Seventh United Nations Technical Assistance Conference: At the Seventh UN Technical Assistance Conference, which met at Headquarters on October 17, 1956, under the presidency of Sir Leslie Munro (New Zealand), 63 governments pledged $14,940,000; this sum excluded the amount to be pledged by the United States. Several participating countries, including the Federal Republic of Germany, Indonesia and El Salvador, were unable to announce their contributions at the Conference as negotiations had not been completed

The following summary covers the activities of the Security Council from its 783d meeting on August 20, 1957, through its 790th meeting on September 9, 1957.

The eleventh session of the General Assembly reconvened, after the Christmas recess, on January 2, 1957. At its 668th meeting on March 8 it adopted by 65 votes to 0 with 6 abstentions a resolution stating that it had completed all the items on the agenda of the eleventh session with the exception of the questions considered by the first and second emergency special sessions. It decided to adjourn temporarily and to authorize the President of the Assembly, in consultation with the Secretary-General and with Member states, to reconvene the General Assembly as necessary in order to consider further those items.

The following summary covers the activities of the Security Council from its 757th meeting on December 19, 1956, through its 775th meeting on March 7, 1957.

The Sub-Committee (Canada, France, Soviet Union, United Kingdom, and United States) of the Disarmament Commission held its 87th–157th meetings in London, March 18—September 6, 1957. On March 18, the Soviet representative presented a proposal for an international convention on the reduction of armaments and armed forces and the prohibition of atomic and hydrogen weapons, in accordance with a resolution passed by the General Assembly at its ninth session. He outlined two stages, one to be carried out in 1957–58 and one in 1959, and stated that it would be desirable to establish control posts at such places as large ports and railway junctions and to establish zones of limitation and inspection in Europe, including the territory of both parts of Germany and that of the states adjoining them. During the first stage, the five great powers were to reduce their armed forces to levels not higher than those suggested in the Anglo-French memorandum of March 29, 1955, and the Soviet proposals of May 10, 1955. During the second stage, inter alia, the production of atomic and hydrogen weapons was to becompletely discontinued and provision was to be made for the elimination of those weapons from armaments and the destruction of stockpiles of them.

At the request of the United States, the Council met on April 26 to resume consideration of the Suez question. The Council had before it an Egyptian declaration on the Suez Canal and the arrangements for its operation, dated April 24, in which the government of Egypt announced that the Canal was again open for normal traffic. The declaration on arrangements for its operation comprised the following ten points: 1) The terms and the spirit of the Constantinople Convention of 1888 were reaffirmed, the Egyptian government declaring its intention to respect, observe and implement them; 2) While reaffirming its determination to respect the terms and spirit of the 1888 Convention and to abide by the Charter and the principles and purposes of the UN, the government of Egypt was confident that the other signatories of the said Convention and all others concerned would be guided by the same resolve; 3) The government of Egypt was more particularly determined a) to afford and maintain free and uninterrupted navigation for all nations within the limits of and in accordance with the provisions of the 1888 Convention; b) that tolls should continue to be levied in accordance with the last agreement, concluded on April 28, 1956, between Egypt and the Suez Canal Maritime Company, and that any increase in the current rate of tolls within any twelve months, if it took place, should be limited to 1 percent, any increase beyond that level to be the result of negotiations, and, failing agreement, to be settled by arbitration according to the procedure set forth in paragraph 7(b) of the declaration; and c) that the Canal would be maintained and developed in accordance with the progressive requirements of modern navigation and that such maintenance and development should include the eighth and ninth programs of the Suez Canal Maritime Company, with such improvements to them as were considered necessary

The first emergency special session of the General Assembly, summoned by the Secretary-General in the light of the resolution adopted by the Security Council at its 751st meeting on October 31, 1956, was held from November 1 through 10, 1956 (56Ist–563d, 565th, 566th–567th and 572d plenary meetings), under the presidency of His Excellency Ambassador Rudecindo Ortega (Chile). At the opening of the session the representative of France (de Guiringaud) criticized the principal substantive item of the provisional agenda of the session, which was the “question considered by the Security Council at its 749th and 750th meetings held on October 30, 1956”. Mr. de Guiringaud stated that in his view it was impossible for the letter of the representative of Egypt to the Security Council to be dealt with by the Assembly, since in the Security Council debate on the Egyptian complaint, no draft resolution had been presented, and consequently no vote had been taken; therefore, no lack of unanimity on the part of the permanent members of the Council had been demonstrated. As to the United States draft resolution considered by the Security Council, Mr. de Guiringaud held that it was within the framework of Chapter VI of the Charter, rather than Chapter VII. Therefore, he concluded, the conditions of the “Uniting for Peace” resolution had not been fulfilled, and he made a complete reservation on behalf of his government as to the convening of the special session of the Assembly and as to the validity of any resolution that might be adopted.

The Economic and Social Council resumed its 22d session at UN Headquarters with its 952d meeting on December 17, 1956, and concluded it with the 954th meeting on December 21. The major item on the agenda was the negotiation of an agreement with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), in connection with which the Council adopted two resolutions. Under the terms of the first, co-sponsored by Canada, Ecuador and Pakistan, the Council, noting that the IFC had entered into force and begun its operations, noting further that the Articles of Agreement of the IFC provided that the Corporation, acting through the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, should enter into formal arrangements with the UN, and, considering that the Bank had been authorized by the IFC to negotiate and enter into an agreement with the UN on behalf of the IFC on terms substantially corresponding to the terms of agreement between the UN and Bank, 1) requested the President of the Council to negotiate, with the appropriate authorities of the Bank, and agreement between the IFC and the UN; and 2) further requested that, if possible, the report of those negotiations be submitted for the consideration of the Council at its resumed 22d session, in order to permit the Assembly to approve it during the latter's eleventh session. The second resolution concerning the IFC, also co-sponsored by Canada, Ecuador and Pakistan, was adopted pursuant to a report of the President of the Council on the draft agreement which he had negotiated. Both the draft agreement and the draft resolution recommending its adoption were adopted by 16 votes to 0 with 2 abstentions.

On September 12, 1956, the representatives of France and the United Kingdom drew the attention of the President of the Council to the situation in the Suez. On September 23, they requested the President to call a meeting on September 26 to consider the situation created by the unilateral action of the Egyptian government in nationalizing the Suez Canal. The Egyptian government also requested that the Council meet to consider action against Egypt, particularly by the United Kingdom and France, which in its view constituted a danger to international peace and security.

The twenty-third session of the Economic and Social Council took place at Headquarters from April 16 to May 2, 1957. Mr. Mir Khan (Pakistan) was elected president of the Council for 1957.

Economic Commission for Europe: The Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) held its twelfth (tenth anniversary) session in Geneva from April 29 to May 15, 1957 under the chairmanship of Dr. Oskar Lange. In addition to governmental representatives, the following intergovernmental or non-governmental organizations participated: the International Labor Organization(ILO), the International Monetary Fund, the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Federation of Christian Trade Unions, the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, and the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom. The Executive Secretary of the Commission, Mr. Gunnar Myrdal, whose resignation was announced April 1, 1957, and who was to be succeeded by Mr. Sakari S. Tuomioja of Finland, gave the opening speech in which he voiced concern over the political split in Europe, urging, however, that there still existed a broad opportunity for constructive efforts toward international cooperation.

The nineteenth session of the Trusteeship Council was held at UN Headquarters from March 14 to May 15, 1957, with Mr. Asha (Syria) acting as president. The Council adopted an agenda of fifteen items, and devoted the greater part of the session to examination of the annual reports on the administration of the trust territories of Ruanda-Urundi, the Cameroons under United Kingdom administration, the Cameroons under French administration, and Togoland under French administration. The Council dealt with several matters referred to it by the General Assembly, and before concluding the session it took action on petitions relating to trust territories.

Annual Report of the Secretary-General: Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjold reviewed the UN role in world affairs in the introduction to his twelfth annual report, covering the period from June 16, 1956, to June 15, 1957. Stating that during the period under review the UN had been confronted with some of the most difficult situations it had been called upon to meet since 1945, Mr. Hammarskjold first reviewed UN activities with respect to the Palestine question, the United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF), the Suez Canal, and the Hungarian question. He stated that UNEF had been important as a pre-condition for the maintenance of quiet in the area of its deployment, and that the governments' attitudes underlying the development of peace in that area had been encouraging, but that at the same time there had been few, if any, signs of further progress. The Secretary-General felt that the UN could help by lending its influence, its presence, and the processes of diplomacy, as well as by providing an objective judgment of the rights and interests involved. Its primary obligations with respect to the Palestine question consisted of working toward a restoration of the Armistice Agreements and of helping the Palestine refugees. The Secretary-General reported that UNEF would be thoroughly studied, should the UN wish to build an agreed stand-by plan for a UN peace force that could be activated on short notice in future emergencies to serve in similar ways. He noted the services of the UNEF Advisory Committee established by the General Assembly and recommended in the execution of future mandates of this kind the appointment of similar “select committees”.

The sixth special session of the Trusteeship Council was held at Headquarters from December 10, 1956, through January 31 1957.

The future of the trust territory of Togoland under French administration: The sixth special session of the Council had been convened at the request of the French government to consider the results of the referendum which had been held in Togoland under French administration on October 28, 1956.

The first part of the 22d session of the Economic and Social Council was held in Geneva from July 9 to August 9, 1956 (926th–951st meetings). The 926th meeting opened with a tribute to the memory of the late Mr. van Heuven Goedhart, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Mr. Engen (Norway) presided at the meetings.

The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development made two loans during the period under review. On May 15, 1957, in participation with other investors, it made a loan equivalent to $15 million to the Finance Corporation for National Reconstruction (Herstelbank) of the Netherlands. The loan was to provide the Herstelbank with additional capital for lending to enterprises for industry, transport and commerce. The total amount of participation in the loan by other investors was $5 million, representing portions of all six maturities, which were to fall due from November 1959 through May 1962. The loan was for a term of five years and bore interest of 5⅝ percent, including the Bank's 1 percent commission.

Case concerning the Guardianship of an Infant (Netherlands v. Sweden): An application instituting proceedings against Sweden was filed by the Netherlands on July 10, 1957, and alleged that Marie Elisabeth Boll, born in Sweden of a Dutch father and a mother of Swedish nationality before her marriage, possessed Dutch nationality. After the death of the mother Swedish authorities had taken and maintained measures providing for guardianship of the child, despite appeals from the Dutch guardians and from the Netherlands government, which considered that the Swedish authorities had violated the 1902 convention governing the guardianship of infants. In an order of August 19, 1957, the Court fixed November 30, 1957, as the time–limit for the memorial of the Netherlands and March 31, 1958, as the time–limit for the counter–memorial of Sweden.

Right of Passage Through Indian Territory (Portugal v. India): On April 15, 1957, the government of India filed with the Court a preliminary objection to the Court's jurisdiction to entertain the application of the government of Portugal. By an order of April 16, President of the Court fixed June 15, 1957, as the time-limit within which the government of Portugal could present a written statement of its observations and submissions on the objection. Meanwhile, proceedings on the merits were suspended.

The eighteenth session of the Trusteeship Council was held at Headquarters from June 7 through August 14, 1956, under the presidency of Mr. Asha (Syria). The Council adopted an agenda of nineteen items, and devoted the greater part of the session to an examination of the annual reports on the administration of the trust territories of Togoland under United Kingdom administration, New Guinea, Nauru, the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, Somaliland under Italian administration, and Western Samoa. The Council also dealt with a number of questions referred to it by the General Assembly, including the Togoland unification problem and the future of Togoland under United Kingdom and under French administration. Before concluding the session the Council also took action on petitions relating to trust territories, and decided to hold its sixth special session for the purpose of considering the report of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development on Somaliland under Italian administration.