ENGLISH ORIGINAL: FRENCH
COMMl'ITEE ON INFORMATION FROM NON-SELF-GOVERNING TERRITORIES Seventh Seasion StJ'MMARY RECORD OF THE HUNDRED ArID FORTY-NINTH MEETING Held at Headquarters, New York, on Thursday, 17 May 1956, at 2.30 p.m. CONTE~'TS
International collaboration in respect of econ~ic, social a~~ educational conditions in Non-S~lf-Governing Territories (continued):
(e) General developments (A/AC,35/L.229, (b)
A/AC.~5/L.::".,0)
International technical assistance (T/AC.35/L.227 and Corr.l)
Future work of the Committee (A/AC.35/L.233) (continued) General questions relating to the summaries and analyses prepared by the secretary-General addition~' to those treated under the previous items (A/3l05-,110, A/3110/Corr.l, A/311l and Add.l, A/3112 and Add.l and 2, A/31l3 and Corr.l, A13114 and Corr.l aad Add~l, A/3115)
56-15379
A/AC.35/SR.149 English Page 2
PRESENT: Chairman: Rappcl·teur : Members:
Mr. ARENALES CATALAN
VDCSEBOXSE Mr. HAMILTON U PAW HTIN Mr. LIU YU-WAll Mr. BARGUES ) Mr. REMOVILLE) Mr.
Mr. ARAGON
Mr. JAIPAL Mr.
PACHACHI
Mr. GRADER
Mr. THORP
France Guatemala India Iraq Netherlands New Zealancl
Mr. Mr.
CALLE Y CALLE) ) PAREJA
Peru
Mr.
GIDDEl'
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
) SEARS Miss ARMSTRONG) tta-. RIVAS Representatives of Specialized agencies Miss McNAUGHTON Mr.
Mrs. MEAGHER
Secretariat:
(_ '.18temala) (Nether lands) Australia Burma China
Mr.
BENSON
Mr. KUNST
United States of America Venezuela Food and Agriculture Organization World Health Organization Representive or the Secretary-General Secretary or the Committee
A/AC.35/SR.149 English Page 3
IIf!'ERNATIONAL COLIABORATION IN RESPECT OF ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND E.'DUCATIOllAL CONDITIONS IN NON-SELF-GOVERNING TERRITORIES (continued): (a) GENEBAL DEVlLOP)£R1'S (AIAC. 35/L. 229, AIAC. 35/L. 23o) (b) I~ICNAL TECEmCAL ASSIC'.rJJ:CE (A/AC.35/L.2'Z7 an4 Corr.l) M!". REMOVILLE (France) emphasized that although the Overseas Territories
i7cre "insufficiently developed" many of them already had an organized network of technical services under the control of skilled technicians. The Territories' advancement was impeded by social and financial factors far more than by the absence of technical personnel. It took mo!: than a generation to bring about the social evolution of the mass of indigeLous producerc and, from the financial point of \lew, the absence of any volume of local saVings, which was a normal phenomenon in fairly recently developed areas, constituted a problem. The Fonds dtinvestissements pour le developpement e~onomique et social (FIDES) had been set ~ precisely in order to meet that deficie~cy. It w~s unlikely that the United Nations and the specialized agencies were in a pcsition to satisfy all requests for technical assistance. That was why his Government bad made only moderate calls on internat~onal technical assistance so far. The assistance which the French Government g~ve to its under-developed Territories ¥IS far larger than the assistance which the United Nations and the specialized agencies ren~ered to all the under-developed countries in Asia, Africa and America put together. Nevertheless his delegation welcomed the Iraqi representative's statement that the Administering Powers might make greater use o~ international assistance. The French Government was greatly interested in the technica~ assistance programmes. F~ance had trained overseas numerous teebn1cians with ~erience of working conditions in tropical countries and it could, if necessary, place them at the disposal of the United Nations and the specialized agencies. The French Republic prOVided large-scale technical assistance in many forms ~ its under-developed Territories in Africa and V~dagascar: e.g. 'the recruiting and training of teclli1icians for tbe various categoriee of overseas officials (to ~ntion only those where very high technical qualifications were reqUired, the general categories numbered more than 10,000, including doctors, engineers and ~achers)j the long-term secondment to CTerseao Territories of t~chnical officials attached to the r~levant services in metropolitan Francej the par~icipation of technicians from the French public and private sector in various s~ecific projects; and the training in metropolitan France of indigenous technicians ~~d officials.
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(Mr.
Removille, France)
It was impossible to give any total for the various forms of assistance rendered France which he had mentioned. In many cases the expenditure could not be
by
classified because the French Union was considered a community and not a business undertaking preparing a balance-sheet for audit. Nevertheless, France was bearing an ever-increasing share of the recurrent expenditure in the Territories either by assuming complete responsibility for certain types of expenditure or by granting the Territories the necessary budgetary subsidies. Leaving military expenditure aside, the annual cost to the French budget for recurrent expenditure alone, not counting the capital expenditure under the FIDES bUdget, could be estimated at 8,000 or 9,000 million FrencL francs ~ annum. In addition, France covered most of the local authorities' budgets. The effort madeEby Fraoce therefore compared favourably with what was being done by other countries, and it was easy to see why an FAO expert serving in French \-le:st Afrj.ca had recently stated that the Oversea~ Territories of the French Union were in a much better ~os~tion than most othp~ under-developed countr~es with regard to the quantity and quality of the t~~:ll
1ci&os at their' disli>Gsaii;.::; ~;.,.:.:. '-' The Overseas Territories played a large part in the international programme on
behalf of children.
They co-operated regularly in the work of tmIcEF and were in
constant touch with the International Children's Centre. Representatives from French Jest Africa, French Equatorial Africa and Madagascar (psychiatrists, pediatricians, nutritionists and sociologists) had participated in the symposium on the nutritional, psychological and medical problems of the African child which the International Children's Centre had organized at Brazzaville in December 1952. Generally speaking, representatives from the Territories were sent to international meetings on health. There was now complete co-operation between the Territories and the United Nations specialized agencies in the matter of child welfare. With regard to the training of specialist~ he mentioned the courses at the Internatiorml Children's Centre which were attended by numerous scholarship-holders from the french-administered Territories, and the courses in nutrition held at Marseilles and organized jointly by the French Governm~nt,
WHO and FAO, which not only provided technical training but enabled
many specia11.sts from different countries to exchange ",iews on African problems, thus achieVing frank international collaboration.
The Ministry for Overseas France
(Mr.
A/AC.35/SR.149 English Page 5 Removille, France)
organized a social science course in Paris for officials of all sorts perving overseas; the course was also open to foreigners. It would deal with the social work planned and accomplished by the various services 4.n the Overseas Territories. W~th regard to direct action on beh~lf of children, the French Government bad organized a number of campaigns, in conjunction with the International Children's Fund. A campaign to provide additional proteins through the distribution of skimmed milk had been carried out with conBiderable success in Fr'ench West Africa by the Organisme de recherche sur l'alimentation et 1& nutrition in its experimental centres in Senegal and also on the Ivory Coast and. in the Haute-Volta. Large credits had been allocated for mass anti-malaria campaigns. In French Equatorial Africa 125,000 lepers would be treated and additional cases uncovered in an anti-leprosy campaign. UNICEF had allocated $215,COO for the purchase of sulpha drugs, eqUipment and the ~ehlcles necessary to carry out a mass campaign. In 1954, the French Government had contrlbuted 35 million CFA francs for the wages of skilled personnel; the total Government allocation for +.he whole campaign, which had been initiated in 195), was 140 million CFA francs. In the social field, the Territolies were in constant contact wi'~h the International Children's Centre and joint studies had been undertar.en on juvenile delinquency in ~B~Bgascar.. Sampling methods would be used to test control groups of non-delinquent children. In addition, child welfare activities had developed in all the Territories: rehabilitation centres for delinquent children had been established; there had been an increase in the number of social c~ntres (th~re were now twenty-five) and kil'~~artens; and increased activity in the various fields of child welfare, notably in the courts. The Territories had been represented at the Inter-African conference 0'0 the treatment of delinquents held at Dar es Salaam in 1954 which bad discussed juvenile delinquency, among other things. In the field of labour, the Territories were also making a noteworthy contribution to international programmes for the protection of childrea. The implementation of the Labour Code would enable the French authorities to bring labour regulations into line with the provisi0ns of international legislation relating to young workers and adolescents. had
A/AC.35/SR.l49
English Page 6 (Mr. Removille, France}
In brief, not only had full international collaboration on child welfare been assured for several years, but the measures taken in various other fields such as health placed France in the forefront among those interested in international action on behalf of children. He then pa~sed on to a consideration of the general question of international co-operation. The most striking thing about the various bodies engageJ in international co-operation of one kind or another was their great number and the volume of their activities. The operation of that complex mechanism would require much wisdom, caution and patience. The value of the technical contribution of bodies such as the specialized agencies could not be over-emphasized and his delegation gladly associated itself with the tributes which had rightly been paid them. In addition, he would stress the importance of regional commissions such as the Commission for Technical Co-operation in Africa South of the Sahara and the South Pacific C~mmission, which were the means for international co-operation of a primarily technical kind, since they ensured the collaboration of independent States a& well as of Non-Self-Governing Territories. It should be noted that some Members of the United Nation£: were not members either of some of the specialized agencies or of some of the regional organizations. Some States which had not yet ~de their positions clear with respect to the obligations flowing from Article 73 (exactly how many replies the Secretary-General had received since 1946 was not known), took part only intermittently in the various forms of regicna 1 and international co-operation. Furthermore, the non-governmental organizations had evidently not received universal support. Consideration by the Committee of item 10 of its agenda would therefore be premature, to say the least. Moreover, the questions involved were discussed in other bodies, especial.y in the Third CODmlittee, and thQre was reason to ask whether consideration of that item would not constitute a duplication of work that was done elsewhere. The pC3ition of the French Government remained unchanged on that point; its attempts at frank co-operation at the international level had sometimes been frustrated. In~tead of trying to make use of the l~chinery provided by the international organization, some Stat~s bad occasionally preferred to make a blunt statement of their demands. The French Government had already informed
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A/AC. 35/SR.149 English Page 7 (Mr. Removille, France)
them that it would be dangerous to try to substitute a vertical set of alliances for a horizontal system of co-operation. The French Government, for its part, had chocen the path of wisdom and prudence. U PAW HTIN (Burma) wished firdt to congratulate the Secretariat on the excellence of its report on international technical assistance to Non-SelfGoverning Territories (A/AC.35/t.227). It appeared from that report that there had been an increase in the technical assistance granted to Non-Self-Governing Territories i~ 1955, both as regards the number of Territories assisted and as regards the variety and scope of the projects carried out, but much remained to be done, and the volume of technical assistance should be further increased to meet the needs of Non-Self-Governing Territories, especially in Africa. The Burmese delegation would be grateful if the Administering Members would provide the Committee with more dp.tailed information on the part played by the Non-Self-Governing Territories in the activities of the various regional bodies, and on the way in which the technical assistance provided by the United Nations and the specialized agencies bad been included in the long-term programmes for the development of those Territor1es. The Burmese delegation hoped that many Administering Powers would institute community develo~ment projects and WOUld, so far as it was possible, put into practice the principles mentioned in Economic and Social Council resolution 585 C (XX). The need to stress the importance of international co-operation in that field was apparent to the Committee. After reading document A/AC.35/L.226, he had come to the conclusion that the specialized agencies, Government bonies, non-governmental organizations and the United Nations itself should give the Non-Belf-Governing Territories technical assistance to help them eliminate illiteracy by setting up regional centres for fundamental education. He congratulated WHO on its remarkable achievements in the Non-Belf-Governing Territories and noted with satisfaction that the collaboration between UNICEF and WHO had made possible an increase in the number ot Territories able to be~efit from the programmes carried out by those two organizations. He was grateful to the ItO, UNESCO and other specialized agencies tor the contribution they bad made to the implementation ot resolutions relating to Non-~lt-Governing Territories. In view of the important part being played by the non-governmental organizations in the development of the Non-Selt-Governing Territories, he suggested that it would be useful if the Committee had a report on their activities.
A/AC.35/SR.l49 English Page 8 The
CHAI~I
declared the debate on items 7 and 10 of the agenda closed.
He invited the Committee to consider item 8 and recalled that at the previous meeting the representative of the Secretary-General had introduced the Secretariat's document on that (A/AC.35/t.233).
mtrE WCRK CF 'IHE COIIJI.!TTEE (A/AC.35/L.233) (continued)
---Mr. VIXSEBOXSE (Rapporteur), speaking as the representati"e of the
Netherlandq, said that owing to lack of time his delegation had. not been able to obtain either from the metropolitan country or from the overseas territories the information it needed. He sympathized with the Secretariat's difficulties but would be glad of an assurance that everything would be done to expedite the circulation of the documents available, for that would greatly help the Committee in its work.
Mr. BENSON (Secretariat) assured the representative of the Netherlands that the Secretariat realized how important it was that documents should reach delegations in time. It was difficult to achieve ~erfection in that respect but in view of the dates of the next sessions of the Committee and of the General Assembly, there was reason to hope for better results than in the past. Mr. ARAGON (Guatemala; thought that the ,'urious international stuC.ies . to be undertaken should not be confined to the subjects mentioned in paragraphs 11-14 of document A/AC.35/t.233. The Secretariat's study on technical assistance should not stop at an assessment of "the place of co-ordinated planning of technical assistance within the framework of the general development schemes which are under way in the various 'rerritories'!, as it was put in paragraph 15, but should go on to note the obstacles encountered in the carrying out of those projects. The Secretariat could also undertake other special studies on certain very important topics. It could, first, review the development programmes in operation in the Non-Self-Governing Territories and indicate the objectives set by the Admi! Lstering Powers and the measures they had already taken. As it was sometimes difficult to obtain statistical information in every field, the Secretariat could usefully make a comparison of certain special aspects such, as agricultural and industrial production, ele~trical energy, etc. The same study could deal with the
A/AC.35/SR.149 English Page 9 CM!". Aragon, Guatemala} resource available to the Administering Powers in carrying out their plans and could, in particular, examine their investment programmes in the pUblic sector (economic policy for the development of production, customs measures, foreign trade, exchange control, taxes) and in the private sector; it could also describe what action had been taken to protect natural resources and how it was intended to 11nance the programmes. The second study could cover handicraft activities in the Non-Self-Governing Territories, against -the background of economic and social development; such a study would be particularly useful in view of the importance of such activities in the process of adapting indigenous populations to the modern world. Finally, the Secretariat could undertake a third study and investigate . the eccnomic relations of the Territories with the rest of the world and it could, for instance, consider the interdependence of markets in the Territories and markets in other countries, survey possible sO~Jrces of credit to help in the development of the Territories, find out what part ·was b=ing played by private undertakings in the matter of financing and development, ano, in short, offer a general estimate of the Territories' opportunities of improving their economic and soctal conditions. He hoped that the Secretariat would take note of his suggestions; with regard to the social studies to be submitted to the Committee at its 1958 session he reserved his right to make certain observations at the Co~tteels next session.
Mr. RIVAS (Venezuela) asked the Secretariat who was.responsible for fixing the date of the Committee's sessions, what was the minimum period required by the Secretariat to prepare the necessary documents and, thirdly, at what dpte the General Assembly's next session was likely to end.
Mr. BENSON (Secretariat) said that officially the Secretary-General arranged the date of the Committee's session; for the year 1955 he had taken account of the wishes expressed by its members to meet in the spring, as General Assembly resolution 846 (IX) showed. With regard to the second question, he explained that the preparation of the documents would begin long before the opening of the General Assembly's session; he thought that the Secretariat should have at least three months in which to prepare them. He could not give a definite reply to the third question, but he thought that if tlle General Assembly IS session began two mont~s later then usual it could not finisi~ iJefore the end of February.
A/AC.35/SR.149 English Page 10
Mr. RIVAS (Venezuela) said that in that case there would be little time between the end of the General Assembly's eleventh session and the beginning of its twelfth session. As certain members of thp. Committee would have to attend meetings of the Trusteeship Council which would probably sit during June, he would propose, as a compromise, that the next session of the Committee on Information should open at the ~egi~ning of May. ~.u-.
BENSON (Secretariat) said that he would transmit the Venezuelan representative's suggestions to the departments concerned. ~~.
JAIPAL (India) cong~atulated the Secretariat on its excellent workiwg paper relating to the programme for the Committee's future studies. He firmly endorsed practically all the suggestions put forward, and in particular agreE::J. that, in accordance with its normal practice, the Committee at its next session should turn its attention to the study of economic conditions in the Nc" ~.' . . . lf-Gov3rning Territories. In that connexion, he noted Mr. Benson's ".E, ,.·ance that the Comnittee would probably meet in the autumn of 1957, so that the Secretariat would have more time to prepare the necessary documents. As a consequence, docum2nts wo~ld be circulated earlier than they had been in the past, an,l the Government of India would be able to examine them more carefully. He hoped that the Secretariat would see that the studies were related to fundamental aims of economic policies, as already affirmed by the Committee. Moreover, a general review of economic conditions should be a comprehensive survey of economic advancement in all f ~eres, in the light of the concrete objectives defined in the Committee's 1954 report. He noted that the representative of Guatemala had made the same point. He hoped that the Secretariat's new study of industrial development would take into account the struct~re of industry, the scope of its expansion, and the extent of small-scale industries, including cottage industries, labour and management, the financing of industria.l development, and related questions. A study of the social problems arising out of industrialization would also be useful.
A/AC.35/SR.149
English Page 11 (~fr. Jaipal, India)
He hoped that the study of agricultural production and development, to be undertaken in conjunction with FAO, would cover such subjects as community selfsUffic1e~cy,agriculturaltechniques, the livestock industry, and irrigation. An examination of the imports ef consumer goods :In comparison with capital goods would undoubtedly be useful, but it should bear some relation to exports and the balance of trade. It would be desirable to have information on the standards of living in the Territorie~, 83 well a~ on the real income of wage-earners and small producers. Lastly, he hoped that the Secretariat would attempt a comprehensive study relating to techn:cal assistance in those areas againot the background of territorial development plens. As the representative of Guatemala had said, the results of technical assistance could not be fully appreciated without such a comparison. The same representative's suggestion that a stUdy should be prepared relating to the financing ot economic development and to foreign economic r';latLms wee inter~sting, clthough any technical studies were subject to the limitations ~poeed on them by the fact that many Non-Selt-Governing Territories ,(ere not eqUipped to furnish complicated statistical. material.. In order to avoid duplication, it was to be hoped that the Secretariat would work in close collaboration with the Economic and Social Council and its subsidiary organs. His delegation approved tentatively the programme of social. studies outlined for the Cottmittee's 1958 session. In the light of the review of progress to be made by the General Assembly at its next session certain changes might be necessary; but be agreed that preparations should begin as SOOh as possible, and that the Secretariat outline provided a useful basis. His delegation would offer more cOlI'JIlents relating to specific pClints in 1957. For the moment, it would express the hope that ~ special paper would be produced dealing wi th cC'~ Jnity develop~cnt in the Non-Self-Governing Territories. Mr t LIU nI-WAN (China.) associated himself with the congratulations
addressed to the Secretariat by previous speakers on the subject of document A/AC.;5/t.23;. While he dirt not wish to speak on the programme of work for 1958, he would co~ent on the studies tor the 1957 session. In the first
A/AC.35/SR.149
English Page 12 (Mr. tiu YU-Wan, China) place, he said that the major problem of the social consequences of industrialization could be studied equ~lly well from the economic and from the social points of view. If the programme for 1957 was too full, the problem might be held over until the Gubsequent ~e13sion. Fis delegation agreed with the Secretariat on the value of a paper giving a broader treatment of the diversification of agricultural production. As in many Non-Self-Governing Territories all efforts were concentrated on the production of one or two basic crops, the situation was most precarious, for then the particular Territory's entire econcmy depended on the market for such crops, and might be endangered by a drop in international prices. The diversification of industrial production was of the utreost ~port~nce to the development of the Territories, and his delegation hoped that the Secretariat and FAO would concern themselves actively with the problem. Mr. RIVAS (Venezuela) requested the Chairman not to close the debate on i'tem 8, as his delegation had some comments to present at a later meeting. The CHAIRMAN said that the request would be granted. Mr. BENSON (Secretariat) thankecl the representatives of Guatemala, India and China for their valuable suggesti~ns on the subject of the programme r~r the Committee's future studies. TIleir statements conveyed the impression that the Secretariat's programme of studies was immense. Many of the suggestions made could be agreed to as coming within the general scope of the working paper. The Committee's secretariat would now be in a position to undertake, in conjunction with the Department of Economic and Social Affairs and the specialized agencies, a progr~e of work that was within the limits of its resources, practicable on the basis of the information available from the Non-Self-Governing Territories, and, as the representatives of India and Guatemala wished, in keeping with the principles to which the Committee attached such value. When the programme was being prepared, the earlier reports concerning conditions in tIle Non-Self-Governing
,f
A/AC.35/SR.1 49 English Page 13 (~~. Benson/ Sec!etariat) Territories, in particular economic conditions, which had been approved by the General Assembly would be taken into account. He did not think he could refer to all the comments and ouggestions separately. They had all been recorded in the summary records. If necessary, the Secretariat would later, on the occasion of the debate in the General Assembly, ask for further particulars. But if the Committee followed its nor.mal procedure and gave the Secretariat ample latitude to proceed with its progr~e of studies in the light of the suggestj.onl3 made, and to confer with the specialized agencies, it woul.i certainly be able to produce a series of studies in keeping with all the suggestior.s voiced by the members of the Committee. The representativ~ of China had said that perhaps the study of the social consequenceo of industrialization should be deferred until 1958. The Committee would of course have an opportuni t~r to consider the social programme later, but it 'las of advantage, not only to the Committee itself, but also, to the s~ecialized agencies, that an olJtline of the progrOIIiDle should be prepared forthwith. The question 01' the effects of industrialization bad been included in that part of the Committee's agenda which referred to econcmic questions bp-cause the Committee had always been concerned with the social cODs'quences of economic policy, just ns it tried never to los~ sight 01' the economic needs underlying all social policies. In its debates, the COltInittee endeavoured to preserve the relationship between the two questions. Furthermore, the study of the social consequences of economic policy might serve as a preliminary outline for the study to be undertaken in 1958. He reiterated his earlier promise concerning the strict obsertance of the deadlines for the production and circulation of documents. It would be easier to keep that eeneral promise if in 1957 the Committee met a later date than in 1956. Whatever happened, the ~ccretariat would see that the documents reached the competent Government departmentl3 in good time so that the la-cter c;'Jld study them thorougr~y before the ser,sion. '!be CHAIRMM1 sail1 that the debate on item 8 would not be closed, and invited debate on item 9 of the agenda.
A/AC.'5/sR.149 English Page 14
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GENERAL QUESTIONS RElATING TO THE SUMtWUES A~m ANALYSES PREPARED BY THE SECRETARY -GENERAL ADDITIONAL TO THOSE TREATED UNDER THE PREVIOUS ITEMS (AI 3105 - 31.10, A/3110/Corr.l, A/3lll and Add.l, A/;112 and Add.l and 2, A/3113 and Corr.l, A/3114 and Corr.l p~d Add.l, A/3115)
Mr. BENSON (secretariat) thought it would be desirable to inform the Committee that, in view of General Assembly resolutions 593 (VI) and 789 (VIII) on the control and limitation of documentation, a minor change was proposed in the system of presentation of the summaries of information transmitted under Article 73 e of the Charter. In the past, the summaries had bee~ submitted first to the Committee on Information in mimeogrnphed form and printed later. Under the new system that practice would c::."ntiaue in the yeers when "full summaries" were required, in other words, every third. year. In the "intervening years", however, when only "annual supplements" were required, there llould not be mimeographed documents and printed volumes but a single presentation of the information transmitted, in the form of fascicules produced by the offset process. The fascicules would not be put on sale, but other\o1ise would receive the usual distribution. The econo~ resulting from those changes would exceed $6,000 a year. Any necessary corrections to the information in the fascicule~ would be taken into account in the preparation of the printed volumes of "full snmmaries". Likewise, the special studies of economic, social or educational conditi.ons would be printed each year, cs vac the current practice. At the coming session of the General Assembly the proposed change would be brought to the notice of the Fifth Committee through the budget estimates for 1957. The Committee on Information might Wish, through ~ appropriate passage in its report, to bring the proposed change to the notice of the Fourth Committee as well. Mr. KESTIER (Guatemala) said that a saving of $6,000 hardly cc~ensated
for the dE.mage to the interests of the non-selt-governing peoples that would ensue from the discontinuance of the 'pUblication of certain information relating to the Territories. In any case, he hoped that" '3uchr 'f3,: decisi,on'would not\. be~ taken before hearing. the opinion of. the Fourth' and Fif..t h ~,Comm1ttees. Mr. GIDDEN (United Kingdom) asked the Secretary-GeneralIs representative ;.,;;;,.~_.-
to specify what was involved in the contemplated decision, Which, as he understood it, did not seem to justify the Guatemalan representative's fears.
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Mr. BENSON (Secretariat) explained that it was not contemplated to discontinue the publication of information but only to reproduce by the offset process, and in the form of fascicules, the information contained in the annual supplements, which in the past had been first mimeographed and then issued in the form of printed volumes. The full sumnaries were published every three years and would continue to be printed, as in the ~~st. The contemplated change affected only the annual supplements which appeared in the years in which no full summaries were published,. He hoped that his explanation would satisfy the Guatemalan representative. Mr. JAIPAL (India) :::-ecalled that at the Committee's previous session several representatives had said that Governments, governmental organizations, universities and libraries made extensive use of the surrmaries published by the UDited Nations, and the Secretary-General's representative had confirmed their statements. The representatives of Brazil, Burma, India and Iral had urged that the publication of summaries should be continued and that their publication was not only desirable but indeed necessary tIDder General Assembly resolutions. The representative of the United states had also Ep~ken in favour of continued publication. Although the Committee had left the Secretary-General some latitude in the matter, the Indian delegation regretted that in order to realize a very small saVing a change was being contemplated which was manifestly contrary to the Committee's wishes. The decision contemplated was not a step in the right direction and the Committee should draw the Fourth Committee's attention to the matter by including a paragraph to that effect in its report. The Indian delegation had on several occasions referred to the excessive brevity of certain summaries of information. It had deplored the purely statistica1 approach of some studies undertaken by the Secretariat and the specialized agencies. Apparently, it had been forgotten that the information supplied under Article 73 e of the Charter should be explicit enough to allow the Ccmnittee and the General Assembly to assess the extent to which the obligations set forth in Chapter XI of the Charter were being fulfilled. It was possible that the Standard Form in accordance with which information was being furnished did not lend itself to the reqUirements of an analytical examination and that it should be changed. The Indian delegation had suggested before that the General Assembly should set up a SUb-committee to review the Standard Form.
A/AC.35/SR.149 English Page 16
11r. PACHACHI (Iraq) agreed with the representatives of Guatemala and
India that to cease pUblication of certain summaries which had in the past been printed would have a very regrettable psychological effect; a saving of $6,000 did not justify the decision contemplated. If the matter had not yet been referred to the Advisory Corrmittee on Administrative aud Budgetary Questions, The SecretaryGeneral should be asked to reconsider his decision. If a formal proposal had been placed before the Advisory Committee, the delegation of Iraq would move in the Fourth Committee that the appropriation of $6,000 should be restored. He hoped that other delegations would propose similar motions. l~.
BENSON (Secretariat) said that the proposed change would be referred to the Advisory Committee and would not take effect before 1957. The Fifth Committee's approval would be required, and any delegation which preferred the present system to continue would be free to state i~s views and to make counterproposals. The final decision would, of course, rest with the General Assembly. U PAW HTIN (Burma) agreed with the representatives who wished the
present system of publication to continue, although the system was far from perfect. His Goverou;r.t apprecie.ted the fU11llIlB.~i€s -prepared by._ the Secretariat on the use of the Standard Form, but felt that those summaries did not explain clearly whether the information supplied was in accordance with that Form. For the benefit of the non-Administering Powers it would be useful if, in future, the Committee could be infor~ed whether the Information supplied was in accordance with all or parts of the Standard Form. It was understood that documents must be reasonably brief, but the examination of conditions prevailing in a small territory might be just as important to the Committee as conditions in a larger territory. The Burmese delegation felt that more ~ttention should be paid to detailed statistics in the pres~ntativn of information. The Standard Form did not always lend itself tc the communication of explicit qualitative or quantitative information, nor did Governments take full advantage of the opportunities which the Standard Form offered for enlightening pUblic opinion. It would be a real step forward if the Administering Powers indicated, as the Standard Form invited them to do, the dominant trends in the economic, social and
A/AC.35/SR.149 English Page 17 (U Paw Htin, Burma) cultural fields. He emphasized that it was important for the Committee to make the best use of the prescribed procedure in order to obtain the most complete information and ensure that it was put to the most effective use. He hoped, therefore, that greater prominence would be given to that item in the future. For the next session of the Committee the secretariat might study the way in which the Administering Powers were using the standard Form for transmitting information, and consider what could be done to improve the quality of the information supplied.
Mr. RIVAS (Venezuela) asked whether a compromise solution would perhaps be acceptable; for example, certain documents might be mimeographed instead of being printed, so long as they were circulated as widely as before.
Mr. BENSON (Secretariat) asked for permission to make inquiries on the subject.
Mr. JAIPAL (India) supported the suggestion of the representative of relating to a Secretariat study of the use of the Standard Form, and thought that such a study would be a fitting prelude to his own suggestion that a sub-committee should be set up to examine the question.
Burma
The CHAIRMAN stated that, in view of the various suggestions which had been made, and of the unresolved ~uestions, the debate on items 8, 9 and 11 of the agenda would not be closed. The meeting rose at 5.15 p.m.
ENERAL SSEMBLY
A/AC. 35/SR. 149 6 July 1956 ENGLISH ORIGINAL: FRENCH
COMMl'ITEE ON INFORMATION FROM NON-SELF-GOVERNING TERRITORIES Seventh Seasion StJ'MMARY RECORD OF THE HUNDRED ArID FORTY-NINTH MEETING Held at Headquarters, New York, on Thursday, 17 May 1956, at 2.30 p.m. CONTE~'TS
International collaboration in respect of econ~ic, social a~~ educational conditions in Non-S~lf-Governing Territories (continued):
(e) General developments (A/AC,35/L.229, (b)
A/AC.~5/L.::".,0)
International technical assistance (T/AC.35/L.227 and Corr.l)
Future work of the Committee (A/AC.35/L.233) (continued) General questions relating to the summaries and analyses prepared by the secretary-General addition~' to those treated under the previous items (A/3l05-,110, A/3110/Corr.l, A/311l and Add.l, A/3112 and Add.l and 2, A/31l3 and Corr.l, A13114 and Corr.l aad Add~l, A/3115)
56-15379
A/AC.35/SR.149 English Page 2
PRESENT: Chairman: Rappcl·teur : Members:
Mr. ARENALES CATALAN
VDCSEBOXSE Mr. HAMILTON U PAW HTIN Mr. LIU YU-WAll Mr. BARGUES ) Mr. REMOVILLE) Mr.
Mr. ARAGON
Mr. JAIPAL Mr.
PACHACHI
Mr. GRADER
Mr. THORP
France Guatemala India Iraq Netherlands New Zealancl
Mr. Mr.
CALLE Y CALLE) ) PAREJA
Peru
Mr.
GIDDEl'
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
) SEARS Miss ARMSTRONG) tta-. RIVAS Representatives of Specialized agencies Miss McNAUGHTON Mr.
Mrs. MEAGHER
Secretariat:
(_ '.18temala) (Nether lands) Australia Burma China
Mr.
BENSON
Mr. KUNST
United States of America Venezuela Food and Agriculture Organization World Health Organization Representive or the Secretary-General Secretary or the Committee
A/AC.35/SR.149 English Page 3
IIf!'ERNATIONAL COLIABORATION IN RESPECT OF ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND E.'DUCATIOllAL CONDITIONS IN NON-SELF-GOVERNING TERRITORIES (continued): (a) GENEBAL DEVlLOP)£R1'S (AIAC. 35/L. 229, AIAC. 35/L. 23o) (b) I~ICNAL TECEmCAL ASSIC'.rJJ:CE (A/AC.35/L.2'Z7 an4 Corr.l) M!". REMOVILLE (France) emphasized that although the Overseas Territories
i7cre "insufficiently developed" many of them already had an organized network of technical services under the control of skilled technicians. The Territories' advancement was impeded by social and financial factors far more than by the absence of technical personnel. It took mo!: than a generation to bring about the social evolution of the mass of indigeLous producerc and, from the financial point of \lew, the absence of any volume of local saVings, which was a normal phenomenon in fairly recently developed areas, constituted a problem. The Fonds dtinvestissements pour le developpement e~onomique et social (FIDES) had been set ~ precisely in order to meet that deficie~cy. It w~s unlikely that the United Nations and the specialized agencies were in a pcsition to satisfy all requests for technical assistance. That was why his Government bad made only moderate calls on internat~onal technical assistance so far. The assistance which the French Government g~ve to its under-developed Territories ¥IS far larger than the assistance which the United Nations and the specialized agencies ren~ered to all the under-developed countries in Asia, Africa and America put together. Nevertheless his delegation welcomed the Iraqi representative's statement that the Administering Powers might make greater use o~ international assistance. The French Government was greatly interested in the technica~ assistance programmes. F~ance had trained overseas numerous teebn1cians with ~erience of working conditions in tropical countries and it could, if necessary, place them at the disposal of the United Nations and the specialized agencies. The French Republic prOVided large-scale technical assistance in many forms ~ its under-developed Territories in Africa and V~dagascar: e.g. 'the recruiting and training of teclli1icians for tbe various categoriee of overseas officials (to ~ntion only those where very high technical qualifications were reqUired, the general categories numbered more than 10,000, including doctors, engineers and ~achers)j the long-term secondment to CTerseao Territories of t~chnical officials attached to the r~levant services in metropolitan Francej the par~icipation of technicians from the French public and private sector in various s~ecific projects; and the training in metropolitan France of indigenous technicians ~~d officials.
l
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(Mr.
Removille, France)
It was impossible to give any total for the various forms of assistance rendered France which he had mentioned. In many cases the expenditure could not be
by
classified because the French Union was considered a community and not a business undertaking preparing a balance-sheet for audit. Nevertheless, France was bearing an ever-increasing share of the recurrent expenditure in the Territories either by assuming complete responsibility for certain types of expenditure or by granting the Territories the necessary budgetary subsidies. Leaving military expenditure aside, the annual cost to the French budget for recurrent expenditure alone, not counting the capital expenditure under the FIDES bUdget, could be estimated at 8,000 or 9,000 million FrencL francs ~ annum. In addition, France covered most of the local authorities' budgets. The effort madeEby Fraoce therefore compared favourably with what was being done by other countries, and it was easy to see why an FAO expert serving in French \-le:st Afrj.ca had recently stated that the Oversea~ Territories of the French Union were in a much better ~os~tion than most othp~ under-developed countr~es with regard to the quantity and quality of the t~~:ll
1ci&os at their' disli>Gsaii;.::; ~;.,.:.:. '-' The Overseas Territories played a large part in the international programme on
behalf of children.
They co-operated regularly in the work of tmIcEF and were in
constant touch with the International Children's Centre. Representatives from French Jest Africa, French Equatorial Africa and Madagascar (psychiatrists, pediatricians, nutritionists and sociologists) had participated in the symposium on the nutritional, psychological and medical problems of the African child which the International Children's Centre had organized at Brazzaville in December 1952. Generally speaking, representatives from the Territories were sent to international meetings on health. There was now complete co-operation between the Territories and the United Nations specialized agencies in the matter of child welfare. With regard to the training of specialist~ he mentioned the courses at the Internatiorml Children's Centre which were attended by numerous scholarship-holders from the french-administered Territories, and the courses in nutrition held at Marseilles and organized jointly by the French Governm~nt,
WHO and FAO, which not only provided technical training but enabled
many specia11.sts from different countries to exchange ",iews on African problems, thus achieVing frank international collaboration.
The Ministry for Overseas France
(Mr.
A/AC.35/SR.149 English Page 5 Removille, France)
organized a social science course in Paris for officials of all sorts perving overseas; the course was also open to foreigners. It would deal with the social work planned and accomplished by the various services 4.n the Overseas Territories. W~th regard to direct action on beh~lf of children, the French Government bad organized a number of campaigns, in conjunction with the International Children's Fund. A campaign to provide additional proteins through the distribution of skimmed milk had been carried out with conBiderable success in Fr'ench West Africa by the Organisme de recherche sur l'alimentation et 1& nutrition in its experimental centres in Senegal and also on the Ivory Coast and. in the Haute-Volta. Large credits had been allocated for mass anti-malaria campaigns. In French Equatorial Africa 125,000 lepers would be treated and additional cases uncovered in an anti-leprosy campaign. UNICEF had allocated $215,COO for the purchase of sulpha drugs, eqUipment and the ~ehlcles necessary to carry out a mass campaign. In 1954, the French Government had contrlbuted 35 million CFA francs for the wages of skilled personnel; the total Government allocation for +.he whole campaign, which had been initiated in 195), was 140 million CFA francs. In the social field, the Territolies were in constant contact wi'~h the International Children's Centre and joint studies had been undertar.en on juvenile delinquency in ~B~Bgascar.. Sampling methods would be used to test control groups of non-delinquent children. In addition, child welfare activities had developed in all the Territories: rehabilitation centres for delinquent children had been established; there had been an increase in the number of social c~ntres (th~re were now twenty-five) and kil'~~artens; and increased activity in the various fields of child welfare, notably in the courts. The Territories had been represented at the Inter-African conference 0'0 the treatment of delinquents held at Dar es Salaam in 1954 which bad discussed juvenile delinquency, among other things. In the field of labour, the Territories were also making a noteworthy contribution to international programmes for the protection of childrea. The implementation of the Labour Code would enable the French authorities to bring labour regulations into line with the provisi0ns of international legislation relating to young workers and adolescents. had
A/AC.35/SR.l49
English Page 6 (Mr. Removille, France}
In brief, not only had full international collaboration on child welfare been assured for several years, but the measures taken in various other fields such as health placed France in the forefront among those interested in international action on behalf of children. He then pa~sed on to a consideration of the general question of international co-operation. The most striking thing about the various bodies engageJ in international co-operation of one kind or another was their great number and the volume of their activities. The operation of that complex mechanism would require much wisdom, caution and patience. The value of the technical contribution of bodies such as the specialized agencies could not be over-emphasized and his delegation gladly associated itself with the tributes which had rightly been paid them. In addition, he would stress the importance of regional commissions such as the Commission for Technical Co-operation in Africa South of the Sahara and the South Pacific C~mmission, which were the means for international co-operation of a primarily technical kind, since they ensured the collaboration of independent States a& well as of Non-Self-Governing Territories. It should be noted that some Members of the United Nation£: were not members either of some of the specialized agencies or of some of the regional organizations. Some States which had not yet ~de their positions clear with respect to the obligations flowing from Article 73 (exactly how many replies the Secretary-General had received since 1946 was not known), took part only intermittently in the various forms of regicna 1 and international co-operation. Furthermore, the non-governmental organizations had evidently not received universal support. Consideration by the Committee of item 10 of its agenda would therefore be premature, to say the least. Moreover, the questions involved were discussed in other bodies, especial.y in the Third CODmlittee, and thQre was reason to ask whether consideration of that item would not constitute a duplication of work that was done elsewhere. The pC3ition of the French Government remained unchanged on that point; its attempts at frank co-operation at the international level had sometimes been frustrated. In~tead of trying to make use of the l~chinery provided by the international organization, some Stat~s bad occasionally preferred to make a blunt statement of their demands. The French Government had already informed
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A/AC. 35/SR.149 English Page 7 (Mr. Removille, France)
them that it would be dangerous to try to substitute a vertical set of alliances for a horizontal system of co-operation. The French Government, for its part, had chocen the path of wisdom and prudence. U PAW HTIN (Burma) wished firdt to congratulate the Secretariat on the excellence of its report on international technical assistance to Non-SelfGoverning Territories (A/AC.35/t.227). It appeared from that report that there had been an increase in the technical assistance granted to Non-Self-Governing Territories i~ 1955, both as regards the number of Territories assisted and as regards the variety and scope of the projects carried out, but much remained to be done, and the volume of technical assistance should be further increased to meet the needs of Non-Self-Governing Territories, especially in Africa. The Burmese delegation would be grateful if the Administering Members would provide the Committee with more dp.tailed information on the part played by the Non-Self-Governing Territories in the activities of the various regional bodies, and on the way in which the technical assistance provided by the United Nations and the specialized agencies bad been included in the long-term programmes for the development of those Territor1es. The Burmese delegation hoped that many Administering Powers would institute community develo~ment projects and WOUld, so far as it was possible, put into practice the principles mentioned in Economic and Social Council resolution 585 C (XX). The need to stress the importance of international co-operation in that field was apparent to the Committee. After reading document A/AC.35/L.226, he had come to the conclusion that the specialized agencies, Government bonies, non-governmental organizations and the United Nations itself should give the Non-Belf-Governing Territories technical assistance to help them eliminate illiteracy by setting up regional centres for fundamental education. He congratulated WHO on its remarkable achievements in the Non-Belf-Governing Territories and noted with satisfaction that the collaboration between UNICEF and WHO had made possible an increase in the number ot Territories able to be~efit from the programmes carried out by those two organizations. He was grateful to the ItO, UNESCO and other specialized agencies tor the contribution they bad made to the implementation ot resolutions relating to Non-~lt-Governing Territories. In view of the important part being played by the non-governmental organizations in the development of the Non-Selt-Governing Territories, he suggested that it would be useful if the Committee had a report on their activities.
A/AC.35/SR.l49 English Page 8 The
CHAI~I
declared the debate on items 7 and 10 of the agenda closed.
He invited the Committee to consider item 8 and recalled that at the previous meeting the representative of the Secretary-General had introduced the Secretariat's document on that (A/AC.35/t.233).
mtrE WCRK CF 'IHE COIIJI.!TTEE (A/AC.35/L.233) (continued)
---Mr. VIXSEBOXSE (Rapporteur), speaking as the representati"e of the
Netherlandq, said that owing to lack of time his delegation had. not been able to obtain either from the metropolitan country or from the overseas territories the information it needed. He sympathized with the Secretariat's difficulties but would be glad of an assurance that everything would be done to expedite the circulation of the documents available, for that would greatly help the Committee in its work.
Mr. BENSON (Secretariat) assured the representative of the Netherlands that the Secretariat realized how important it was that documents should reach delegations in time. It was difficult to achieve ~erfection in that respect but in view of the dates of the next sessions of the Committee and of the General Assembly, there was reason to hope for better results than in the past. Mr. ARAGON (Guatemala; thought that the ,'urious international stuC.ies . to be undertaken should not be confined to the subjects mentioned in paragraphs 11-14 of document A/AC.35/t.233. The Secretariat's study on technical assistance should not stop at an assessment of "the place of co-ordinated planning of technical assistance within the framework of the general development schemes which are under way in the various 'rerritories'!, as it was put in paragraph 15, but should go on to note the obstacles encountered in the carrying out of those projects. The Secretariat could also undertake other special studies on certain very important topics. It could, first, review the development programmes in operation in the Non-Self-Governing Territories and indicate the objectives set by the Admi! Lstering Powers and the measures they had already taken. As it was sometimes difficult to obtain statistical information in every field, the Secretariat could usefully make a comparison of certain special aspects such, as agricultural and industrial production, ele~trical energy, etc. The same study could deal with the
A/AC.35/SR.149 English Page 9 CM!". Aragon, Guatemala} resource available to the Administering Powers in carrying out their plans and could, in particular, examine their investment programmes in the pUblic sector (economic policy for the development of production, customs measures, foreign trade, exchange control, taxes) and in the private sector; it could also describe what action had been taken to protect natural resources and how it was intended to 11nance the programmes. The second study could cover handicraft activities in the Non-Self-Governing Territories, against -the background of economic and social development; such a study would be particularly useful in view of the importance of such activities in the process of adapting indigenous populations to the modern world. Finally, the Secretariat could undertake a third study and investigate . the eccnomic relations of the Territories with the rest of the world and it could, for instance, consider the interdependence of markets in the Territories and markets in other countries, survey possible sO~Jrces of credit to help in the development of the Territories, find out what part ·was b=ing played by private undertakings in the matter of financing and development, ano, in short, offer a general estimate of the Territories' opportunities of improving their economic and soctal conditions. He hoped that the Secretariat would take note of his suggestions; with regard to the social studies to be submitted to the Committee at its 1958 session he reserved his right to make certain observations at the Co~tteels next session.
Mr. RIVAS (Venezuela) asked the Secretariat who was.responsible for fixing the date of the Committee's sessions, what was the minimum period required by the Secretariat to prepare the necessary documents and, thirdly, at what dpte the General Assembly's next session was likely to end.
Mr. BENSON (Secretariat) said that officially the Secretary-General arranged the date of the Committee's session; for the year 1955 he had taken account of the wishes expressed by its members to meet in the spring, as General Assembly resolution 846 (IX) showed. With regard to the second question, he explained that the preparation of the documents would begin long before the opening of the General Assembly's session; he thought that the Secretariat should have at least three months in which to prepare them. He could not give a definite reply to the third question, but he thought that if tlle General Assembly IS session began two mont~s later then usual it could not finisi~ iJefore the end of February.
A/AC.35/SR.149 English Page 10
Mr. RIVAS (Venezuela) said that in that case there would be little time between the end of the General Assembly's eleventh session and the beginning of its twelfth session. As certain members of thp. Committee would have to attend meetings of the Trusteeship Council which would probably sit during June, he would propose, as a compromise, that the next session of the Committee on Information should open at the ~egi~ning of May. ~.u-.
BENSON (Secretariat) said that he would transmit the Venezuelan representative's suggestions to the departments concerned. ~~.
JAIPAL (India) cong~atulated the Secretariat on its excellent workiwg paper relating to the programme for the Committee's future studies. He firmly endorsed practically all the suggestions put forward, and in particular agreE::J. that, in accordance with its normal practice, the Committee at its next session should turn its attention to the study of economic conditions in the Nc" ~.' . . . lf-Gov3rning Territories. In that connexion, he noted Mr. Benson's ".E, ,.·ance that the Comnittee would probably meet in the autumn of 1957, so that the Secretariat would have more time to prepare the necessary documents. As a consequence, docum2nts wo~ld be circulated earlier than they had been in the past, an,l the Government of India would be able to examine them more carefully. He hoped that the Secretariat would see that the studies were related to fundamental aims of economic policies, as already affirmed by the Committee. Moreover, a general review of economic conditions should be a comprehensive survey of economic advancement in all f ~eres, in the light of the concrete objectives defined in the Committee's 1954 report. He noted that the representative of Guatemala had made the same point. He hoped that the Secretariat's new study of industrial development would take into account the struct~re of industry, the scope of its expansion, and the extent of small-scale industries, including cottage industries, labour and management, the financing of industria.l development, and related questions. A study of the social problems arising out of industrialization would also be useful.
A/AC.35/SR.149
English Page 11 (~fr. Jaipal, India)
He hoped that the study of agricultural production and development, to be undertaken in conjunction with FAO, would cover such subjects as community selfsUffic1e~cy,agriculturaltechniques, the livestock industry, and irrigation. An examination of the imports ef consumer goods :In comparison with capital goods would undoubtedly be useful, but it should bear some relation to exports and the balance of trade. It would be desirable to have information on the standards of living in the Territorie~, 83 well a~ on the real income of wage-earners and small producers. Lastly, he hoped that the Secretariat would attempt a comprehensive study relating to techn:cal assistance in those areas againot the background of territorial development plens. As the representative of Guatemala had said, the results of technical assistance could not be fully appreciated without such a comparison. The same representative's suggestion that a stUdy should be prepared relating to the financing ot economic development and to foreign economic r';latLms wee inter~sting, clthough any technical studies were subject to the limitations ~poeed on them by the fact that many Non-Selt-Governing Territories ,(ere not eqUipped to furnish complicated statistical. material.. In order to avoid duplication, it was to be hoped that the Secretariat would work in close collaboration with the Economic and Social Council and its subsidiary organs. His delegation approved tentatively the programme of social. studies outlined for the Cottmittee's 1958 session. In the light of the review of progress to be made by the General Assembly at its next session certain changes might be necessary; but be agreed that preparations should begin as SOOh as possible, and that the Secretariat outline provided a useful basis. His delegation would offer more cOlI'JIlents relating to specific pClints in 1957. For the moment, it would express the hope that ~ special paper would be produced dealing wi th cC'~ Jnity develop~cnt in the Non-Self-Governing Territories. Mr t LIU nI-WAN (China.) associated himself with the congratulations
addressed to the Secretariat by previous speakers on the subject of document A/AC.;5/t.23;. While he dirt not wish to speak on the programme of work for 1958, he would co~ent on the studies tor the 1957 session. In the first
A/AC.35/SR.149
English Page 12 (Mr. tiu YU-Wan, China) place, he said that the major problem of the social consequences of industrialization could be studied equ~lly well from the economic and from the social points of view. If the programme for 1957 was too full, the problem might be held over until the Gubsequent ~e13sion. Fis delegation agreed with the Secretariat on the value of a paper giving a broader treatment of the diversification of agricultural production. As in many Non-Self-Governing Territories all efforts were concentrated on the production of one or two basic crops, the situation was most precarious, for then the particular Territory's entire econcmy depended on the market for such crops, and might be endangered by a drop in international prices. The diversification of industrial production was of the utreost ~port~nce to the development of the Territories, and his delegation hoped that the Secretariat and FAO would concern themselves actively with the problem. Mr. RIVAS (Venezuela) requested the Chairman not to close the debate on i'tem 8, as his delegation had some comments to present at a later meeting. The CHAIRMAN said that the request would be granted. Mr. BENSON (Secretariat) thankecl the representatives of Guatemala, India and China for their valuable suggesti~ns on the subject of the programme r~r the Committee's future studies. TIleir statements conveyed the impression that the Secretariat's programme of studies was immense. Many of the suggestions made could be agreed to as coming within the general scope of the working paper. The Committee's secretariat would now be in a position to undertake, in conjunction with the Department of Economic and Social Affairs and the specialized agencies, a progr~e of work that was within the limits of its resources, practicable on the basis of the information available from the Non-Self-Governing Territories, and, as the representatives of India and Guatemala wished, in keeping with the principles to which the Committee attached such value. When the programme was being prepared, the earlier reports concerning conditions in tIle Non-Self-Governing
,f
A/AC.35/SR.1 49 English Page 13 (~~. Benson/ Sec!etariat) Territories, in particular economic conditions, which had been approved by the General Assembly would be taken into account. He did not think he could refer to all the comments and ouggestions separately. They had all been recorded in the summary records. If necessary, the Secretariat would later, on the occasion of the debate in the General Assembly, ask for further particulars. But if the Committee followed its nor.mal procedure and gave the Secretariat ample latitude to proceed with its progr~e of studies in the light of the suggestj.onl3 made, and to confer with the specialized agencies, it woul.i certainly be able to produce a series of studies in keeping with all the suggestior.s voiced by the members of the Committee. The representativ~ of China had said that perhaps the study of the social consequenceo of industrialization should be deferred until 1958. The Committee would of course have an opportuni t~r to consider the social programme later, but it 'las of advantage, not only to the Committee itself, but also, to the s~ecialized agencies, that an olJtline of the progrOIIiDle should be prepared forthwith. The question 01' the effects of industrialization bad been included in that part of the Committee's agenda which referred to econcmic questions bp-cause the Committee had always been concerned with the social cODs'quences of economic policy, just ns it tried never to los~ sight 01' the economic needs underlying all social policies. In its debates, the COltInittee endeavoured to preserve the relationship between the two questions. Furthermore, the study of the social consequences of economic policy might serve as a preliminary outline for the study to be undertaken in 1958. He reiterated his earlier promise concerning the strict obsertance of the deadlines for the production and circulation of documents. It would be easier to keep that eeneral promise if in 1957 the Committee met a later date than in 1956. Whatever happened, the ~ccretariat would see that the documents reached the competent Government departmentl3 in good time so that the la-cter c;'Jld study them thorougr~y before the ser,sion. '!be CHAIRMM1 sail1 that the debate on item 8 would not be closed, and invited debate on item 9 of the agenda.
A/AC.'5/sR.149 English Page 14
.
GENERAL QUESTIONS RElATING TO THE SUMtWUES A~m ANALYSES PREPARED BY THE SECRETARY -GENERAL ADDITIONAL TO THOSE TREATED UNDER THE PREVIOUS ITEMS (AI 3105 - 31.10, A/3110/Corr.l, A/3lll and Add.l, A/;112 and Add.l and 2, A/3113 and Corr.l, A/3114 and Corr.l p~d Add.l, A/3115)
Mr. BENSON (secretariat) thought it would be desirable to inform the Committee that, in view of General Assembly resolutions 593 (VI) and 789 (VIII) on the control and limitation of documentation, a minor change was proposed in the system of presentation of the summaries of information transmitted under Article 73 e of the Charter. In the past, the summaries had bee~ submitted first to the Committee on Information in mimeogrnphed form and printed later. Under the new system that practice would c::."ntiaue in the yeers when "full summaries" were required, in other words, every third. year. In the "intervening years", however, when only "annual supplements" were required, there llould not be mimeographed documents and printed volumes but a single presentation of the information transmitted, in the form of fascicules produced by the offset process. The fascicules would not be put on sale, but other\o1ise would receive the usual distribution. The econo~ resulting from those changes would exceed $6,000 a year. Any necessary corrections to the information in the fascicule~ would be taken into account in the preparation of the printed volumes of "full snmmaries". Likewise, the special studies of economic, social or educational conditi.ons would be printed each year, cs vac the current practice. At the coming session of the General Assembly the proposed change would be brought to the notice of the Fifth Committee through the budget estimates for 1957. The Committee on Information might Wish, through ~ appropriate passage in its report, to bring the proposed change to the notice of the Fourth Committee as well. Mr. KESTIER (Guatemala) said that a saving of $6,000 hardly cc~ensated
for the dE.mage to the interests of the non-selt-governing peoples that would ensue from the discontinuance of the 'pUblication of certain information relating to the Territories. In any case, he hoped that" '3uchr 'f3,: decisi,on'would not\. be~ taken before hearing. the opinion of. the Fourth' and Fif..t h ~,Comm1ttees. Mr. GIDDEN (United Kingdom) asked the Secretary-GeneralIs representative ;.,;;;,.~_.-
to specify what was involved in the contemplated decision, Which, as he understood it, did not seem to justify the Guatemalan representative's fears.
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",
A/AC.35/SR.149 English Page 15
Mr. BENSON (Secretariat) explained that it was not contemplated to discontinue the publication of information but only to reproduce by the offset process, and in the form of fascicules, the information contained in the annual supplements, which in the past had been first mimeographed and then issued in the form of printed volumes. The full sumnaries were published every three years and would continue to be printed, as in the ~~st. The contemplated change affected only the annual supplements which appeared in the years in which no full summaries were published,. He hoped that his explanation would satisfy the Guatemalan representative. Mr. JAIPAL (India) :::-ecalled that at the Committee's previous session several representatives had said that Governments, governmental organizations, universities and libraries made extensive use of the surrmaries published by the UDited Nations, and the Secretary-General's representative had confirmed their statements. The representatives of Brazil, Burma, India and Iral had urged that the publication of summaries should be continued and that their publication was not only desirable but indeed necessary tIDder General Assembly resolutions. The representative of the United states had also Ep~ken in favour of continued publication. Although the Committee had left the Secretary-General some latitude in the matter, the Indian delegation regretted that in order to realize a very small saVing a change was being contemplated which was manifestly contrary to the Committee's wishes. The decision contemplated was not a step in the right direction and the Committee should draw the Fourth Committee's attention to the matter by including a paragraph to that effect in its report. The Indian delegation had on several occasions referred to the excessive brevity of certain summaries of information. It had deplored the purely statistica1 approach of some studies undertaken by the Secretariat and the specialized agencies. Apparently, it had been forgotten that the information supplied under Article 73 e of the Charter should be explicit enough to allow the Ccmnittee and the General Assembly to assess the extent to which the obligations set forth in Chapter XI of the Charter were being fulfilled. It was possible that the Standard Form in accordance with which information was being furnished did not lend itself to the reqUirements of an analytical examination and that it should be changed. The Indian delegation had suggested before that the General Assembly should set up a SUb-committee to review the Standard Form.
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11r. PACHACHI (Iraq) agreed with the representatives of Guatemala and
India that to cease pUblication of certain summaries which had in the past been printed would have a very regrettable psychological effect; a saving of $6,000 did not justify the decision contemplated. If the matter had not yet been referred to the Advisory Corrmittee on Administrative aud Budgetary Questions, The SecretaryGeneral should be asked to reconsider his decision. If a formal proposal had been placed before the Advisory Committee, the delegation of Iraq would move in the Fourth Committee that the appropriation of $6,000 should be restored. He hoped that other delegations would propose similar motions. l~.
BENSON (Secretariat) said that the proposed change would be referred to the Advisory Committee and would not take effect before 1957. The Fifth Committee's approval would be required, and any delegation which preferred the present system to continue would be free to state i~s views and to make counterproposals. The final decision would, of course, rest with the General Assembly. U PAW HTIN (Burma) agreed with the representatives who wished the
present system of publication to continue, although the system was far from perfect. His Goverou;r.t apprecie.ted the fU11llIlB.~i€s -prepared by._ the Secretariat on the use of the Standard Form, but felt that those summaries did not explain clearly whether the information supplied was in accordance with that Form. For the benefit of the non-Administering Powers it would be useful if, in future, the Committee could be infor~ed whether the Information supplied was in accordance with all or parts of the Standard Form. It was understood that documents must be reasonably brief, but the examination of conditions prevailing in a small territory might be just as important to the Committee as conditions in a larger territory. The Burmese delegation felt that more ~ttention should be paid to detailed statistics in the pres~ntativn of information. The Standard Form did not always lend itself tc the communication of explicit qualitative or quantitative information, nor did Governments take full advantage of the opportunities which the Standard Form offered for enlightening pUblic opinion. It would be a real step forward if the Administering Powers indicated, as the Standard Form invited them to do, the dominant trends in the economic, social and
A/AC.35/SR.149 English Page 17 (U Paw Htin, Burma) cultural fields. He emphasized that it was important for the Committee to make the best use of the prescribed procedure in order to obtain the most complete information and ensure that it was put to the most effective use. He hoped, therefore, that greater prominence would be given to that item in the future. For the next session of the Committee the secretariat might study the way in which the Administering Powers were using the standard Form for transmitting information, and consider what could be done to improve the quality of the information supplied.
Mr. RIVAS (Venezuela) asked whether a compromise solution would perhaps be acceptable; for example, certain documents might be mimeographed instead of being printed, so long as they were circulated as widely as before.
Mr. BENSON (Secretariat) asked for permission to make inquiries on the subject.
Mr. JAIPAL (India) supported the suggestion of the representative of relating to a Secretariat study of the use of the Standard Form, and thought that such a study would be a fitting prelude to his own suggestion that a sub-committee should be set up to examine the question.
Burma
The CHAIRMAN stated that, in view of the various suggestions which had been made, and of the unresolved ~uestions, the debate on items 8, 9 and 11 of the agenda would not be closed. The meeting rose at 5.15 p.m.
