Report of the Committee on Information from Non-Self-Governing Territories: The tenth session of the Committee on Information from Non-Self-Governing Territories was held in New York from April 20 through May 19, 1959. At this session the committee gave special attention to educational conditions in the non-self-governing territories, using as a guide the special studies prepared by the Secretariat and certain specialized agencies which it had before it. The studies by the Secretariat included papers on the participation of the inhabitants in the development of education and on secondary and higher education, while those prepared by the specialized agencies included reports on fundamental education, the eradication of illiteracy, free and compulsory primary education, recent developments in technical and vocational training, agricultural education and extension services, and the education and training of medical and health personnel. Statements in the general debate on this item, discussed at the 188th to 196th meetings inclusive, were made by the representatives of Australia, Brazil, Ceylon, the Dominican Republic, Ghana, Guatemala, India, Iraq, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

In accordance with a decision taken at the first part of its thirteenth session, the General Assembly reconvened on February 20, 1959, to consider exclusively the question of the future of the trust territories of the Cameroons under French administration and the Cameroons under United Kingdom administration. The Assembly referred the question to its Trusteeship (fourth) Committee which discussed the matter from its 844th meeting on February 25 to its 880th meeting on March 18. The Trusteeship Council had submitted a special report to the General Assembly concerning the future of these trust territories. The Council had also transmitted to the Assembly the reports of the UN visiting mission to trust territories in West Africa, 1958, and the observations of the administering authorities on the reports.

In the calendar year 1957, members of the United States Congress participated in three major interparliamentary meetings. No less than 41 members journeyed abroad to consort with fellow members of legislative bodies, to make speeches to each other for the benefit of an attentive press, and to adopt resolutions ranging widely over the field of foreign policy.

The Security Council held its 841st meeting on December 8, 1958, in response to an Israeli request that it convene to consider what was termed by this request an act of aggression committed on December 3, 1958, by the armed forces of the United Arab Republic against Israel territory in the Huleh area in northeast Galilee. The Council also had before it a report on the matter by the Chief of Staff of the UN Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO). Opening the discussion, Mr. Eban, the Israeli spokesman, stated that on December 3 a Syrian army post in the area had opened fire on Israeli shepherds and on a security patrol which came to their aid. This occurred on Israel territory in the area to which the demilitarization provisions of the 1949 Agreement were not applicable, according to Mr. Eban. Later, according to Mr. Eban, defensive fire was directed by Israeli forces against the Syrian posts. Syrian forces then opened a heavy artillery barrage on seven Israeli villages. These facts were confirmed, said Mr. Eban, in the reports of UNTSO. He informed the Council that Israel had asked UNTSO for an immediate cease-fire which was set by the latter for 1700 hours. The Israelis did not fire after 1700; on the Syrian side small arms fire again broke out after dark at 1940. Mr. Eban described a radio broadcast in Hebrew from Cairo on December 4 which indicated, in his view, that Cairo and Damascus did not repent of the bombardment or promise the cessation of such acts.

The resumed 26th session of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) was held in New York on October 23 and December 10 and 11, 1958, under the presidency of Mr. Davidson (Canada). A draft resolution by which ECOSOC would decide to enable the International Atomic Energy Agency to become a member of the Technical Assistance Board and to participate in the Expanded Program of Technical Assistance was adopted unanimously at the 1045th meeting. The Council elected the members of the Governing Council of the Special Fund: elected as members representing the economically more advanced countries were Canada, Denmark, France, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States; and representing the less-developed countries were Argentina, Chile, Ghana, India, Mexico, Pakistan, Peru, the United Arab Republic, and Yugoslavia. Brazil was elected as a member of the Technical Assistance Committee to fill the vacancy resulting from the election of Venezuela to ECOSOC. At its 1046th meeting the Council elected the following seven members of the Council Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations for 1959: China, Costa Rica, France, the Netherlands, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The Council unanimously confirmed the names of persons nominated by governments to represent them on the functional commissions of ECOSOC. The delegate of France announced that his country had been unable to take advantage of the extended time-limit for the submission of lists of the territories it wished to be admitted as associate members of the Economic Commission for Africa. The Council unanimously adopted a resolution designed to make the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the Specialized Agencies applicable to the Intergovernmental Maritime Consultative Organization.

The 26th session of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) was held in Geneva from July 1 through July 31, 1958. Mr. George F. Davidson (Canada) continued as President of the Council.

At the 845th meeting of the Security Council, held at headquarters on January 30, 1959, a discussion of the Palestine question in terms of a letter dated January 26, from the permanent representative of Israel to the UN, began with statements by the parties concerned. The special meeting had been convened by die President of the Council in response to a request from the government of Israel.

The Trusteeship Council held its eighth special session from October 13 to October 17, 1958, at UN Headquarters in New York. Following the adoption of its agenda, the Council decided to examine simultaneously the two major items before it, the future of Togoland under French administration and the examination of the annual report of the French government on Togoland for the year 1956. The Council also had before it the observations of the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on the territory. At the Council's 937th meeting, Mr. Dorsinville, the commissioner for the supervision of elections in the territory, presented his report on the elections which had been held on April 28, 1958, which he had drawn up in accordance with a resolution adopted at the twelfth session of the General Assembly. Mr. Dorsinville drew the attention of the Council to the fact that the election results had been contested in six electoral circonscriptions, but that the appeals concerning the results had been rejected by the administrative tribunal. The composition of the Chamber of Deputies was, therefore, the same as that announced by the Election Returns Board, as given in Mr. Dorsinville's report. The commissioner re-affirmed the conviction expressed in his report that the results of the elections reflected the wishes of the people of Togoland. He pointed out that by the election of April 1958 the unanimity of the government of Togoland had ended, so that the present government was composed of a majority of a little more than two-thirds of the members of the new Assembly. The change in public opinion in Togoland seemed to explain the election results, in Mr. Dorsinville's view; the UN mission, he stated, had helped to create the circumstances favorable to the free expression of the people's will. Mr. Dorsinville also noted that the conversations between the French government and a Togolese delegation which had resulted in a communique were an indication of the good relations to be promoted between Togoland and France.

The 27th session of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), comprising the 1048th to the 1066th meetings, was held in Mexico City from April 7 through April 24, 1959. Mr. Cosío Villegas (Mexico) was elected President for 1959 at the opening meeting, while Mr. Michalowski (Poland) and Mr. Zahiruddin Ahmed (Pakistan) were elected First and Second Vice-Presidents, respectively.

Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East: The fifteenth session of the Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East (ECAFE) was held in Broadbeach, Australia, from March 9 to 19, 1959, under the chairmanship of Mr. Richard G. Casey, Minister of State for External Affairs of Australia.1 During the course of the session, new offers of financial aid to the Lower Mekong river development project were made: Canada offered $1,300,000 to pay for its undertaking of an aerial survey and mapping of the Lower Mekong basin; Australia offered $225,000 for equipment and training; and France promised an additional $102,500 beyond the $126,000 previously contributed. The Soviet Union also indicated that it was prepared to extend technical assistance to the Mekong project either directly or through ECAFE for power stations.

Case concerning the Aerial Incident of July 2J, 1955 (United States v. Bulgaria): In an order of October 8, 1958, the Court, in accordance with a request from the agent for the government of Bulgaria, extended the time limit for the filing of the counter-memorial of the government of Bulgaria to September 9, 1959.

The Trusteehip Council held its 24th session at UN Headquarters in New York from June 2 to August 6, 1959. At its opening meeting, the 967th, the Council adopted its provisional agenda which included examination of the annual reports of the administering authorities on the trust territories of Ruanda-Urundi, Togoland under French administration, New Guinea, Nauru, the trust territory of the Pacific Islands, Somaliland under Italian administration, and Western Samoa, as well as consideration of petitions, matters referred to the Council by the General Assembly, reports of visiting missions, the report of the UN Advisory Council for the Trust Territory of Somaliland under Italian administration, and reports of various committees of the Council.

Case concerning the “Compagnie du Port, des Quais et des Entrepôts de Beyrouth” and the “Société Radio-Orient” (France v. Lebanon): On February 13, 1959, an application instituting proceedings before the Courtagainst Lebanon was filed by France. The application noted that in accordance with the terms of their constitutional instruments, the Compagnie du Port, des Quais et des Entrepôts de Beyrouth and the Société Radio-Orient enjoyed certain customs and tax exemptions in Lebanon during the life of their concessions. The Lebanese government, it continued, having, on July 26, 1956, enacted a law providing for the imposition of income tax and other fiscal and municipal taxes on all companies enjoying an exemption under agreements ratified by special legislation, the French government considered that this constituted a unilateral alteration of the position of the companies concerned, which was contrary to the Agreement of January 24, 1948, between France and Lebanon.

Case concerning the Aerial Incident of July 27, 7955 (United Kingdom v. Bulgaria): In response to a request from the government of Bulgaria, the International Court, in an order of May 27, 1959, extended the time limit for the deposit of the Bulgarian counter-memorial from June 9, 1959, to August 10, 1959.

The eleventh session of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Assembly met in Montreal from May 20 to June 2, 1958. Represented at the meeting were 52 contracting states; two non-contracting states (the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia) sent observers, as did the UN, the International Labor Organization, and the International Air Transport Association. After statements by various delegations, the President of the ICAO Council reviewed the activities of the organization since the last Assembly meeting in 1956. He stated that the intervening period had been one of great activity in ICAO centering around preparations in all fields for the advent of turbine-powered aircraft. A specially created Jet Operations Requirements Panel had studied the requirements of the new long-range jet aircraft, and a Special Implementation Panel had been created by the Council. A preliminary study of the economic implications of long-range aircraft had been prepared by the Air Transport Committee and was being submitted to the Council. He stressed that while special attention was being given to the coming operations of jet aircraft, this emphasis should not cause the organization to disregard the continuous growth of aviation during 1956 and 1957. The technical assistance activity of ICAO had continued, during the period under review, to give important support to implementation through the assignment of experts and technicians and the training of students in countries where there were technical assistance missions, as also by granting fellowships and scholarships for study abroad.

The 29th session of the Council of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) was held in Rome from October 27 to November 7, 1958. The Council had before it the Director-General's annual report, The State of Food and Agriculture, and a supplementary statement bringing the situation up to date as at mid-October. It noted with concern the deterioration in the ‘terms of trade’ for agricultural products in world markets and the continuing problems of excess production and surplus disposal; it was suggested that policies should aim at making countries economically self-supporting rather than self-sufficient. A report from the Committee on Commodity Problems tended to confirm the Council's conclusion that there was a definite need for long-term measures which might help to bring about a better balance in world commodity markets. The Council also reviewed the state of various of the organization's current activities, including projects for Mediterranean development, desert locust control, Sunn pest control, and a re-examination of the social welfare aspects of FAO's work. Resolutions passed by the Council included: 1) the continuation of the FAO/United Nations Children's Fund Joint Policy Committee; 2) the approval of minor amendments to the Constitution of the European Commission on Control of Foot-and-Mouth Disease; 3) the extension of the Latin American Forestry Research and Training Institute until the end of 1958; 4) the establishment of an ad hoc committee of member governments to work with the Director-General in preparation for a ‘Free-the-World-from-Hunger’ year; 5) authorization for a close association of FAO with the United Nations Special Fund for Economic Development; 6) approval of a relationship agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency; and 7) endorsement of various plans for a reorganization of FAO Headquarters, post adjustments, and modifications in the program of work for 1958 and 1959.

Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjold, in the introduction to his fourteenth annual report on the work of the Organization, June 16, 1958 to June 15, 1959 observed that the year had been characterized by intense diplomatic activities mainly outside the UN, although in some cases within its precincts or in informal contact with the Organization. The dual significance of this intense diplomatic and political activity, exemplified by the meetings in Geneva on a controlled cessation of nuclear tests and on die problem of the status of Berlin, as well as by die increasing number of exchanges of visits of leading statesmen, lay, on the one hand, in its indication that various international problems had been brought to a point where they called for renewed and urgent efforts to find a solution, and, on die other, in its introduction, through the broadening and deepening of personal contacts on different levels, of a new constructive element which might strengthen the hope that ways to reconciliation and to a reduction of tensions might be found. Although such negotiations were encouraged by the Charter of the UN, the Secretary-General continued, diere would be legitimate reason for concern if such developments outside the Organization were to reflect a neglect of the possibilities offered by the Organization, because of a lapse into bilateralism, disregarding third party interests. Likewise, the situation would be a reason for concern if it reflected a view that the Organization was unable to meet the demands which Member nations were entitled to put on it.

The 41st (Maritime) session of the International Labor Conference was held in Geneva from April 29 to May 14, 1958, under the presidency of Mr. I. Kawasaki (Japanese government delegate). It was attended by 370 delegates, advisers, and observers, representing the governments, shipowners, and seafarers of 46 member countries. The Conference took note of reports from its credentials committee, declaring that the objections lodged against the nomination of the Chinese delegation and the Indian workers' delegation were irreceivable.

The thirteenth annual report of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, covering the fiscal year July 1, 1957, to June 30, 1958, was presented to the Board of Governors on October 6, 1958. Noting that the operations of the Bank in the past year were larger and more wide-ranging than in any previous year, the report stated that 34 loans totaling the equivalent of $711 million had been made during the twelve months ended June 30, 1958. This compared with 20 loans totaling $388 million in the previous year. More than half the year's lending was in Asia, amounting to $379 million, while the balance was made up of $121 million for Latin America, $112 million for Africa, and $99 million for Europe. Of the total of $322 million lent for improvements in transportation, two-thirds was for the improvement and expansion of rail services in seven member countries. The $242 million lent in regard to electric power was for the expansion of generation, transmission, and distribution systems in nine countries. Loans made for industry totaled $107 million and were largely concerned with expansion programs in steel and coal.