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and pursue the matter further if it were evident from the information that prisoners of war were still unrepatriated or unaccounted for.

The Indian and Iraqi Delegates introduced an amendment providing that the International Red Cross should make the investigation rather than a U.N. commission. In view of this amendment the U.N. Secretariat communicated with the League of Red Cross Societies and the International Committee of the Red Cross to ascertain their attitudes. In reply the League referred the United Nations to the International Committee. The Committee stated that it could undertake such an obligation only if requested by all of the countries concerned. Thereupon the Indian and Iraqi resolution was withdrawn and a new one introduced providing that the members of the commission should be chosen by the International Red Cross. This suggestion was accepted with the provision that, failing a choice by the International Red Cross, the Secretary-General would name the members of the commission.

Other minor changes were suggested. Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States accepted as many of the amendments as possible but held firm to the necessity for establishing a U.N.commission to investigate the problem.

The Committee on December 11 adopted the resolution, as amended, by 43 votes to 5 (Soviet group), with 8 abstentions. Three days later the General Assembly adopted the resolution by the same vote, six delegations abstaining.

E. ORGANIZATIONAL DE

VELOPMENTS

In 1950 there were few changes in the organizational arrangements which had grown up around the economic and social activities of the United Nations. Chief among them was the establishment of the World Meteorological Organization, which, having obtained the necessary number of ratifications of its charter, came into existence on March 23, 1950. The way was paved for the establishment of the Intergovernmental Maritime Consultative Organization (IMCO) when the United States, by Senate resolution of June 27, 1950, ratified the convention establishing that organization. Most major shipping

countries had awaited action by the Congress of the United States before proceeding on their part with the ratification of the basic instrument of IMCO. The establishment of these two organizations will greatly facilitate international cooperation in fields where cooperation is highly important.

By contrast, the United States concluded that in view of present-day conditions it would be difficult to obtain general support for the establishment of the International Trade Organization and consequently decided not to resubmit to Congress for ratification the charter of that organization. This does not indicate any lessened interest on the part of the United States Government and the American people in the liberalization of international trade. Proposals have been formulated in consultation with other countries which provide for the establishment of permanent machinery for the administration of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. The arrangements based on these proposals are likely to be finalized in 1951.

In an effort to streamline its own operations and the functioning of its subsidiary bodies, the Economic and Social Council set up an ad hoc committee of eight members plus the president of the Council to consider the organizational structure and operations of the Council and to make recommendations to the Council at its thirteenth session as to any possible improvements in its operations and functioning.

In another attempt to raise the efficiency of the work of the Council, new arrangements were made in the course of 1950 for consultations with nongovernmental organizations. The United States Government has always been among the first to encourage such consultations as provided for under article 71 of the Charter. Unfortunately, a small minority of the nongovernmental organizations tended to abuse their privileges as consultants to the Council. Specifically, the World Federation of Trade Unions repeatedly attempted to put items on the agenda of the Council for purely political purposes and, in many instances, with misleading documentation. The Council, therefore, in the course of its tenth session, redefined the procedures to be followed before an item proposed by a nongovernmental organization in category "A" (see below) could be put on the agenda. The membership of the Nongovernmental Organizations Committee was increased to seven and was given the task to assure that any item proposed by a nongovernmental organization for the provisional agenda was received in proper time and with adequate documentation, that it lent itself to early and constructive action by the Council, and that it could not be dealt with more appropriately by some other international body.

In the course of the same revision of the consultative relationships with nongovernmental organizations, the Council reduced the number

of categories of nongovernmental organizations in consultative status to two categories and added a new group of organizations, those included on the Register of the Secretary-General. Category “A” includes at the present time nine major organizations which have an interest in most of the work of the Council and which have the privilege of putting items on the provisional agenda of the Council. Cate gory "B" includes 78 organizations able to make a contribution to specific fields within the scope of the Council. The organizations placed on the Register can be called upon by the Council, or its subsidiary bodies, or the Secretary-General for advice whenever such advice is desired.

While these new arrangements have been in force for only eight months, it is evident that they are likely to increase the importance and improve the quality of the collaboration between the Council and the public as represented by the nongovernmental organizations.

Activities Relating to
Dependent Territories

A SIGNIFICANT Sphere of U. N. activity relates to the prob

lems of dependent territories and to the well-being and advancement of the more than 200,000,000 inhabitants of these territories. Under the Charter of the United Nations, members of the United Nations and the organization itself have assumed responsibilities in relation to the dependent peoples of the world. Three full chapters of the Charter form the basis for the work of the United Nations in two distinct but related aspects of U.N. work in the field of dependent areas. One of these chapters (XI) bears the title "Declaration Regarding Non-Self-Governing Territories" and applies to all "territories whose peoples have not yet attained a full measure of selfgovernment." The others (XII and XIII) provide for international supervision over the administration of certain dependent territories— now 11 in number-known as trust territories.

The international responsibilities of the United States with regard to problems of dependent peoples arise both from its membership in international organizations dealing with these problems and from the fact that the United States itself administers a number of nonself-governing territories. The United States participates in the work of the Trusteeship Council, the Fourth Committee of the General Assembly, and the Assembly's special committee on information from non-self-governing territories, as well as the Caribbean and South Pacific Commissions. In addition to the Territories of Alaska, American Samoa, Guam, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands of the United States, the United States administers the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands.

A. FUNCTIONING OF THE
TRUSTEESHIP SYSTEM IN 1950

With the addition of former Italian Somaliland as the eleventh trust territory, the population of the territories under trusteeship now exceeds 18,000,000 persons. In carrying out its responsibilities toward these peoples the Trusteeship Council during 1950 met in two regular sessions and one brief special session. The Council examined 10 annual reports by the administering authorities on the territories under trusteeship and adopted conclusions and recommendations with regard to each of them; it also examined 361 petitions relating to conditions in the trust territories. The Council received the reports of its visiting mission to the West Africa trust territories, which had been sent out the previous year, and sent a visiting mission to the trust territories in the Pacific area, namely, the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, New Guinea, Nauru, and Western Samoa. Circulated during August 1950, the reports of this visiting mission will be examined by the Council during its sessions in 1951. In addition to the Council's regular tasks of examining annual reports, petitions, and the reports of visiting missions, the work of the Council during 1950 involved a number of special items. At the request of the General Assembly, the Trusteeship Council prepared a revised statute for an international regime for the city of Jerusalem,1 negotiated the terms of a trusteeship agreement for Italian Somaliland for approval by the Assembly, carried out a special study of the problem of administrative unions involving trust territories, and took action with regard to the flying of the United Nations flag in trust territories.

The Fourth Committee (Trusteeship, Including Non-Self-Governing Territories) of the General Assembly devoted some 6 weeks during its fifth session to the examination of the report of the Trusteeship Council to the Assembly. Eleven resolutions were adopted by the Assembly on trusteeship questions. The Assembly also received the Council's special report on Italian Somaliland and approved without change, on December 2, 1950, the draft trusteeship agreement included therein.1

'The action of the United Nations with regard to Jerusalem is described in Part I of this report.

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