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W O R L D H E A L T H O R G A N I Z A T I O N

Special Committee established by the I I I WHA to consider the Draft International Sanitary- Regulations

ORGANISATION MONDIALE DE LA SANTE'

A3-4/SR/50 26 April 1951

ORIGINAL: ENGLISH

DRAFT INTERNATIONAL SANITARY REGULATIONS

Privileges of epidemiological telegrammes and telephone communications in international traffic (Art. 2 . 2 )

The Director-General has the honour to submit to the Special Committee resolutions presented to the Administrative Council of the International Telecommunication Union, and approved by the Plenary meeting of this Council on 23 April 1951.

INTERNATIONAL EPIDEMIOLOGICAL TELEGRAMS OF THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION

The Administrative Council considering

1 . that the International Telecommunication Convention of Atlantic City 1947, and the Telegraph and Radio Regulations annexed thereto, make no provision for priority treatment of international epidemiological telegrams of the World Health Organizan on

2 . that WHO is preparing International Sanitary Regulations, which will eventually replace existing International Sanitary Conventions, which latter contain provisions granting to epidemiological telegrams the priority enjoyed by Government telegrams j

desirous

1. of avoiding any conflict between the Convention and Regulations of the International Telecommunication Union, on the one hand, and the proposed

International Sanitary Regulations of WHO, on the other hand;

A3-4/SR/50 page 2

2 . that measures be taken to facilitate the most expeditious possible treatment of epidemiological telegrams of exceptional urgency affecting the safety of life;

urges

1 . all Members of the Union to grant to epidemiological telegrams of exceptional urgency affecting the safety of life, sent by the Headquarters cf TOO or by the regional offices of that Organization, the sapie treatment as they accord to communications concerning safety of life at sea or in the air, in virtue of Article 45 of the International Telecommunication Convention of Atlantic City and of Articles 35. and 40 of the Telegraph Regulations annexed thereto; and, to this end, to give instructions to their offices that such treatment be accorded to telegrams sent by the regional offices of ШЮ or by the Headquarters of that Organization, which are certified by the sender as being communications of exceptional urgency concerning safety of l i f e ;

urges

2 . all Members of the Union to approach the private operating agencies recognized by them, with a view to ensuring,so far as possible, that these agencies grant to the telegrams in question the treatment provided in paragraph 1 above;

requests

3 . the Secretary General to communicate this resolution to all Members of the Union and to TOO forthwith;

requests

4 . the Secretary General to communicate to TOO in due course any observations on the matter -which he may receive from Members of the Union.

A3-4/SR/50 page 3

INTERNATIONAL EPIDEMIOLOGICAL TELEPHONE CONVERSATIONS OF THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION

The Administrative Council considering

1 . that the International Telecommunication Convention of Atlantic City, I947 and the Telephone Regulations annexed thereto make no provision for priority treatment of international epidemiological telephone conversations

of the World Health Organization;

2 . that WHO is preparing International Sanitary Regulations, which will eventually replace existing International «Sanitary Conventions, and proposed to introduce into these new Regulations provisions relative to telephone conversations with a view to obtaining priority in cases of exceptional urgency affecting safety of life;

desirous

of avoiding any conflict between the International Telecommunication Convention and the Telephone Regulations annexed thereto, on the one hand, and the proposed International Sanitary Regulations of WHO, on the other hand;

that measures be taken in order that the treatment applied to epidemiological telephone conversations of exceptional urgency affecting the safety of life may be the most expeditious;

urges

1 . all Members of the Union to grant to epidemiological telephone calls of exceptional urgency affecting the safety of l i f e , made by the

Headquarters of WHO or by the regional offices of that Organization, the same treatment as they accord to distress саЦв in virtue of Article 45 of the International Telecommunication Convention;

2 . all Members of the Union to approach the private operating agencies recognized by them, with a view to ensuring, so far as possible, that these agencies grant to the telephone conversations in question the treatment provided in paragraph 1 above;

invites

WHO to specify the cases in which international epidemiological telephone conversations of exceptional urgency are necessary;

A3-4/SR/50 page 4

requests

the CCIF to study urgently the best means of meeting the wishes of

"WHO so that the XVIth Plenary Assembly of the CCIF, in October 1951, may issue a recommendation on the subject and modify accordingly the Instructions to Operators of the International Telephone Service of the European System;

requests

the Secretary General to communicate this resolution to all Members of the Union and to ТШО forthwith.