The bare facts about the history and organization of the United Nations Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East (ECAFE) are not difficult to relate. The commission was established in 1947 by the Economic and Social Council, along with two other regional economic commissions for Europe and Latin America, as a five-year experiment. Its terms of reference authorized it “acting within the framework of the policies of the United Nations and subject to the general supervision of the Council” and provided that it take “no action in respect to any country without the agreement of the Government of that country” to:

(a) initiate and participate in measures for facilitating concerted action for the economic reconstruction of Asia and the Far East, for raising the level of economic activity … and for maintaining and strengthening the economic relations of these areas both among themselves and with other countries of the world;

The Arab-Israel armistice system has entered its fifth year, with no signs of a political settlement in the offing. Indeed, the portents in the early fall of 1953 appear more ominous than for many months past. Daily murders, thefts and arson on both sides of the 594 winding miles of armistice demarcation lines have kept tensions at fever pitch. The Arab states have not relaxed their economic boycott or blockade practices against Israel. The transfer of Israel's foreign office to Jerusalem as the final step in converting its part of the city into the nation's capital, the progressive execution of the Hulah reclamation and irrigation scheme which in part involves construction on Arab-owned land in the demilitarized zone along the Syrian border and the erection of a Jewish village in the demilitarized zone along the Egyptian frontier have evoked vigorous protests from the Arab states. Israel's moves were apparently designed as a warning that it would proceed with its program of development and consolidation throughout the area claimed by the Jewish state, if the Arab governments continued to reject the offer of direct negotiations for a settlement of political differences.

Six years have passed since the conflict between India and Pakistan over the State of Jammu and Kashmir was put on the agenda of the Security Council. The United Nations has tried incessantly to bring it to a final and peaceful settlement but with no success. The issue continues to evade its efforts, which have been limited to mediation, and still rests finally with the parties in dispute, the governments of India and Pakistan.

Report of the Agent General of the United Nations Korean Reconstruction Agency: Addendum covering the period February 15–June 30, 1953: On July 23, 1953, the Agent-General of the United Nations Korean Reconstruction Agency transmitted to the seventh session of the General Assembly a report covering the period February 15–June 30, 1953. The Agent-General (John B. Coulter) noted that the planned expenditure of the $70 million program included approximately 59.5 percent for projects for the rehabilitation of productive capacity and 29 percent for sustaining commodity imports. In addition to the $43,828,954 available as of February 15, 1953, UNKRA had received $26,714,236 during the period reviewed; this included $15,750,000 from the United States, $7,840,000 from the United Kingdom and $1,330,733 from Australia. Of the total of $71,793,190 available at the end of June, $1,745,123 had been offered in kind. During the period reviewed, $3,590,205 had been expended, leaving a balance of $66,457,826 available for the $70 million program. Of that amount, $54.4 million had been allotted to firm and agreed projects

The sixteenth session of the Economic and Social Council met in Geneva from June 30 to August 5, 1953, with Mr. Raymond Scheyven (Belgium) continuing as president, Mr. Rudolfo Munoz (Argentina) as first vice-president and Mr. Henryk Birecki (Poland) as second vice-president, although Mr. Birecki did not attend any of the meetings because of illness. An agenda of 39 items was shortened by the postponement of six items to the second part of the 16th session, planned for the period immediately after the eighth session of the General Assembly

From June 16 to July 21, 1953, at United Nations headquarters, the Trusteeship Council convened in its twelfth session. At the opening meeting Leslie K. Munro (New Zealand) was elected president and Miguel R. Urquia (El Salvador) vice-president. After a United States proposal to postpone discussion for the duration of the session of a Soviet resolution to invite a representative of the Central People's Government of the People's Republic of China to participate in the work of the session was adopted by 10 votes to 1 with 1 abstention, the Council adopted an agenda of eighteen items. The greater part of the session was devoted to the examination of annual reports on the administration of the trust territories of Somaliland under Italian administration, the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, Nauru, New Guinea, and Western Samoa. The reports submitted by the administering authorities on the Pacific trust territories were considered in conjunction with the reports on these territories submitted by the Visiting Mission to Trust Territories in the Pacific, 1953, which visited the area from February to May, the Council incorporating many of the mission's findings in its own conclusions. Also before the Council were observations submitted by UNESCO on all these annual reports except that on the administration of Western Samoa for the year ending December 31, 1952. After a French proposal to hold the next regular session of the Council in January 1954, in Geneva was rejected with successive tie votes of 5 in favor, 5 against and 2 abstentions, the Council adopted, by a vote of 7 to 4 with 1 abstention, a Belgian proposal that the General Assembly be asked to reconsider its previous decision on meeting schedules, to provide for alternate summer sessions in Geneva of the Trusteeship Council and the Economic and Social Council.

Annual Report of the Secretary-General:In his introduction to the eighth annual report of the Secretary-General on the work of the United Nations, which covered the period of July 1, 1952-June 30, 1953, Dag Hammarskjold urged Member governments to take a long-range vantage-point in judging the success and maturity of the organization. The United Nations, he pointed out, was “a positive response by the world community to the fundamental needs of our time” and, while efforts to control and moderate conflicts offering an immediate danger to world peace (especially the “East-West” conflict) of necessity occupied the first attention of Members in their day-to-day decisions, the ultimate success of the organization would be determined by its contribution to furthering basic trends in current human society. Mr. Hammarskjold felt that, side-by-side with the immediate issues, lay the fundamental trends toward wider social justice and equality for the individual and toward wider political, economic and social equality and justice between nations. Previous efforts for world peace were directed toward objectives which had received even fuller recognition in the United Nations: 1) an international instrument for peace and justice based on a system of mediation, conciliation and collective security; 2) orderly progress of nations toward a state of full economic development, self-government and independence; and 3) recognition of international cooperation as an essential instrument for development toward greater social justice within nations. The Secretary-General observed a tendency among Members to regard political and economic equality as technical and special problems subordinate to the more urgent one of collective security. In a shortterm perspective, he added, this was probably true; however, international equality and justice were prerequisite to domestic social development of all the peoples of the world and were decisive factors in building a world of peace and freedom.

“Société Électricité de Beyrouth” Case: On August 15, 1953, an application instituting proceedings on behalf of the government of France against the government of Lebanon was filed with the Registry of the International Court of Justice by André Gros, agent for the French government. The French government alleged that the Lebanese government, by a series of acts or omissions dating from the end of 1951 and culminating in placing the Société Électricité de Beyrouth under provisional state control by decrees of March 19 and April 4, 1953, had violated the Franco-Lebanese Treaty of January 24, 1948, and general principles of international law.

The seventeenth session of the Council of the Food and Agriculture Organization, which met in Rome from June 15 to 24, 1953, under the chairmanship of Josue de Castro, was concerned primarily with preparations for the seventh FAO Conference scheduled to convene on November 23. Colombia, the Netherlands, the Philippines and Spain attended the Council for the first time since their election to that body at the sixth FAO Conference. In considering the budget and work program which had been prepared by the Director-General for the seventh Conference, the Council agreed that the program for the next two years would, of necessity, consist principally of continuations of existing projects. The budgets proposed by the Director-General (Dodd) of $6,040,000 and $6,200,000 for 1954 and 1955, respectively, were larger than the approved budget of $5,250,000 for 1953; the Council pointed out, however, that a large part of the increase was necessitated by normal salary increments, allowance costs and similar expenses. In view of the opinions which had been expressed by several FAO members opposing any increase in the organization's budget and tending to favor stable or even smaller budgets for the next two years, the Council asked the Director-General to prepare a report for the Conference showing the program implications of a budget at the 1953 level and also at a level of $5,500,000. Concerning the expanded technical assistance program, the Council noted with some concern that the actual funds expected to be available for FAO's share of the 1954 program were likely to be about half of the $12 million originally budgeted for the program on a suggestion of the Technical Assistance Board.

The eighth annual report of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development revealed a net income for the fiscal year July 1, 1952–June 30, 1953, of $18,485,411 as compared with $15,872,883 for the preceding fiscal year. The net income was placed in the Supplemental Reserve against losses on loans and guarantees, increasing that reserve to $76,513,511. The Bank's Special Reserve was raised to $37,236,477 by the addition of loan commissions amounting to $9,551,822. Total reserves at the end of the fiscal year were $113,749,988; total subscribed capital was $9,036,500,000. Ten loans had been made during the year totaling $178,633,464; since it had begun operations, the Bank had made loans amounting to $1,590,766,464. Non-dollar loans were larger in relation to the year's total than ever before in the Bank's operations. Total disbursements on new and existing loans were $226,756,982, the highest rate in the Bank's history; 17 percent of the year's disbursements were in currencies other than the United States dollar, another record high. In addition to its lending operations, the Bank had continued its practice of sending, eitheralone or in conjunction with other organizations, general economic survey missions and specialized missions to member countries on request.

The Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization held its 19th meeting in Montreal, Canada, from April 29 to May 22 and June 10 to 12, 1953. Nineteen of the twenty-one members of the Council attended the session. The Council made several decisions concerning ICAO's relations with other international organizations. After considering the president's report on discussions with the International Telecommunication Union on the subject of Class B messages, the Council approved a proposal sponsored by the United States that the president of the Council should be authorized to continue such consultations at his own discretion. A United Kingdom proposal that an interagency study committee be appointed was rejected. Concerning the invitation of the Council of Europe to ICAO to convene a conference on the coordination of European air transport, the Council of ICAO felt that the successful outcome of such a conference would be expedited if careful preparation were made before the conference was actually convened. It therefore proposed that the following steps be taken: 1) that Belgium, Denmark, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom be invited to nominate representatives to a preparatory committee which would study the agenda and questions which might arise on the agenda of the proposed conference and report to the Council; 2) that the president of the Council ascertain whether the proposed action was acceptable to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, with the understanding that if ICAO accepted responsibility for convening the conference, the results of the conference would be made available to all ICAO members; and 3) that the Secretary-General of ICAO undertake the necessary preparatorywork for the conference should the other arrangements be concluded satisfactorily. The Council also approved a new text of arrangements for liaison between ICAO and the World Meteorological Organization. The recommendations of the Air Navigation Commission concerning the dates and locations of the second Air Navigation Conference, the fifth session of the COM Division and the fourth session of the MET Division were approved. The invitation of Spain that the second African Indian Ocean Regional Air Navigation Meeting be held at Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands, was accepted by the Council, which set November 17, 1953, as the date on which the meeting would convene.

The 36th session of the International Labor Conference was held in Geneva from June 4 to 25, 1953. Senator Irving M. Ives (United States, government delegate) was unanimously elected chairman.

The annual report of the Executive Directors of the International Monetary Fund for the fiscal year ending April 30, 1953, was transmitted to the Chairman of the Board of Governors on July 1, 1953. By the beginning of 1953, the report noted, the foreign exchange imbalance and the internal inflationary pressures, which had been engendered by the outbreak of the Korean war and the subsequent speculative inflationary boom, were being successfully combatted in most countries. The widespread payments crisis of early 1952 had affected the raw materials producing countries most severely; falling raw materials prices, resulting in reduced income, had been coupled with increased demands for imports, resulting from higher domestic incomes and the requirements of development projects. Export countries, especially those which relied on raw materials producers for dollar earnings, were also affected by the price fluctuations. Measures adopted in the various affected countries to combat the payments imbalances and the reduction of excessive inventories led to a sharp contraction in the volume of world trade in 1952; by the third quarter, the value of world imports was 10 percent less than the previous year. The United States did not contribute markedly to this decline; in fact, for the year as a whole the volume of United States imports was 5 percent greater than in 1951, although this was primarily due to a great increase in the last quarter of the year. Declines in the volume and value of world trade, it was feared, might lead to further progressive deterioration; however, by the beginning of 1953, the greater part of the distortions initiated by the outbreak of Korean hostilities had been eliminated.

The quinquennial Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunication Union opened in Buenos Aires on October 3, 1952; the final act of the Conference was signed on December 22, 1952. The agreement reached at the Extraordinary Administrative Radio Conference of 1951 was endorsed by the Conference. After rejecting a proposal to eliminate the International Frequency Registration Board, the Conference considered various less drastic proposals to alter the structure and organization of the Board, and finally decided to maintain the Board at its present membership. As no new elections to the Board were held at the Buenos Aires meeting, the current members of the Board were considered reappointed. In revising the Atlantic City Convention, the Conference decided that countries, rather than individuals, should be elected to the Board and that each elected country should nominate one of its nationals to serve on the Board.

Eighth Session of Contracting Parties: The Contracting Parties of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade held their eighth session in Geneva from September 17 through October 24, 1953. Johan Melander (Norway) and Akhtar Hassain (Pakistan) were elected chairman and vice-chairman, respectively, of the session, at which delegates of the 34 contracting parties took part.

The second extraordinary session of the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization was held in Paris from July 1 to 6, 1953. After setting up credentials and nominations committees, the Conference set up a drafting committee on personnel questions and elected two members of the Executive Board. Acting upon the nomination presented to it by the Executive Board, the Conference, by a vote of 39 to 17, appointed Dr. Luther H. Evans, Librarian of the United States Congress, as Director-General of the organization. The appointment was for a period of six years.

From May 20 to 30, 1953, the Executive Board of the World Health Organization met in Geneva in its twelfth session. For the most part, the Board considered decisions of the Sixth World Health Assembly. One of the major problems was that of technical discussions at Assemblies. The Sixth World Health Assembly having requested the Executive Board to study the matter of organization and conduct of technical discussion at future Assemblies, in the light of recommendations made during that Assembly, the Board made a number of relevant decisions. Among them were the following: the topic for the discussions at the Seventh Assembly should be public-health problems in rural areas, the discussions should be continued on an informal basis and should be limited to a total period of not more than two working days, and the Director-General was requested to take appropriate action to prepare the technical discussions in accordance with this decision. The entire question of technical discussions at subsequent Assemblies was to be considered by the Board at its thirteenth session.

The deputies of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe met in Strasbourg from March 16 through 19, 1953, under the chairmanship of Peter W. Scarlett (United Kingdom) and gave preliminary consideration to suggested revisions of the Council of Europe Statute designed to strengthen the Council and to facilitate liaison with proposed or existing European communities. The International Civil Aviation Organization was invited to convene a conference of European states — both members and non-members of ICAO — to examine the questions of more effective operation of airlines and methods of improving cooperation in this field. The deputies transmitted to the Consultative Assembly a memorandum submitted by the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade on the problem of reducing tariffs. Other measures approved included: 1) cooperative arrangements between the Council of Europe and the Berne International Office for the Protection of Industrial Property; 2) a decision to convene a committee of governmental experts to examine recommendations for a European convention on extradition; and 3) the draft Convention on Medical and Social Assistance and a protocol extending the convention to refugees; and 4) draft rules for the establishment of relations with nongovernmental organizations.

During the summer of 1953, two questions of political importance to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization were raised. According to press reports, some NATO members felt that the Council should discuss the questions of Germany and of the policy which the west should adopt if the Soviet Union proposed full withdrawal of all foreign troops from Germany as a prelude to reunification. The eventual agreement, if any were reached, was not made known, but press reports indicated that there were several obstacles to such a discussion: 1) the German Federal Republic was not a member of NATO; 2) the United States did not want to consider publicly alternatives to the European Defense Community; 3) France opposed direct entrance of the German Federal Republic into NATO; and 4)other NATO members felt that the work of the organization should be first in the military, and eventually in the economic social and cultural fields but not in the political-diplomatic field.

The undersigned, the Commander-in-Chief, United Nations Command, on the one hand, and the Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army and the Commander of the Chinese People's Volunteers, on the other hand, in the interest of stopping the Korean conflict, with its great toll of suffering and bloodshed on both sides, and with the objective of establishing an armistice which will insure a complete cessation of hostilities and of all acts of armed force in Korea until a final peaceful settlement is achieved, do individually, collectively, and mutually agree to accept and to be bound and governed by the conditions and terms of armistice set forth in the following Articles and Paragraphs, which said conditions and terms are intended to be purely military in character and to pertain solely to the belligerents in Korea.