It was announced on November 19, 1959, that France had purchased $200 million from the International Monetary Fund, thereby reducing the Fund's holdings of French francs to 98 percent of the French quota. A one-year$100 million stand-by arrangement between the government of Argentina and the Fund was announced on December 1, 1959; this was to enable the Argentine government to carry forward its program of economic stabilization, which was to be supplemented by additional credits from other quarters. Specifically, the arrangement was to provide for general payment support and help maintain an orderly foreign exchange system; it brought Argentina's outstanding drawings from the Fund to $117.5 million. On December 21, 1959, the Fund announced a stand-by arrangement with the Dominican Republic, which authorized it to draw up to $11,250,000 during the following twelve months, thereby enabling the government to undertake a stabilization program needed to offset the declining export earnings affecting the Dominican Republic. Lasdy, on March 1, 1960, the government of Peru entered into a one-year stand-by arrangement with the Fund for an amount of $27.5 million in support of its efforts to achieve economic and financial stability and to counteract the inflationary pressures the country had been experiencing.

During its 36th and 37th sessions, held in February and May 1959, respectively, the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) spent considerable time on the preparation of documentation for the forthcoming Assembly. Special attention was paid to the budget estimates for 1960, 1961, and 1962, a review of the basis of assessment, documentation on questions of a constitutional and general policy nature, the policy and program of ICAO for the provision of air navigation facilities and services, ICAO policy on technical assistance, and the future frequency of Assembly sessions. Opinion in the Council was evenly divided on asking the Assembly to vote funds to cover the basic estimates of meetings and activities and to authorize the Council to make, if required, supplementary appropriations up to the amounts indicated in a list of contingent expenditures, as opposed to asking it to vote a budget that would include the contingent expenditures, identified as such, with the proviso that the amounts voted for these expenditures would be available only for the purposes indicated and that assessments for them would be made by the Council if and when necessary. Both alternatives subsequently having been put to the Assembly, the latter body decided to do nothing about the contingent expenditures for meetings, while authorizing the Council to make supplementary appropriations to cover the contingency that the post adjustment for Headquarters would be raised. On the subject of assessments, two tasks were undertaken, one being the drafting of instructions to the Secretary General of ICAO on the preparation of the draft scale of assessments for 1960–1962, and the other being a general review of the basis of assessment, while on the subject of the future frequency of Assembly sessions the Council decided to recommend a major session in 1962 and, if necessary, another session of limited scope either in i960 or in 1961, preferably the latter.

The twelfth session of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Assembly met in San Diego, California, from June 16 to July 9, 1959. Represented at the meeting, which was presided over by E. R. Quesada of the United States, were 63 member states, 2 non-member states, and 9 international organizations. After statements by Mr. Quesada and various delegations, the President of the ICAO Council reviewed the activities of the organization since the last Assembly meeting in Montreal. He stated that the greater activity of the organization, which had originated in the directives of the Caracas Assembly in 1956, had continued throughout 1958 and 1959, but the launching of the jet age in October 1958 had radically influenced all developments in civil aviation. Moreover, the airline traffic situation in 1958 had not been a good one, as its rate of expansion, measured in passenger-kilometers, had only been 5.2 percent, compared to the customary 15 percent average increase; however, the same good safety level as in 1957 had been maintained, and the year had witnessed the establishment of several new international routes and a very fast growth in international civil aviation, so that specification and plans had to undergo continual revision. Regarding the financial situation of the world's scheduled airlines, the figures for 1958 could only represent preliminary estimates, but they indicated a further deterioration in the financial picture. The Organization itself had nevertheless continued its technical assistance activities throughout the year, mostly along the lines of advice and training in the ground services connected with civilaviation.

Prior to the opening of the fifteenth session of the General Assembly on September 24, 1960, the Security Council unanimously recommended the admission to membership in the UN of the following countries: 1) the Federation of Mali 2) the Malagasy Republic 3) the Republic of Somalia;4) the Republic of the (Belgian) Congo 5) the Republic of Dahomey; 6) the Republic of the Niger; 7) the Republic of the Upper Volta; 8) the Republic of the Ivory Coast; 9) the Republic of the (French) Congo; 10) the Republic of Chad; 11) the Gabon Republic; 12) the Central African Republic; and 13) the Republic of Cyprus. The above actions were taken at the Security Council's 869th, 870th, 871st, 872d, 890th, 891st, and 82d meetings.

On September 16, 1959, the International Monetary Fund announced that 40 members, including most recently Bolivia, Ethiopia, Honduras, Libya, Malaya, and Peru, had consented to increases in their Fund's quotas by amounts ranging from 50 to 100 percent. This was in response to a recommendation by the Directors of the Fund arising out of the thirteenth annual meeting of the Governors of the Fund, held in New Delhi in October 1958. The Fund extended to July 31, 1960, the period within which the rest of its 68-nation membership might accept increases in its quotas. Some of these countries had already communicated consents to the Fund which would become effective upon the completion of certain formalities. The Fund's assets, which, as of January 31, 1959, amounted to the equivalent of $9.2 billion, would be enlarged by the recommended increases by the equivalent of $5.8 billion.

The annual report of the Executive Directors of the International Monetary Fund for the fiscal year ended April 30, 1959, was transmitted to the Chairman of the Board of Governors on July 9, 1959. In its discussion of the world economy in 1958–1959 the report noted that the year which ended on April 30 had stood out not only because of the marked changes which had occurred in general business activity and in the international flow of funds, but also because important steps had been taken to consolidate the monetary improvements achieved since the war and to strengthen the financial structure of the world economy. Outstanding events had been the following: a sharp upswing of industrial production in the United States, together with indications of renewed expansion in other industrial countries; the increase of more than $3.5 billion in the gold and foreign exchange reserves of western European countries; the adoption in December 1958 of external convertibility by fourteen European countries and the complementary steps taken by fifteen other countries to adjust their exchange controls to the new conditions thus established; and the agreements reached to expand the financial resources of the Fund and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development. On the other hand, the experience of many of the primary producing countries had been much less satisfactory, inasmuch as the decline in the prices of many primary products which had begun in 1956 had continued into 1958, and there had been a reduction in the earning capacity of most of these countries, which had created further difficulties in their payments positions and acted as a brake upon their economic development

Consideration of the establishment of commission for industrial development: The major economic question considered by the 29th session was that of the establishment of a commission for industrial development to advise the Council in matters related to the acceleration by less industrialized countries of their industrial development. The Council had before it the following items: 1) a note by the Secretariat containing (a) background information on the action taken by the General Assembly with regard to this proposal, (b) a summary of the organizational aspects of other subordinate organs of Council, and (c) observations on past experience with the UN program of work in industrialization; and 2) a draft resolution, submitted by Brazil, Denmark, France, the United Kingdom, and United States, establishing a standing committee for industrial development.

At the conclusion of the two International Telecommunication Union (ITU) conferences held in Geneva in 1959—the Plenipotentiary (October 14 to December 16) and the Administrative Radio (August 17 to December 17)—two international documents were officially signed by the representatives of 85 and 84 countries respectively, namely: 1) the new Convention, replacing the International Telecommunication Convention of Buenos Aires, 1952; and 2) the new Radio Regulations, replacing those of Atlantic City, 1947. The Convention was to take effect on January 1, 1961, and the Radio Regulations on May i, 1961. Some additional protocols had to be signed as well, so that certain decisions (for example, the elections of the newly-constituted Administrative Council, the Secretary-General, and the Deputy Secretary-General, and changes made in the budget system) could take effect forthwith. Numerous recommendations and resolutions were also adopted, and decisions concerning the way ITU was organized, how it was run, and its future development were reached by the Plenipotentiary Conference, the chairman of which was Mr. J. D. H. van der Toorn, head of the Netherlands delegation. The chairman of the Radio Conference was Mr. Charles J. Acton, head of the Canadian delegation.

The twelfth session of the Assembly of the World Health Organization (WHO) was held in Geneva, from May 12 to May 29, I959. In his inaugural address, the President of the Assembly, Sir John Charles, spoke of the tasks of the individual worker and of WHO in the field of medical research, stating that the task of the former ended with the presentation of his information, thereby enabling WHO to enter the field of medical research through its contribution—just as important and quite apart from its own research in fields such as tuberculosis and the virus diseases—in the way of coordination and communication. The Director-General, introducing his report on the work of WHO during 1958, observed that, as 1958 had marked the tenth anniversary of the organization, it was natural that the year's activities had been viewed in the light of progress made during the entire decade. He recalled that great strides had been taken in the eradication of malaria and smallpox, but stressed the fact that WHO's goal could not be accomplished without world-wide eradication: as long as malaria or smallpox survived in a single country it constituted a danger for all. He also spoke of the intensified international program of medical research, in which the WHO fellowship program was playing an important role, and of the problem of environmental sanitation, with regard to which WHO had failed in its attempt to arouse public interest.

The report of the Director-General, Dr. Vittorino Veronese, on the activities of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1959 dealt, as usual, with: 1) relations with member states and international organizations; 2) execution of the program; and 3) administrative services. Under the first heading, the Director-General reported that during the year in review the Singapore/British Borneo group associate membership in the Organization had ceased to exist as of December 31, 1959, when Singapore alone had assumed the rights and duties of an associate member, and that relations with the UN, the specialized agencies, and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) had continued to develop.

The Executive Board of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) held its 55th session in Paris, from November 23, 1959, to December 5, 1959. Under the heading, Execution of the Program, the Board decided, inter alia: 1) to approve the list of invitations to the 23d International Conference on Public Education; 2) to authorize the Director-General to convene, in 1960, a meeting of representatives to the Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, if hedeemed it appropriate to do so; 3) to invite member states to submit names of great personalities and to call attention to historic events in the field of education, science, and culture which they planned to commemorate, in conformity with a decision adopted at its previous session; 4) to extend assistance to the governments of the United Arab Republic and the Sudan to obtain, through the Organization, largescale international assistance for safeguarding the monuments of Nubia which were in danger of disappearing, and, further, to authorize the Secretary-General, among other things, to set up an international committee to assist him in the organization of a world-wide campaign designed to secure contributions for whatever international action was to be undertaken; 5) to approve the list of invitations to the 1960 World Conference on Adult Education; and 6) to recommend to the General Conference the inclusion among the activities to be carried out in the 1961–1962 period of an international conference to study ways of improving international transmission of news, to be convened in Havana, Cuba.

A special session of the West Indian Conference convened on July 28, 1959, in St. Thomas, the Virgin Islands, to consider revision of the agreement which established the Caribbean Commission in October 1946. The delegates were welcomed by Mr. John Merwin, Governor of the Virgin Islands, who referred to the proposed revision for the transfer of control to local governments as an exciting new concept which would witness the withdrawal from active membership of the metropolitan powers and the taking over of these functions by the non-self-governing territories and possessions. Before starting deliberations on the successor body, delegates went on record in support of a continuation of regional cooperation in the area through some machinery similar to the Caribbean Commission, the good work of which was unanimously acclaimed. After several days of discussion and working in committees, the Conference accepted a Statute for a new Caribbean Organization to succeed the present Caribbean Commission, agreeing that it should be submitted to the governments concerned. The statute gave the Organization consultative and advisory powers and defined the areas of its concern as being those social, economic, and cultural matters of common interest in the Caribbean area. Eligible for membership were the Republic of France for the Departments of French Guiana, Guadeloupe, and Martinique; the Netherlands Antilles; Surinam; the Bahamas; British Guiana; British Honduras; British Virgin Islands; the West Indies; Puerto Rico; and the Virgin Islands. The governing body of the new organization would be the Caribbean Council, which would hold annual meetings and to which each member would be entitled to nominate one delegate. The Organization was to come into being after an agreement with the members of the present Caribbean Commission—namely, the governments of France, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States—for its establishment had been ratified. Following an offer from the government of Puerto Rico to contribute 44.3 percent of the total budget on the understanding that the new Organization would have its headquarters in that country, the Conference agreed on the following apportionment of costs to cover its proposed budget: France, $50,560; Netherlands Antilles, $24,490; Surinam, $19,750; British Guiana, $11,760; the West Indies, $44,240; Puerto Rico, $140,000; and the Virgin Islands, $25,200. As an interim step designed to facilitate the transition, the Conference recommended that the Commission appoint a working group of experts to examine the problems which would arise from the change-over, and to give its attention as well to the task of formulating guiding principles for the work of the Organization.

The third World Meteorological Congress opened in Geneva on April i, 1959, under the presidency of Mr. Andre Viaut. Delegates from nearly 90 member states, two non-member countries, and several other international organizations were joined by a number of distinguished guests. Following several welcoming speeches, Mr. Viaut, in his presidential address, referred to the accession of the 100th member of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), which had taken place just before the opening of the Congress, and to the ever-increasing world-wide cooperation which had made possible such a vast project as the meteorological program of the International Geophysical Year (IGY).

The Executive Board of the World Health Organization (WHO) held its 25th session in Geneva, January 19—February 1, 1960, under the chairmanship of Professor E. Aujaleu. At the onset, the Board unanimously recommended that the World Health Assembly adopt a working budget of $18,569,620 for 1961, representing a 10 percent increase over the preceding year, due to the growth of the Organization's activities. The Board also considered a report, based on the recommendations of its Advisory Committee on Medical Research, on the general development of the medical research program; it dealt with such subjects as malaria, tuberculosis, leprosy, and insecticide resistance, among others. It recommended that priority be given to the following: 1) services to research, such as the standardization of nomenclature and techniques and equipment to ensure comparable results in different parts of the world; 2) setting up reference centers; and 3) improving the training of research workers and communications among them. Noting these priorities, the Board expressed its satisfaction with the proposed research program for 1960–1961. The Board also considered a UN resolution on the encouragement of international cancer research through awarding prizes for outstanding work in this field; however, on the basis of a study made in connection with the intensification of its medical research program, the Board expressed doubt whether awarding prizes was the most suitable means of encouraging research.

At the 1097th meeting the Council approved the report of the Council Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations, which recommended that hearings be granted to four nongovernmental organizations: the International Chamber of Commerce, the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, the International Federation of Christian Trade Unions, and the World Federation of United Nations Associations. At the 1108th meeting, the draft resolution contained in a report of the same committee on the subject of applications and re-applications for consultative status was adopted unanimously, granting the request for category B consultative status to the Association for the Study of the World Refugee Problem, the European Alliance of Press Agencies, and the International Association for the Protection of Industrial Property, and granting the request for inclusion on the register of the International Association of Electrical Contractors.

The Council of the ANZUS Pacific Security Pact met in Washington on October 26, 1959. New Zealand was represented by Prime Minister Walter Nash; Australia by Minister for External Affairs Richard G. Casey; and the United States by Secretary of State Christian Herter. The representatives of the three member nations voiced their concern that the destructive violence in Asia of the Chinese Communists and their threat of a “liberating” war in the Taiwan Strait should continue to pose a serious threat to the peace of the world; they reiterated their conviction in this context that any resort to force of arms by the Chinese Communists in the Taiwan area or elsewhere could only be regarded as an international problem affecting the stability of the region.

The eighth session of the Ministerial Council of the Central Treaty Organization (CENTO) was held in Teheran, Iran, from April 28 to 30, 1960. Dr. Manouchehr Eghbal, Prime Minister of Iran, was chairman of the session. In its final communiqué, the Council expressed the hope that the nuclear tests conference would reach a solution providing for the suspension of these tests under adequate international control, and that the ten-nation disarmament conference would also make real progress. It further noted the recent and forthcoming top-level contacts with the government of the Soviet Union and expressed support for the efforts being made to secure the easing of tension. In speeches made to the opening meeting of the Council, Foreign Secretary Selwyn Lloyd of the United Kingdom and Secretary of State Christian Herter of the United States stressed that all discussions with the government of the Soviet Union would be conducted by the Western powers with full regard for the interests of their allies in CENTO and the other regional organizations, and the member countries would be kept informed of such discussions. The Council agreed that the efforts to ease tension should be genuine, being not only expressed in words but demonstrated in deeds as well.

The annual report of the Technical Assistance Board (TAB) to the Technical Assistance Committee, which covered the activities of the Expanded Program of Technical Assistance (EPTA) during 1959 and, coming as it did at the end of the first decade of operations of the program, completed the record of the first ten years, was made public in June 1960. The report revealed that the period under consideration (July 1950 to June 1960) had ended with the pledge of an increase in UN technical assistance, following some reduction in the size of the 1959 program. Although the amount pledged by the 83 member governments for operations in 1959 had been $29.6 million, causing a 3 percent reduction in the amount spent to deliver aid, pledges for 1960 were expected to reach an all-time high of $33.4 million. In the face of the retrenchment necessary in 1959, the size of the technical assistance program in Africa had continued to rise modestly, the continent having received 14 percent of the aid given on a worldwide scale, as compared to 12 percent in 1958, while slight reductions in the Latin American and Middle Eastern programs had been necessary. However, the largest expenditure on regional projects, as in the past, had been in Latin America, where the cost of UN and specialized agency participation in such projects as the Fundamental Education Center in Mexico, the Andean Indian Program, and the Central American Economic Integration Program had reached $1.1 million. A substantial proportion of new EPTA operations had been in the form of assistance to the emerging states of Africa, financed by the use of contingency funds amounting to $1.2 million in all, thus making it possible to initiate assistance for which funds would not otherwise have been available.

The seventh session of the Ministerial Council of the Central Treaty Organization (CENTO), formerly known as the Baghdad Pact, was held in Washington, D. C., October 7–9, 1959. In its communiqué issued following the meeting, the Council welcomed the conclusion of bilateral agreements between the United States and the regional members, Iran, Pakistan, and Turkey, noting with gratification the determination of die United States to assist the signatory nations to maintain their security and independence, while simultaneously contributing to die enhancement of their economic potential. The statement emphasized that CENTO existed solely for defensive purposes, that it threatened no one, and that it sincerely desired to have close and friendly relations with all other states, particularly with the neighboring states in the region.