contribution to the current censuses, which, it is hoped, will provide the best inventory ever taken of the world's human resources. Coupled with these efforts has been the work of reestablishing the basic international statistical information relating to population, which was disrupted by the war. This highly technical work has been satisfactorily accomplished in the current publications of the United Nations, which give well-organized and accessible compendia of information from every country in the world. The basic problems posed by world population trends and pressures will require sustained attention and effort by the United Nations and by ILO and other specialized agencies. A solid beginning in factual knowledge and understanding has been made, but much remains to be done. 2. Migration Problems During the year 1950 the larger issues of migration claimed the attention of the International Refugee Organization, the International Labor Organization, and meetings of the Foreign Ministers of France, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Also, to the extent that migration is connected with planning economic development, the fact of the existence of surplus population areas and potentially deficit population areas made the Economic and Employment Commission and other organs of the United Nations sensitive to the larger migration problems. However, the major activity in this field during 1950 was in the work of IRO and ILO, the discussions of the Foreign Ministers, and the meeting of experts called by the Foreign Ministers. 3. Migration Activity of IRO Established as a temporary specialized agency to provide care, repatriation, and resettlement services to refugees and displaced persons falling within the mandate of the organization, the International Refugee Organization (IRO) has been concerned with reestablishment of refugees rather than migration of manpower. Nevertheless, sponsorship and organization of mass migration with all the attendant problems has become a principal function of IRO, and the organization has come to have a very wide experience in this field. Migration under IRO auspices has entailed negotiations with countries of resettlement for the reception of immigrants. The task has also required the establishment of procedures for the selection, processing, and documentation of eligible persons. In addition, IRO has operated a fleet of ships for refugee transport. Through these efforts the IRO will have reestablished approximately one million persons before the organization terminates its operations in 1951. 4. Migration Activity of ILO Throughout its more than 30 years of existence the International Labor Organization has been concerned with problems of migration and of migrants. To a large extent this concern has revolved around “migration for employment." It has been the long-run objective of the ILO to encourage the fair and humane treatment of migrants and to secure for them equality of opportunity and the protective treatment which their generally weak and vulnerable situation requires. During the last 2 or 3 years the problems of migration have become part of the ILO manpower program, a program which aims at the better national and international use of world manpower resources. (Problems of productivity, technical training, and employmentservice organization are also parts of the ILO manpower program.) The Governing Body of the ILO at its 110th session (Mysore, India, January 1950) decided to convene a preliminary migration conference with the object of drawing up a program of practical action for facilitating migration movements and making them a constructive factor in world economic development. This Preliminary Migration Conference met at Geneva from April 25 to May 9, 1950.1 The obstacles to migration are of two major types, (a) those of an economic and financial nature and (b) those of an administrative nature. Large sums of money are needed merely to provide for the assembling and transport of migrants. Huge capital investments are necessary to expand underdeveloped economies so that they can readily absorb large numbers of migrants. Beyond this not only is there the lack of facilities for handling and placing migrants, but also in many instances legal devices form barriers to the ready absorption of migrants and hence barriers to migration itself. There are many other obstacles almost too numerous to mention. 'In November 1950 at Brussels the 113th session of the Governing Body voted to convene a second migration conference to meet at Naples in late 1951. It was to review these and many other aspects of the migration problem that ILO convened the Preliminary Migration Conference. Delegates from 29 countries including the United States as well as observers from the German Federal Government attended. The Conference had a general discussion on the present position of the whole migration problem. There were then discussions concerning (a) the methods of determining migration needs and (b) the methods of organizing migration operations. The latter topic was examined with respect to (1) recruitment and selection; (2) information and assistance to migrants; (3) emigration and immigration formalities; (4) transportation; (5) reception of migrants; (6) placement and settlement; (7) the transfer of emigrant remittances; and (8) the recognition of social-security rights. There then followed a discussion of the relationship of migration to economic development and, in particular, the need for governments to insure the necessary administrative machinery for the organization of economic development in general and for the preparation and execution of particular development projects. It concluded its deliberations with a resolution noting the enormous complexity of the problem and calling upon governments particularly, but also the United Nations, the various specialized agencies, and ILO, to intensify their efforts to solve the migration problem. The Conference proposed that ILO should proceed with the task of getting additional information from the countries concerned in order that the next session (Naples, 1951) would be able to advance further on the road to making arrangements for the moving of migrants. ILO is seeking such information through a questionnaire which is now before governments. The Organization for European Economic Cooperation (OEEC) has realized the need for encouraging migration from Europe as part of its task in strengthening European economies. That organization, in the light of the findings of the Preliminary Migration Conference, entered into a contract with ILO on June 29, 1950, under which ILO agreed to assist governments in strengthening their facilities for the selection, movement, and placement of migrants. At the present time, therefore, this program is the only internationally sponsored program in the general field of migration. It is too early as yet to assess the progress of this operation. In December 1950 the United Nations, with the cooperation of ILO, submitted to governments a lengthy questionnaire designed to obtain information connected with migration formalities with a view to simplifying such formalities and reducing their costs. 5. The Interest of the Foreign Ministers in the Migration Program Although the interest of the Foreign Ministers of France, the United States, and the United Kingdom in the migration problem is not strictly a matter of United Nations concern, nevertheless, since the Foreign Ministers took note of United Nations and ILO concern with this question, the interest of the three Foreign Ministers is indicated in this review of U.N. activity. On May 13, 1950, at the conclusion of one of their periodic meetings, the three Foreign Ministers issued a joint declaration indicating among other things that in the course of their discussions they recognized that the excess of population from which several countries in Western Europe are suffering is one of the most important elements in the difficulties and the disequilibrium of the world. They stated that they believed that the systematic exploration of opportunities for greater population mobility can contribute significantly to the solution of the problem. In this connection they noted the valuable work which had been going forward within ILO, the United Nations and specialized agencies, and OEEC, and in particular the conclusions reached at the Preliminary Migration Conference, which had just completed its work at Geneva. The Ministers felt that in view of the importance and wide scope of the problem it would be desirable to make a general review of the various activities in this field. For this purpose they agreed to designate experts to confer together and to consult with experts of other interested governments. The meeting of the experts designated by the three Foreign Ministers was convened by the French Government at Paris on July 24, 1950, and concluded on August 11, 1950. On behalf of the three Governments, the French Government as host invited emigration and immigration countries, the international agencies primarily concerned with migration, and representatives of the voluntary agencies connected with the displaced-persons program to send their experts on migration to give the delegates to the tripartite meeting the benefit of their experience. The Tripartite Meeting of Experts on European Migration made a general review and analysis of the pertinent factors involved in European migration. They were able to obtain the expert view of a number of governments, organizations, and individuals. They were impressed with the complexity of the problem, as well as with its gravity and urgency, and pointed out that existing overpopulation in Western Europe, primarily Western Germany and Italy, was of a magnitude of about 4,500,000 persons. The experts felt that it would not be useful at the present time to suggest the creation of additional international machinery for handling this problem but stated that the effort should be to use existing special agencies to the full. The experts suggested that each of the three Governments might continue its cooperation by naming a special representative competent to confer informally with his two colleagues so as to aid those Governments in seeking a solution of migration problems. Examples of situations which such representatives might have occasion to explore are those where emigration and immigration countries, having exhausted their own resources, may need third-party assistance in finding solutions to difficulties connected with transfer of funds, shipping facilities, or cost of transportation in order to effect the maximum movement otherwise practicable. The report of the Tripartite Meeting of Experts on European Migration was adopted by the three Foreign Ministers at their meeting on September 18, 1950. The Ministers decided to appoint the special representatives recommended by the report, who would cooperate with each other and with representatives of other governments in seeking solutions for problems involved in European emigration. It was also decided to communicate the report to interested governments. It is expected that the three representatives will have undertaken their responsibilities early in 1951. The American representative is Robert R. West, who has been appointed special consultant to the Secretary of State on migration affairs. Mr. West is a former textile industrialist and a former representative of United States employers at various ILO meetings. Recently he has been consultant to the Department of Defense on occupied-area problems. 6. Forced Labor The existence of large-scale forced labor has created great concern among freedom-loving peoples. The question has repeatedly come before the Economic and Social Council and before the Governing Body of ILO since the matter was first introduced into Ecosoc by the American Federation of Labor in 1947. Much documentary proof exists to show that slave-labor conditions as inhuman and as cruel as any witnessed in the history of man exist today in areas where tyranny flourishes. It has become evident to all but the blind and the wishful that millions of human beings are being deprived of every |