In 1955 the General Assembly of the United Nations will have to consider the revision of the Charter, and there are reasons for believing that a number of governments are already giving thought to this question.

International technical aid programs, under the impetus of the Point Four idea, have now been functioning for three years. The time has perhaps come to review program operations in terms of some of the practical problems that have confronted the managers of the United Nations and United States programs. Such an evaluation, however tentative in character, may throw light on the potentialities and difficulties of the multilateral versus the bilateral framework for technical assistance. Exaggerated claims and counter-claims have been advanced with respect to the two processes. What does the record to date appear to reveal?

This issue covers the work of the seventh session of the United Nations General Assembly from April 7, when the Assembly resumed following an Easter recess, through its adjournment on April 23, 1953. As stipulated in a resolution on the Korean situation approved on April 18, the Assembly was to hold itself ready to reconvene at the call of the President if an armistice were signed or if a majority of the Members considered that “other developments in Korea” made further discussion necessary.

The fifteenth session of the Economic and Social Council met at United Nations headquarters in New York from March 31 to April 28, 1953. Mr. Raymond Scheyven (Belgium) was elected President, Mr. Rodolfo Munoz (Argentina) first vice-president and Mr. Henryk Birecki (Poland) second vicepresident. After a proposal by the United States that discussion of a Soviet motion to seat the representative of the Central Government of the People's Republic of China be adjourned for the duration of the session had been adopted by a vote of 14 to 4, the Council turned to consideration of an agenda of some 29 items.

Upon its return in December 1952 to United Nations headquarters, the Visiting Mission to Trust Territories in West Africa, 1952, prepared its report to the Trusteeship Council. Departing fom New York on August 18, 1952, the mission travelled through Togoland under United Kingdom administration, Togoland under French administration, the Cameroons under French administration, and the Cameroons under United Kingdom administration, and returned to New York on December 5, after visits to London and Paris. The mission, arrangements for which had been decided upon at the tenth session of the Trusteeship Council in March 1952, divided its report into five selfcontained parts, one on each of the four trust territories visited and one on procedures of visiting missions. At meetings of the mission on March 4 and 5, 1953, these five reports were approved unanimously and submitted to the Council in accordance with the mission's terms of reference. These reports were to be considered by the Trusteeship Council at its twelfth session, scheduled to begin on June 16, 1953.

Amhatielos Case: On May 19, 1953, the Court, by a vote of 10 to 4 decided that the United Kingdom was “under an obligation to co-operate with Greece in constituting a Commission of Arbitration, in accordance with the Protocol of 1886, as provided in the Declaration of 1926”. After reviewing the submissions of the two parties, and recalling that the Court had previously held that it had no jurisdiction to decide of the merits of the Ambatielos claim, the Court stated that the question at issue was whether the United Kingdom government was under an obligation to accept arbitration of the difference between that government and Greece concerning the validity of the claim presented by Greece “in so far as this claim is based on the Treaty of 1886”. The majority of the Court felt that, for the purpose of determining the obligation of the United Kingdom, the words “claims … based on the provisions of the … Treaty of 1886” could not be understood as meaning claims actually supportable under that Treaty. The Court believed that these words could only mean “claims depending for support on the provisions of the Treaty of 1886, so that the claims will eventually stand or fall according as the provisions of the Treaty are construed one way or another”. In its argument, the Greek government had invoked Articles I, X, XII and XV of the Treaty of 1886 and, relying on the most-favored-nation clause in Article X therein, invoked Article 16 of a treaty of peace and commerce between the United Kingdom and Denmark signed in 1661 as well as additional treaties between the United Kingdom and third states. The Hellenic government argued that these provisions supported their claim that the Ambatielos claim for denial of justice in British courts was based on the provisions of the 1886 treaty. The Court agreed that the difference between the parties was “the kind of difference which, according to the Declaration of 1926, should be submitted to arbitration”.

The annual report of the Food and Agriculture Organization to the sixteenth session of the United Nations Economic and Social Council included the report of the sixteenth session of the FAO Council, a brief summary of the main features of the FAO program of work and budget for 1954 and 1955, an indication of the contents of The State of Food and Agriculture 1953, and reference to issues on which the United Nations General Assembly and Economic and Social Council passed resolutions during the preceding year. Respecting the world food situation the report stated that a recent assessment of the trend of food requirements had been made by FAO on the basis of population estimates supplied by the Population Division of the United Nations for countries other than the USSR, eastern Europe, and China. FAO found that the annual increase in world population was about 30 millions; that the situation was at least as critical as was reported to ECOSOC last year; and that world food production, aided by favorable weather in a majority of countries in the last two crop years, was increasing in most countries, but in general less rapidly than the growth of population. In the previous twelve months FAO had made intensive preparation for three regional meetings on food and agricultural programs and outlook which, in accordance with the request of the sixth session of the FAO conference, were to be held during mid-1953 in the far east, Latin America, and the near east. These meetings, complementary to the whole of the organization's work in the field of technical assistance, would be similar to those held in Latin America and the near east prior to the sixth FAO conference.

For the nine-month period ending March 31, 1953, the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development reported a net income of $12,947,735, compared with $12,507,639 for the similar period in 1952. Exclusive of loan; commissions gross income was $31,682,273, compared with $25,744,168 in 1952. Placed in the supplemental reserve against losses on loans and guarantees, the net income increased this reserve to $70,975,835. Loan commissions, which amounted to $6,985,416 were credited to the Bank's special reserve, increasing it to $34,670,000, while total reserves on March 31 were $105,645,905.

From January 13 to March 26, 1953, the eighteenth session of the Council of the International Civil AviationOrganization met in Montreal. Activities at this session were predominantly concerned with matters pertaining to the seventh session of the ICAO Assembly, which was scheduled to open in June in Brighton, England. It was decided that invitations to the Assembly should be extended to Japan and Libya, invitations were also approved for those international organizations which had been invited to the fourth session of the Assembly and to the Organization of American States and the Council of Europe, and supporting documentation for items on the Assembly agenda was approved. On the recommendation of the Finance Committee a total budget for the organization for the fiscal year 1954 of Canadian $3,289,606 was approved for submission to the Assembly. Assessments for 1953 were then fixed at two units each for Korea and Libya, the two newest members of the organization.

In his report to the 36th session of the International Labor Conference the Director-General (Morse) selected the problem of productivity as a special theme for emphasis and debate. Mr. Morse wrote that since 1950 the need for higher productivity had become steadily more apparent, that a great deal of the work of the International Labor Organization had always impinged on the problem of productivity, and that during the last four years he had increasingly stressed the need to extend and intensify ILO's work on this problem. He urged the delegates to the conference to do what they could “to secure a wide-spread comprehension and acceptance of the need for higher productivity and of the ways in which it can be achieved.” Three main ways in which the resources needed to raise the living standards of the less well-to-do section of the community might be made available were: 1) a larger proportion of total output of wealth might be distributed to wages and social services at the expense of recipients of other income; 2) where there was less than full employment, an increase in wealth could be achieved by bringing all available resources into employment; and 3) total output might be increased by securing a larger output per unit of resources already in employment. Mr. Morse believed that the most essential conditions under which higher productivity would yield an increase in welfare were: a) that there should be the fullest possible consultation and cooperation between employers and workers in the application of measures to raise productivity, b) that the benefits of higher productivity should be fairly distributed, c) that effective action should be taken to ensure that higher productivity did not lead to unemployment, and d) that higher productivity should be sought by means which only required of workers a working speed and intensity which they could maintain without increased fatigue, strain, or risk to health or safety.

After consulting the International Monetary Fund, on unification of its exchange system, the government of Greece on April 9, 1953, eliminated all multiple currency practices and adjusted the official exchange rate from 15,000 drachmas per United States dollar to 30,000 drachmas per United States dollar. The Fund's announcement of this action by the Greek government added that it welcomed and concurred in these policies. Another proposal to adjust an official exchange rate was approved by the Fund on May 14; the government of Bolivia proposed to establish a new par value for the boliviano of 190 bolivianos per United States dollar. The previous par value was 60 bolivianos per United States dollar. At the same time a Bolivian proposal to simplify its exchange system was approved; effective May 14 the exchange system was to consist of an official and a free market. The official market would be for all trade transactions, government payments, registered capital, and certain specified invisibles. All present exchange taxes, multiple import and export rates, retention quotas, compensation and divisas propias arrangements were eliminated. The Fund welcomed these efforts toward monetary stabilization and emphasized “the importance of firm anti-inflationary measures as a basis for further progress towards the achievement of Bolivia's international equilibrium.”

The Executive Board of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization held its thirty-second session in Paris on December 11 and 12, 1952. The Board agreed on the membership of its permanent commissions on program, finance and external relations and amended its rules of procedure to enlarge its membership from eighteen to 20 members and to raise the number of members necessary to constitute a quorum from ten to eleven. Additional proposed amendments were referred by the Board to its Bureau and Finance Commission for study and report at the next session. After agreeing on the list of member states to be invited to participate in the seminar on audio-visual aids in fundamental education, scheduled to be held in Sicily in September and October 1953, the Board decided that the joint meeting between the Organization of American States and UNESCO to examine the practical application of the terms of the agreement between the two organizations' should be held in Washington from February 4 to 7, 1953. A list of proposed subventions for 1953 and certain proposed transfers within the budget for 1952 were approved, and the Director-General was authorized to advance from the Working Capital Fund not more than $100,000 for implementation of the recommendations of the Headquarters Committee with respect to financing the preparation of plans for the headquarters building.

From May 5 to 22, 1953, the Sixth World Health Assembly met in the Palais des Nations in Geneva. Upon presentation in the first report of the Committee on Nominations of nominations for the offices of president, vice-president, chairman of the Committee on Program and Budget, and chairman of the Committee on Administration, Finance and Legal Matters and for membership of the General Committee, the Indian delegate (Amrit Kaur) pointed out the omission of the region of southeast Asia. After some discussion a Norwegian proposal to refer the report back to committee for reconsideration in the light of observations made in the Assembly was adopted by a vote of 22 to 21 with 15 abstentions. The following day the committee submitted a revised report, and the nominations it contained were approved. The Assembly thus elected as its president Dr. Murched Khater (Syria).

The eighteenth ordinary session of the Council of the Arab League was held in Cairo, March 28 to April 9, 1953. The League members were, in general, represented by the heads of their diplomatic missions in Cairo although the Egyptian government was understood to have requested that each state send its foreign minister. Although the recommendations of the Council were not made public, they were understood to have covered such questions as west Germany's ratification of the reparations agreement with Israel, the economic boycott of Israel and the forthcoming visit of the Secretary of State of the United States (Dulles). At the close of the meeting, the assistant Secretary-General (Ahmed Shukairy) said that the question of the dispute between the United Kingdom and Egypt over the Suez canal zone had been discussed in the course of a general survey of political problems but that it had not been raised specifically. During the Council session a meeting of the foreign ministers of the Arab League states was called for April 3; however, the governments of Iraq, Syria and Lebanon declined to attend. There were some reports that their refusal stemmed from a disinclination to become involved in any disagreement between Egypt and the United Kingdom; however, officials in Lebanon denied the accuracy of the reports, saying that the meeting had been postponed because its principal purpose had been to consider political problems of the Arab world in the light of a report which the Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia (Prince Faisal) was to make upon his return from the United States and Prince Faisal had not returned in time to hold the meeting as scheduled.

The fifth session of the West Indian Conference was held at Montego Bay, Jamaica, from November 24 to December 3, 1952, under the chairmanship of Sir George Seel (United Kingdom). In addition to fifteen Commissioners of the four member governments and their advisers, the conference was attended by delegates and advisers from the fourteen Caribbean countries associated with member governments and by observers from Canada, Cuba, Dominican Republic, and from the United Nations, ILO, FAO, and several other international organizations. The agenda was divided among three working committees, a General Committee was assigned the work of general organization, and a Drafting Committee was given the job of editing.

The second annual report of the Supreme Allied Commander, Europe (SACEUR, Ridgway), to the Standing Group of the Military Committee of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization on the operations of Supreme Head-quarters, Allied Powers, Europe (SHAPE) during the period since May 1952, was released on May 30, 1953. In reviewing the changes which had been made in the period under consideration – the first year in which General Ridgway held the position of SACEUR – the report noted that “much has been done to increase our defense forces and to make them more effective” but “measured against the Soviet capacity, our progress is insufficient to give us acceptable prospect of success if attacked”. SACEUR observed that by the end of 1952, the numerical goals for NATO forces set at the Lisbon meeting of the Council had in large part been met, “although there was a substantial shortfall in planned combat effectiveness”. The outstanding deficiency of a year ago in tactical air forces had been improved both from deliveries under the United States military assistance program and from increased combat capability; nevertheless, the Supreme Commander still regarded air power as “the weakest link in our defense”. While the growth of land forces had been “encouraging” if not “satisfactory”, the same was not true of the arrangements for the supply and support of those forces. General Ridgway emphasized the complexity of the present system in which each nation was responsible for the support of its own troops; however, he felt that the situation could largely be remedied with the approval and implementation of plans submitted by SHAPE to the Standing Group in October 1952. Progress had been good, the report noted, in the infrastructure program.

The legislature of the West German Federal Republic completed on May 15, 1953, parliamentary action on the European Defense Community Treaty, the first of the six signatories to do so. However, the final steps in west Germany's ratification were delayed pending decisions from the courts on the constitutionality of the treaty and the method of its parliamentary approval.

At Anse Vata, Noumea the tenth session of the South Pacific Commission was held from October 6 to 16, 1952, under the chairmanship of G. R. Powles, Senior Commissioner for New Zealand. Four plenary meetings were held, and the Commission continued the method of work previously adopted. It considered the progress achieved in the execution of the current work program and the modifications and extensions recommended by the Research Council at its fourth meeting and adopted resolutions which: 1) approved the continuation in 1953 of the Epidemiological Information Service in conjunction with the South Pacific Health Service, 2) approved the continuation of the standard quarantine regulations and alimentation and nutrition projects; 3) approved the recommendation of the Research Council that a specialist for research on mosquito-borne diseases be engaged on a long-term basis to undertake surveys in the field where requested and investigations as recommended by the Filariasis Conference in entomology, epidemiology and control; 4) resolved that grants-in-aid be made available for plant introduction and quarantine stations in the south Pacific; 5) sought the approval of participating governments for a request to the Food and Agriculture Organization to co-sponsor with the Commission a technical meeting on rice of representatives of south Pacific territories; and 6) authorized grants-in-aid to assist pasture experiments within the region and the repetition of acclimatization and feeding experiments with dairy cattle in Fiji.