OFFICIAL RECORDS

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OFFICIAL RECORDS

OF THE

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION

No. 5

MINUTES OF THE THIRD SESSION

OF THE INTERIM COMMISSION

HELD IN GENEVA FROM 31 MARCH TO 12 APRIL 1947

United Nations

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION Interim Commission

rr;ee: '3 $0.25

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MINUTES

of the

THIRD SESSION

of the

ISTERDi COlT.1TISSIO\

Held in Geneva from 31 March to 12 April 1947

United Nations

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION Interim Commission

350 Fifth Avenue, New York Palais des Nations, Geneva

AUGUST 1947

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A.

B.

First Meeting

₉

2. Second Meeting

ri

3.

Third Meeting

14

4.

Fourth Meeting

r6

5.

Fifth Meeting

r7

6.

Sixth Meeting

20

7.

Seventh Meeting

21

8.

Eighth Meeting

²⁵

9.

Ninth Meeting

27

C. Annexes

Annex No.

1. Agenda 2. Report

a.

b.

c.

d.

e.

f.

* * *

LIST OF ANNEXES

(WHO.IC /6o

Rev. r)

of the Executive Secretary (WHO.IC

/6r)

Signature and Acceptance of the Constitution

Organization

of the Secretariat

Draft Agreement and Relations with the United Nations Relations with Specialized Agencies

Relations with International and National Agencies

Legal Capacity, Privileges and Immunities of the World Health Organ-

ization ⁴⁶

Services 48

h.

Terms of Reference of and Appointments to Expert Committees

^. .

i.

Sanitary Conventions

j.

Standardization

Preparation of the Sixth Decennial Revision of the International Lists of Diseases and Causes of Death

1. Technical Services

m. Publication of Proceedings

n.

Technical Publications

o.

Possible Sites of Headquarters of the World Health Organization

p.

Staff Regulations

q. Financial Services and Regulations

r. Delimitation of Regional Health Areas on an Epidemiological Basis. ^.

s.

Recommendations from Outside Sources

31

3r 31 32 33

38 41 44

k.

Committee on Administration and Finance:

List of Members

3. Reports of the Committee on Administration and Finance to the Interim Com-

mission :

a.

First Report (WHO.IC

^/67)

b. Second Report (WHO.IC^/73)

4. Rules of Procedure (WHO.IC /AF

^/7)

5. Expenses and per diem Allowances of Representatives and Delegates 6. Bonding and Insurance :

a. Note by the Secretariat (WHO.IC /AF /8)

b.

Suggestions by the Representative from the United States of America

(WHO.IC /AF /i8)

7. Repayment of Loan made by the United Nations and Scale of Contributions

(WHO.IC /AF /13 Rev. i)

50

53 58 59

6o 6i 62 65 66 66 76 77

8o

8o 8i 82 84 85 85 86

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4 Annex

No. Page

8. Resolution on Financial Regulations (WHO.IC /AF /io) 87

9. Field Services :

a. Budget Committee on UNRRA Funds (WHO.IC /58) 87

b.

Report of the Sub -Committee on Field Services Budget (UNRRA

Funds) (WHO.IC /59) 88

c.

Supplementary Report of Sub -Committee on Field Services Budget

(UNRRA Funds) (WHO.IC /64 Rev. i)

90

cl.

Summary Report on Ethiopia (WHO.IC /AF /ii)

91

e. Summary Report on Greece (WHO.IC /AF /14) 94

io. Budget for 1946/47 (WHO.IC /73 Appendix) 97

ii. Preliminary Estimates for 1948 (WHO.IC /AF /12 Rev. 2)

105 Committee on Relations.

List of Members io6

12. Reports of the Committee on Relations to the Interim Commission

a. First Report (WHO.IC /68) io6

b. Second Report (WHO.IC /74 Rev. 1) 107

13. Fellowship Programme of United Nations Department of Social Affairs (WHO.

IC /R /6) 109

14. Negotiations with the Office International d'Hygiène Publique (WHO.IC /R /2) rio 15. Negotiations with the Pan American Sanitary Organization :

a. Report of the Sub -Committee (WHO.IC /R /8) 113

b.

Sections in the Final Act of the Twelfth Pan American Sanitary

Conference (WHO.IC /R /r3) 118

c.

Memorandum submitted by the Representative from the United King-

dom (WHO.IC /R /14) 120

16. International Children's Emergency Fund (WHO.IC /R /5)

121

17. Resolution on Transfer of Functions, Activities and Assets of the League of

Nations Health Organization (WHO.IC /75) 125

Comm'ttee on Epidemiology and Quarantine.

List of Members 126

18. Report of the Committee on Epidemiology and Quarantine to the Interim Com-

mission (WHO.IC /69 Rev. i)

126

19. Studies on :

a. Questions IC /EQ /

referred

2) . . b.y

.

the

.

Offi. ce

. .

Internati.

. .

l

.

d

.

'Hygiène

. . .

Pu. blique

. . .

(W. H.O.

.

b. Post -Vaccinal Encephalitis (WHO.IC /EQ /4) 129

20. Report of the Quarantine Commission of the Office International d'Hygiène

Publique (WHO.IC /EQ /3)

21 . Note on a New Edition of the International Quarantine Directory (WHO.IC /EQ /6)

22. Revision of Pilgrimage Clauses of the 1926 International Sanitary Convention

(WHO.IC /EQ /9) 132

Committee on Headquarters.

List of Members 136

23 . Report of the Committee on Headquarters to the Interim Commission (WHO.IC /7o) 136 Committee on Priorities.

List of Members 137

24. Report of the Committee on Priorities to the Interim Commission (WHO.IC /72

Rev. 1) 137

25. Proposals on

a. The Setting -up of a Committee on Influenza (WHO.IC /P /i) 138 b.

The Inclusion of Schistosomiasis on the Agenda of the First World

Health Assembly (WHO.IC /P /2) 139

Privileges and Immunities.

26. Report of the Temporary Panel of Legal Consultants (WHO.IC /71)

139

Final Report.

27. Summary Report of the Interim Commission on its Third Session (WHO.IC /76

Rev. 1)

Index

128 130 131

141 144

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LIST OF MEMBERS

Z. The following members of the Commission were present at the third session:

Dr. Andrija STANPAR, President of the Yugoslav Academy of Sciences and Arts, Professor of Public Health at the University of Zagreb, Yugoslavia. Chairman.

*Dr. Aly Tewfik SHOUSHA Pasha, Under- Secretary of State, Ministry of Public Health, Cairo, Egypt.

Vice -Chairman.

Dr. Szeming SZE, Resident Representative, National Health Administration of China, Washington, D.C., United States of America. Vice -Chairman.

Dr. G. D. W. CAMERON, Deputy Minister of National Health, Department of National Health and Welfare, Ottawa, Canada. (Absent sixth meeting.)

Dr. Demetrio CASTILLO, Assistant to the Director of Public Health, Caracas, Venezuela. Alternate.

Dr. André CAVAILLON, Directeur général de la Santé, Ministère de la Santé publique, Paris, France.

(Absent last meeting.)

Dr. Karl EVANG, Surgeon -General of the Department of Public Health, Oslo, Norway. (Absent first, eighth and ninth meetings.)

Dr. H. VAN ZItE HYDE, Senior Surgeon, Public Health Service, Washington, D.C., United States of America. Alternate.

Dr. Sergei KOLESNIxov, President of the Alliance of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Moscow, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Alternate. (Present fifth, seventh and eighth meetings.) Dr. Melville MACKENZIE, Principal Medical Officer, Ministry of Health, London, United Kingdom.

(Absent eighth meeting.)

Lieutenant- Colonel C. MANI, I.M.S., Deputy Public Health Commissioner, New Delhi, India.

Dr. Manuel MARTINEZ BAEZ, Permanent Representative of Mexico to UNESCO, Paris, France. Alternate.

(Absent seventh, eighth and ninth meetings.)

Dr. Geraldo H. DE PAULA SOUZA, Director of the Faculty of Hygiene and Public Health, University of Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Dr. Carlos E. PAZ SOLDAN, Professor of Hygiene, Faculty of Medicine, University of San Marcos, Lima, Peru. (Absent fourth meeting.)

Dr. George Muir REDSHAW, Chief Medical Officer, Australia House, London, England.

Dr. Cornelis VAN DEN BERG, Director General of Public Health, Ministry of Social Affairs, The Hague, Netherlands.

* *

z. The following members were absent:

Dr. Levko Ivanovitch MEDVED, Deputy Minister of Public Health, Kiev, Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic.

Dr. Joseph N. TOGBA, Physician to Liberian Government, Department of State, Monrovia, Liberia

3. The following also attended the third session:

Dr. Cornelis BANNING, Chief Medical Officer of Public Health, The Hague, Netherlands. Alternate.

Air Vice -Marshal C. H. K. EDMONDS, Assistant Secretary, Ministry of Health, London, United Kingdom. Adviser.

Mr. C. J. GOUDSMIT, Health Department, Ministry of Social Affairs, The Hague, Netherlands. Adviser.

Mr. L. Wendell HAYES, Specialist on International Organization Affairs, State Department, Washington, D.C., United States America. Adviser.

Sir WILSON JAMESON, Chief Medical Officer, Ministry of Health, London, United Kingdom. (Attended only the first three meetings as representative, Dr. Mackenzie acting as alternate.)

Dr. William KAUNTZE, Chief Medical Adviser, Colonial Office, London, United Kingdom. Alternate.

Mme. Catherine LABEYRIE, Chef de Bureau, Ministère des Affaires étrangères, Paris, France. Adviser.

* This name has formerly been transliterated as " Choucha Pacha" ; in the English text it will henceforth be printed as above.

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Dr. J. A. MELANSON, Chief Medical Officer of New Brunswick Department of Health, Representing the Dominion Council of Health, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. Adviser.

Mr. Samuel T. PARELMAN, Chief, International Organizations Branch, Office of Budget and Finance, Washington, D.C., United States of America. Adviser.

Dr. Thomas C. ROUTLEY, General Secretary, Canadian Medical Association, Toronto, Canada. Alternate.

Dr. H. Y. SAUTTER, Médecin -Inspecteur de la Santé, Ministère de la Santé publique, Paris, France.

Alternate.

Dr. T. L. Su, Technical Expert, National Health Administration of China, School of Pathology, Uni- versity of Oxford, England. Alternate.

Dr. Willem A. TIMMERMAN, Director, National Institute of Public Health, Utrecht, Netherlands.

Alternate.

4. The following were present as observers:

UNITED NATIONS :

Dr. Gustavo DA SA LESSA, Director, Health Section, Department of Social Affairs.

Mr. Bruce TURNER, Assistant Director, Liaison and Co- ordination Division, Department of Economic and Social Affairs.

FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION (FAO) :

Dr. J. M. LATSKY, Nutrition Specialist, Nutrition Division.

INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN'S EMERGENCY FUND (ICEF) AND INTERNATIONAL REFUGEE ORGA- NIZATION (IRO) :

Mr. Alfred DAVIDSON, Principal Adviser to the Preparatory Commission of the International Refugee Organization.

Mr. M. K. AICI{IN, Legal Adviser, Preparatory Commission of the International Refugee Organization.

INTERNATIONAL CIVIL AVIATION ORGANIZATION (ICAO) : Mr. R. J. MOUI TON, Member, Air Transport Bureau of PICAO.

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANIZATION (ILO) :

Mr. C. W. H. WEA1,ER, Principal Chief of Section.

OFFICE INTERNATIONAL D'HYGIÈNE PUBLIQUE :

Dr. L. M. GAUD, Président de la Commission des Finances et du Transfert.

PAN AMERICAN SANITARY BUREAU :

Dr. Fred SOPER, Director.

UNITED NATIONS EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATION (UNESCO) : M. André DE BLONAY, Head of Section of External Relations.

Dr. Joseph NEEDHAM, Head of Division of Natural Sciences.

Dr. I. M. ZHUKOVA, Counsellor in Medical Sciences, Division of Natural Sciences.

UNRRA:

Dr. Andrew TOPPING, Director, Health Division, European Regional Office, London.

5. The following members of the Secretariat participated in the meetings:

Dr. Brock CHISHOLM, Executive Secretary.

Dr. Yves M. BIRAUD, Deputy Executive Secretary.

Dr. Raymond GAUTIER, Counsellor.

Dr. Neville GOODMAN, Director of Field Services Division.

Dr. E. J. PAMPANA, Secretary of the Expert Committee on Malaria.

Mr. Leo I. RICHARDS, Financial Controller.

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SUMMARY RECORDS OF MEETINGS OF THE THIRD SESSION

OF THE INTERIM COMIVIISSION

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FIRST MEETING

Held on Monday, 31 March 1947, at 10.30 a.m., Palais des Nations, Geneva.

Chairman: Dr. A. STAMPAR (Yugoslavia)^.

Opening Address.

The CHAIRMAN, in opening the session, greeted the representatives from the different countries, as well as the advisers and observers. He recalled that members from the Interim Commission were present as representatives of the interests of the sixty -three nations which had signed the

New York Arrangement 1 and that they were doing important work in preparation for the

World Health Assembly.

The health of the world could not be improved while in many

countries thousands ^of people, particularly children, were suffering from malnutrition ; and it would be for the World Health Assembly to take the necessary measures to bring this state of affairs to an end.

2. Adoption of Minutes of Second Session.

The minutes of the second session of the

Interim Commission were then adopted without modification.

3. Approval of Agenda.

The CHAIRMAN asked if there were any

comments on the agenda of the third session

(document WHO.IC /6o Rev. z, Annex .r) ;

and Sir WILSON JAMESON requested early consideration of item XI (Next Meeting of Interim Commission).

The agenda was then adopted.

4. Additions to Membership of Committees.

In response to requests made by the delegates concerned, it was agreed that the United Kingdom and China should be represented on the Committee on Relations, and France on the Committee on the Headquarters of the World Health Organiz- ation.

On the suggestion of Dr. VAN DEN BERG, it was also agreed

that a Co- ordination Committee

should be formed.

5. Consideration of Report of the Executive

Secretary.

The CHAIRMAN then proposed that there should first

be a general debate on

the Executive Secretary's Report (document WHO.IC /6i, Annex

2)

and that certain

items should afterwards be referred to the appropriate committees. In 1 " Arrangement setting up the Interim Com- mission of the World Health Organization ", in Final Acts of the International Health Conference, United Nations, New York, October 1946.

this connexion, he proposed that Items c, d and

e should be considered by the Committee on Relations, Items i and

r,

by the Committee

on Epidemiology and Quarantine, and Item o,

by the Committee on the Headquarters of the

World Health Organization.

6. Geographical Areas.

Dr. SZE inquired of the Executive Secretary if Item r of the Report (Delimitation of Regional Health Areas on an Epidemiological Basis, had reference to page 35, item 8 (Definition of Geographical Areas) of the Minutes of the Second Session. The Interim Commission had a statutory obligation, as defined in the Draft Resolution on the Definition of Geographical Areas (document WHO.IC /W.5o) 2, to define geographical areas with a view to the setting -up of Regional Offices : and therefore this matter should be discussed, not in the Committee on Epidemiology and Qua- rantine, but in plenary session.

This view was supported by Dr. PAZ SoLDAN.

In the opinion of Dr. MANI, Item r dealt with two distinct matters :

(z) The establishment of areas with a view to the collection and dissemination of epide-

miological intelligence ; and

(2) The establishment of Regional Offices, as provided for in Chapter XI of the Constitution of the World Health Organization 3.

In reply to Dr. SZE, the EXECUTIVE SECRETARY quoted paragraph 2b (III) from the "Arrangement setting up the Interim Commission" 4, concerning the definition of geographical areas with a view to the eventual establishment of regional organizations. At the second session, the Secretariat had been instructed to undertake such a study on a purely epidemiological basis, and it had done so.

Therefore, he thought that the matter should be referred to the Committee on Epidemiology and Quarantine, which would submit a report to the Interim Commission.

Dr. SZE thought that two issues were being confused and that there had been a misconception of

the instructions given to

the Secretariat 2 See Documentation of the Second Session, Official Records of the World Health Organization, No. 4, Annex 42.

$See Final Acts of the International Health Conference, United Nations, New York, October,

1946, pages 21-23.

4 I bid, page. 36.

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31 MARCH 1947

IO -

FIRST MEETING concerning the studies referred to. He proposed

that Item r should be left on the agenda of the

plenary session and, if necessary, the question referred later to the Committee on Epidemiology and Quarantine.

Sir WILSON JAMESON stated that, although

having no personal preference,

he felt that,

because of the number of technical problems

involved and the possibility of political consider- ations intervening in a debate in plenary session, it would be wise to refer this item to the Com- mittee on Epidemiology and Quarantine.

Dr. MANI thought that the Secretariat had

exceeded its instructions, since it had been requested to study the delimitation of regional areas only in connexion with the collection and dissemination of epidemiological intelligence ; the question of Regional Offices had never been referred to it. It had sent out a circular letter to Governments requesting their

views on

the establishment of Regional Offices, and he proposed that replies from these Governments should be awaited and discussion of this point postponed until the fourth session. Document WHO.IC /61 r

could be referred to the Committee on Epi- demiology and Quarantine for a report on the

question of epidemiological intelligence only.

This proposal was seconded by Sir WILSON

JAMESON.

After a general discussion, it was decided, on the suggestion of Dr. HYDE, (I) that Govern-

ments should not be further approached until their replies to

the circular letter had been received ; and, on Dr. SZE'S recommendation, (2) that a separate document incorporating those parts of Document WHO.IC /61 -R which dealt with epidemiological intelligence should be referred for consideration to the Committee on Epidemiology and Quarantine.

Dr. MANI'S proposal to defer the question of Regional Offices for further study and to submit it to the fourth session of the Interim Commission was then adopted.

Dr. PAZ SOLDÁN favoured postponing the question

of the

delimitation of geographical

areas until the creation of the World Health

Organization ; but the EXECUTIVE SECRETARY

pointed out that the Interim Commission had a statutory obligation to perform this work.

This was confirmed by the CHAIRMAN.

1 The revision of this document is published as

Annex 2 C.

7. Decision for Preparation of Final Act.

On Dr. HYDE'S suggestion, it was agreed that a

Final Act embodying

all decisions taken during the session should be adopted at the end of the session.

8. Ratifications of Constitution.

Dr. VAN DEN BERG, supported by Sir WILSON JAMESON and Dr. HYDE, congratulated the Executive Secretary on his Report.

There being no further general observations, the

Interim Commission proceeded with the

detailed examination of the Report, commencing with Item a, "Signature and Acceptance of the World Health Organization Constitution" (Annex

2 a).

The EXECUTIVE SECRETARY stated that, since the end of the second session, two more Govern- ments had ratified the Constitution of the World Health Organization ; seven of the twenty -six necessary ratifications had therefore been obtained. Switzerland, though not a member of the United Nations, had also ratified.

Dr. HYDE expressed his satisfaction over the ratification of the Constitution by Switzerland, the first non -member of the United Nations to take such action. He stated that, although this ratification would not influence the entry into force of the Constitution, this fact could in no

way affect the equality of membership or the heartiness of the welcome to be accorded to

Switzerland.

He hoped that the other States

which had been invited to send observers to the International Health Conference

would take

advantage of the simple procedure available to them for joining the World Health Organization.

The CHAIRMAN then asked the representatives

present from Governments which had not yet

ratified the Constitution to summarize the posi- tions of these Governments as to ratification.

All stated that their Governments had agreed in principle to the ratification, which would take place as soon as governmental procedure permitted.

In order to facilitate the work of the Committee

on Administration and Finance, Dr. SZE re- quested that

the Secretariat should prepare a summary of the latest information on ratifications, and the CHAIRMAN agreed that such a document would be provided 2.

The meeting rose at 12.35 p.m.

2 See Appendix, Annex 2 a.

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SECOND MEETING

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31 MARCH 1947

SECOND MEETING

Held on Monday, 31 March 1947, at 2.3o p.m., Palais des Nations, Geneva.

Chairman: Dr. A. STAMPAR (Yugoslavia).

1. Ratifications.

After opening the meeting, in continuing the discussion of ratifications to the Constitution, the CHAIRMAN asked Dr.

Evang to

inform the Commission of Norway's position in this regard.

Dr. EVANG replied that about a month pre- viously the necessary documents had been

passed to the Norwegian Government by the

Director of Public Health through the Minister of Social Affairs.

They had now gone to the

Parliament, and ratification was expected within a few weeks.

The CHAIRMAN then announced that the Italian

Parliament had ratified

the Constitution on 16 March. This meant that two observer States had ratified, Italy and Switzerland.

2. Organization of the Secretariat.

Returning to the examination of the Report

of

the Executive Secretary,

the Commission considered the Organization of the Secretariat (Annex 2 b).

Dr. MACKENZIE said that

he would

like confirmation of the official title of the Committee on Habit -Forming Drugs, mentioned in paragraph 5 of the document concerned, in view of the fact that the Committee set up by the Economic and

Social Council had been called the Narcotics

Commission.

The DEPUTY EXECUTIVE SECRETARY explained

that, since

the United Nations had already

established a Narcotics Commission with wider terms of reference than those of the Committee set up by the Interim Commission, the question had arisen as to whether this Committee should

not be designated by a more specific term.

However, the Committee was to work with

other drugs besides narcotics, and it had been thought desirable, therefore, to change its name from "Committee on Narcotics" to "Committee on Habit -forming Drugs ".

Dr. EVANG thought this explanation quite

satisfactory and stated that, from a medical point of view, non -narcotic habit- forming drugs were playing an ever -greater rôle in European countries. These drugs included not only barbituric

acid and the benzedrine group, but

also a substitute for morphine. If, therefore, the scope of the Committee were limited to " narcotics ", in a very short time another Committee would have to be appointed to deal with non - narcotic habit -forming drugs.

Dr. SZE wondered why the Secretariat had

taken it upon itself to change a title which had been formally adopted at the last session.

Besides this objection as to procedure, he favoured retaining the title " Expert Committee on Narcotic

Drugs ", because, under the various international conventions on narcotic drugs, the WHO was

specifically required to set up such an Expert

Committee.

However, the CHAIRMAN putting the question to the vote, it was decided that the title should he changed to "Committee on Habit -forming Drugs ".

There being no further observations on the

Organization of the Secretariat, the Committee took note of this section of the report and passed on to the next item.

3. Legal Capacity, Privileges and Immunities.

Referring to the memorandum on the Legal Capacity, Privileges and Immunities of the World Health Organizatiou (Annex 2 f) and read-

ing relevant

passages of

this document, the

EXECUTIVE SECRETARY pointed out that the Director of

the United

Nations Division of

Privileges and Immunities did not disapprove of the action taken by the Secretariat in making

a draft agreement between the WHO and the Swiss Government and in arranging for the application of that agreement to the Interim

Commission.

Dr. MACKENZIE stated that he had sought legal advice on this matter and that his conclu- sions were as follows :

1. A distinction had to be made between an agreement on privileges and immunities for the World Health Organization and one for its Interim Commission.

2.

With regard to the Organization, an

agreement for privileges and immunities should

be concluded with all the Members, under

Article 68 of the Constitution, and not between the Organization

and individual Members

piecemeal.

The practical reason why the

Interim Commission should not try to negotiate an agreement with Switzerland for

privileges and immunities which would be

transferred to and become those of the Organiz- ation when it was established was that such privileges and immunities would not only have to be wider than those required by the Interim Commission, but also more general in character,

and enforceable in every Member country,

not merely in Switzerland.

3. Nevertheless, since the Interim Commission

had to protect itself and its employees, the

following procedure might be practicable :

(i) The Interim Commission could try to get confirmation of Mr. Zaba's statement in

paragraph A that the Commission and its

employees would be protected by the agreement

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31 MARCH 1947

- r2 --

SECOND MEETING

made between the United Nations and Switzer- land.

It might well be that this agreement

was in such form that the Interim Commission,

as an agency of the United Nations, would

be covered by it. The date when the proposed United Nations -Switzerland Agreement would come into force should also be ascertained.

(ii) If, however, the Interim Commission and its employees were not protected by this Agreement, then the Commission would itself

have to negotiate an agreement with the

Swiss Government and with any other Govern-

ment in whose territory it intended to have

services requiring such an Agreement.

(iii) The Interim Commission might well prepare this General Agreement, taking into

account the United Nations Convention on

Privileges and Immunities, the Resolution of the General Assembly adopted in February,

1946, and similar conventions concluded by other specialized agencies. This draft Agree- ment could then be submitted to Members of

the Organization for adoption at

the first

World Health Assembly.

Mr. HAYES said that the view of the United States Government was that the problem should

be divided into two parts, one concerning a

general convention on privileges and immunities, and the other a special convention, which might be called a convention on site and headquarters immunities.

The general convention should be negotiated

with Member Governments

after discussion among all the specialized

agencies and the

United Nations itself. This would avoid a multi- plicity

of legal instruments and the risk

of conventions being overlooked. Otherwise, some countries might adopt certain conventions and not others ;

some agencies might have their

privileges and immunities confirmed in one country and not in others. He had no particular views as to how that convention should actually

be submitted to the Governments concerned.

The second convention would deal with the immunities of the Organization at the place where it had its headquarters. The Interim Commission should conclude its negotiations with the Swiss Government, but the agreement should be limited to the life of the Commission. It would not be legally applicable to the World Health Organiz-

ation itself.

He then read the following statement, prepared by the Office of the Legal Adviser of the Depart-

ment of State :

" The proposed provisional agreement between the Interim Commission and the Swiss Government is in the nature of a special site or headquarters agreement, as distinguished

from a general multilateral convention on

privileges and immunities. It

is the latter

type of convention

to which the General

Assembly Resolution of 13 February 1946 has reference, in calling for the unification of the

privileges and

immunities of the United Nations and of the various specialized agencies.

The General Assembly Résolution was not

intended to prohibit the conclusion of a special

agreement between a host state and an international organization.

"The Interim Commission should approve the

provisional agreement with the

Swiss

Government as essential to the Commission's

operations, but, in doing so, should make it

clear that this action could in no way prejudge the decision of the World Health Organization, when established, as to the site agreement to be concluded between the Organization and the State within whose territory the Organization decides to establish its headquarters.

" As indicated in the Report of the Executive Secretary of the Interim Commission of the WHO, (Annex 2 f), it is urgent that the Interim Commission be accorded certain legal rights

by the

Swiss Government without delay, particularly as to free disposal of funds. The Interim Commission has taken over the functions and staff of the League of Nations

Health Organization, which was located in Geneva, pursuant to authorization by the

Economic and Social Council of the United

Nations, and consequently conducts a sub- stantial part of its business in

its Geneva

office.

" Since the proposed provisional agreement between the Interim Commission and Swiss Federal Council conforms closely to the agreement recently signed between the Swiss Govern- ment and the International Labour Organiz- ation, there would seem to be no reason why the Interim Commission should not enjoy the same rights and facilities as the ILO.

" The United States has recognized the

difference between a general multilateral convention, according privileges and immunities to an international organization, and special site agreements between a host State and an organization. The United States has negotiated a site agreement with the United

Nations, apart from the general convention

on the privileges and immunities to be accorded it. In addition, the United States supported the conclusion of a special agreement between

the United Nations

Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and France, UNESCO'S host State, although it opposed the adoption by UNESCO of a general convention on privileges and immunities.

It may be

noted that the United States also opposed the adoption by the International Labour Organiz- ation of a general convention on privileges and immunities, although the International Labour Organization has concluded special agreements

both with Canada and Switzerland, where

that Organization has offices.

" The approval by the Interim Commission of the provisional agreement with the Swiss Government, can, it seems clear, apply only

to the Interim Commission and can in no

way prejudge the decision of the World Health Organization in the matter. Under Article 43 of the World Health Organization Constitution, the location of the headquarters of the organization is

to be determined by the Health

Assembly after consultation with the United Nations ; and under Articles 44 and 46, the Health Assembly may approve the establish ment of Regional Offices. It will be the function, therefore, of the Health Assembly to

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SECOND MEETING

- 13 -

31 MARCH 1947

approve such special arrangements with the

host State or States as may be required in connection with the establishment of head-

quarters and of Regional Offices.

" With regard to the view that the World

Health Organization cannot conclude a special

site agreement with one of its Members, it should be noted that the provisions of the

World Health Organization Constitution on legal capacity, privileges and immunities

(Articles 66, 67 and 68) are essentially the

same as those of the United Nations Charter (Articles 104 and 105), those of the UNESCO Constitution (Article XII), and those proposed for the Constitution of the International Labour Organization

(Articles 39 and 40).

Each of these organizations has been deemed competent to conclude special site agreements."

The EXECUTIVE SECRETARY said that, in order to carry on the normal work in Geneva, it had been necessary to bring funds into Switzerland and therefore to draw up a provisional agreement with the Swiss Government.

It had not been

possible to negotiate a similar agreement with the Government of the United States, because under American law the Interim Commission could not be recognized as a public international organiz-

ation until formal action on the Constitution of the World Health Organization had been

taken by Congress. On the other hand, certain negotiations

and agreements had necessarily

been made with other countries -e.g., Ethiopia and Greece, where the Interim Commission had sent missions.

At the request of Dr. VAN DEN BERG, it was decided to refer this problem to a small

committee, composed of the legal advisers in the Interim Commission, in the United States Delegation, and in the

International Labour

Organization.

4. Field Services.

Dr. VAN DEN BERG proposed that the discussion of the section on Field Services in the Report of the Executive Secretary (Annex 2 g) should be postponed, since the work of the Committee on Administration and Finance had not yet been completed, the question of aid to Greece having been referred to a sub -committee.

Dr. DE PAULA SOUZA asked whether the sums contributed were sufficient to give really adequate results or were to be considered only as a token aid to the countries concerned.

Dr. MANI said that he understood that the

UNRRA contribution of $1,500,000 had been given for a specific purpose : namely, to provide continued ^assistance in health services to UNRRA- receiving countries. When this money had been spent, the programme being operated would stop. However, he desired assurance that the Organization would then assess the need for continued assistance in health services to countries, would consider a new programme covering all countries requiring such assistance and would then continue the programme on its own merits.

Dr. SZE called attention to the fourth line on

page 1 of the document, and hoped that

it would be understood that the Interim Commission

had undertaken the UNRRA work as

from

i January for Europe but from 1 April for the

Far East. Moreover, in paragraph 2, line 3, the Division of Field Services in Geneva had been established for work in Europe ; an office had

been set up in New York for similar work in the Far East.

The CHAIRMAN stated that this was understood.

In reply to Dr. Mani, he said that the money from UNRRA had been transferred on the

condition that

it would be used to continue services to the receiving countries only, and

unfortunately not to others.

Dr. CASTILLO desired to know what part the Expert Committee on Malaria had played, particularly in Greece. This would be important not only for Greece but also for other countries ; and the CHAIRMAN explained that the Expert Com- mittee on Malaria would meet some time in April and that Dr. Vine, head of the Greek Mission, would attend this meeting.

Dr. EVANG observed that the classification necessitated by the war, resulting in some countries being "receiving countries" in the UNRRA sense and others "contributing countries ", was a distinction which would cease as soon' as the UNRRA activities had come to an end. Even in many of the receiving countries there was an enormous difference in the real need for help.

He asked for a clear statement by the Secretariat as to whether the funds were sufficient to meet existing needs.

The Secretariat was requested to prepare a memorandum along the lines of Dr. Evang's

proposal.

5. Terms of Reference and Appointment of

Technical Committees (Annex 2 h).

The DEPUTY EXECUTIVE SECRETARY announced

the addition of Dr. P. J. Stock, Medical Officer in the Ministry of Health in London, to the members of the Technical Committee on Quarantine, and

Dr. Nichols, Deputy Government Chemist in

London, to those of the Committee on Habit - forming Drugs.

Dr. MACKENZIE suggested that the word

" expert " be added to the name of each technical Committee and asked whether Dr. Bauer, of the Rockefeller Foundation, had been invited to join Dr. Mahaffy on the Yellow Fever Sub -Committee.

He added that at the last session it had been decided that the Quarantine Committee should be reinforced by a Committee on Revision of the International Sanitary Conventions. It had been considered that

it would not be suitable for

experts concerned with the day -to -day application

of the Quarantine Convention to be asked to

revise the Convention. Since then, the Egyptian

Government had invited

the Sub- Committee

on the Revision of the Pilgrimage Clauses to

hold its meeting either in Alexandria or Cairo, and he hoped that if this invitation were accepted, visits could be made to Red Sea ports.

1 See Supplementary Report of Sub -Committee on Field Services Budget (UNRRA Funds) Annex 9 c.

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1 APRIL 1947

- 14 -

Dr. SHOUSHA Pasha confirmed that at the second session he had invited this Sub -Committee to hold its meeting in Egypt. The invitation had been accepted ; the meeting would be held in Alexandria on 16 April ;

and visits to the Red

Sea ports and to some of the quarantine stations in Egypt were contemplated.

The CHAIRMAN, on behalf of the Interim

Commission, thanked Dr. Shousha Pasha for

his kind invitation ; and the DEPUTY EXECUTIVE SECRETARY, replying to Dr. Mackenzie, agreed

to have the necessary adjustment made with

regard to the word " expert ". The nomination of Dr. Bauer to the Yellow Fever Sub- Committee

was envisaged but had not yet been formally

made.

Dr. PAZ SOLDÁN then asked what the criteria

were for the selection of members of Expert

Committees. The Yellow Fever Sub -Committee had only one expert ; the Habit -forming Drug

Committee should not be limited to as few as

four members but should include representatives of producing countries, so as to obviate the risk of those countries not adopting measures recom- mended by the Committee.

Dr. DE PAULA SOUZA thought that the Sub -

Committee on Yellow Fever should be set up

as

quickly as

possible,

because countries in

yellow -fever zones might ask for revision of the delimitation of the zones ; and Dr. MACKENZIE believed that, since the Sub -Committee on Yellow Fever was acting in a consultative capacity, the Quarantine Committee could not take a decision on the question of delimitation of zones until it had received the opinion of this Sub -Committee.

Dr. SZE then asked whether, in connection

with the proposed meeting for the study of the amendments to the revised International Lists sent in by Governments, the Lists would be sent

for comment to

all

the Governments in the

world.

In reply, the DEPUTY EXECUTIVE SECRETARY

said that he would suggest that when the Lists were revised, they be submitted to all Govern- ments, in order to awaken interest in the work of the Commission. On the question of criteria

which had been raised by Dr. Paz Soldán, he pointed out that the selection of members of

these committees was both important and difficult;

and the Secretariat would be therefore greatly aided in its task if it could receive the names of

THIRD MEETING suitable candidates, not only from the members, own countries, but also from others. The duration of the Committees would be no longer than that of the Interim Commission itself, and members would be chosen either on a geographical basis

or according to the kind of work which was

involved.

Dr. MARTINEZ BAEZ proposed that,

in the

appointment of these experts, the Governments of the States Members of the Organization should first be consulted. Much work had been done in the war years in many countries, especially new ones ;

and candidates from these countries could possibly be put forward. He did not think that

it would be indispensable always to have, as

members of the Committee on Habit -forming Drugs, for instance, representatives of countries which produced habit -forming drugs ;

but for

reasons of efficiency it would normally be feasible.

Dr. HYDE suggested that the Secretariat might present certain names of experts for approval to

the representative of the country in which the appointment was to be made but that

the initiative

in making the appointment should

remain with the Chairman and Secretariat.

Dr. CAVAILLON agreed that, as a matter of general principle, the Secretariat should retain

the initiative in making these appointments.

The problem was not always a purely technical

one, as was the revision of the International

Lists ; it was often a national one, as, for example, the question of the pilgrimage clauses.

Dr. CAMERON thought that this was a technical problem which went beyond the strict field of medicine. It affected Canada, because Canadian

statistics were on a national basis,

collected from nine different provinces, and centralized

by the Dominion Bureau of Statistics, a non-

medical body.

Dr. MANI observed that all this ground had been covered at the first session and that nothing

new had now been

added.

The method of

nominating the experts had been fixed in document WHO.IC /W.34. 1

The CHAIRMAN concurred in this opinion, and the debate was closed.

The meeting rose at 5.5o p.m.

1 See Official Records of the World Health Organiz- ation, No. 4, Annex 32b.

THIRD MEETING

Held on Tuesday, 1 April 1947, at 10 a.m., Palais des Nations, Geneva.

1. Standardization.

The CHAIRMAN referred members of the Com- mission to item IV-j of the agenda, Standardization

(Annex 2 j).

Dr. SZE asked the Secretariat to explain the

exact status of the permanent Secretariat of

Pharmacopoeias.

If this Secretariat had been

established by the League of Nations, it should be taken over by the World Health Organization, and he felt that the work should be carried on in any case.

Dr. HYDE agreed that the work of unifying the pharmacopoeias should be continued, but thought

that it was not an urgent matter and could be

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THIRD MEETING

- 5 -

left for the consideration of the World Health

Assembly.

On the other hand, the work on

biological standardization was of great importance, and there were many questions requiring immediate action which should be taken up by

the Committee already set up, which was in a

position to meet now that preliminary work had been done by the Secretariat and by correspondence among experts.

Dr. EVANG was of the opinion that, under the statutory obligations of the Commission to undertake only urgent tasks, the work on biological standardization would have to be carried

on while that on the

pharmacopoeias left in

abeyance, although he did not agree personally with this passive attitude.

The. CHAIRMAN interrupted the discussion to announce that Dr. Krotkov, the Representative from the USSR, would be unable to attend the session owing to illness, but that Dr. Kolesnikov would come instead.

Dr. MARTINEZ BAEZ considered that the important work of the unification of the pharmacopoeias should be referred to the World Health Assembly.

Dr. MACKENZIE agreed with Dr. Evang

regarding biological standardization but felt

that something should be done by the Interim

Commission to forward the work on the pharmacopoeias, perhaps by appointing one or two experts to do the monographs. The Commission was responsible for the continuation

of the

health work of the League of Nations.

He suggested that the Legal Department of the Secretariat should study the position with regard to the present machinery and stated that, although the Pharmacopeeial Agreement of

1906 and the amending Agreement of 1939 did not contain any provisions for their termination, Article 6 of the earlier Agreement and Article 41 of the amending Agreement permitted denuncia-

tion by any of the Contracting Parties, to take

effect six months after notification tq the Belgian

Government.

These Agreements could be terminated only by and with t he consent of all those who were Parties to them. If this consent was obtained, the simplest

procedure would be the signature of a short

Protocol by representatives of the Contracting Parties ; these could be the diplomatic representatives of the Contracting Parties in, say, Brussels, with full powers to sign. The Protocol would state that the Agreements would be terminated

as from that day's date.

It might be possible for the Commission to

take over the work of the Belgian Secretariat.

Dr. CASTILLO and Dr. MANI supported the opinion that the question of the pharmacopoeias should be referred to the World Health Assembly, the latter stressing that, since the Commission was only to deal with urgent problems and those of venereal and tropical diseases

had been

excluded from this category, he did not think that

the work on pharmacopoeias could be included.

Dr. SZE hoped that the Commission would take into consideration the possible loss of the existing

I APRIL 1947 trained staff resulting from delay in taking over this work, as well as the probability that it would

be more difficult later for the WHO to take it

over in different circumstances.

2. Suggestion for Committee on Priorities.

Emphasizing that

it was the primary task of the Commission to diminish mortality, Dr.

CAVAILLON proposed setting up a Committee to determine priorities in respect of the establishment of Expert Committees.

Drs. HYDE and SHOUSHA Pasha supported Dr. Cavaillon's proposal, the latter suggesting that diseases involving high morbidity as well as those causing high mortality should be considered.

Dr. EVANG expressed his approval and thought

that this

^last suggestion was justified under

Rule 2 (m) of the Arrangement setting up the

Interim Commission.

The CHAIRMAN then proposed :

(I) That the biological standardization work should be carried on by the Interim Commission,

(2) That the work on the pharmacopoeias

should be considered by the World Health

Assembly, and

(3) That the suggested Committee should be set up, with, as members, the representatives from France, India, Mexico, Norway, the

United Kingdom and the United States.

Dr. MANI suggested that it should be called the Committee on Priorities.

These proposals were adopted.

3. Preparation of the Sixth Decennial Revision

of the International Lists of Diseases and

Causes of Death (Annex 2 k).

Referring to item IV -k of the agenda, Dr. CAMERON announced that the International Committee meeting in Ottawa had finished the

first part of its work on 21 March but that it

would remain there for some four to six weeks more to conclude the remainder.

It was stated by Dr. CAVAILLON that the

French Government would welcome the Fifth Decennial Revision Conference in Paris.

The DEPUTY EXECUTIVE SECRETARY announced

that he had just received a report from the

Secretary of the meeting saying that considerable

help had been received from the American

Technical Commission and from the Canadian Federal Statistical Services. He suggested that

the Commission should thank the American

Government for the preparatory work which had been done and the Canadian Government for its help and hospitality.

The CHAIRMAN proposed that the Commission

should note the report of the Secretariat and

adopt Sir Wilson Jameson's proposal to postpone decision as to the place of the Conference until the Report of the Committee had been received

This proposal was adopted.

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I APRIL 1947

- =6 -

FOURTH MEETING

4. Technical Services (document WHO.IC /6i -L, Annex B2 -l).

With regard to Technical Services, the Com- mission agreed that every effort should be made to

acquire the medical books,

archives and documents of the League of Nations, recently transferred to the United Nations.

5. Publications.

The report

on Publication of Proceedings (Annex 2 m) wad noted by the Commission.

Referring to Technical Publications (Annex 2n), Dr. MACKENZIE made the following suggestions :

(1) The WHO Weekly Epidemiological Record should be as short as possible and should include only the five " convention " diseases. Details regarding other diseases should be available to

any Government on its request.

The Record should also contain notifications of the cessation

as well as the occurrence of an outbreak of

disease ; newly infected areas should be shown in capitals ; and it might include a short note from time to time on outstanding trends of outbreaks of cholera, smallpox, plague, typhus and yellow fever.

(2) The Monthly Bulletin should contain one or two articles on specific diseases ; each issue should deal with a specific disease or problem

rather than contain a number of articles on

widely varying subjects.

(3) The Chronicle of the World Health Organiz- ation might follow the plan of the similar League of Nations publication.

Dr. VAN DEN BERG thought that there was some disparity between the section dealing with the Bulletin of the Office International d'Hygiène Publique in the document under discussion and

an item in the report to be submitted to the

Committee on Relations 1 ^;

but he said that he would raise the point later after further study.

Dr. PAZ SOLDAN felt that there should not be a separate publication on Health Legislation but

1 Appendix 2, Annex 14.

that national laws should be incorporated in the Bulletin of the World Health Organization. He hoped the Commission would consider the social as well as the medical and legal aspects of the problems with which it would have to deal.

Dr. ROUTLEY thought that the Commission

might be interested in a brochure which was

being published by nutrition experts in the United States and Canada and which would be distributed to doctors all over the world by the World Medical Association.

As Rapporteur of the Committee on Administra- tion and Finance, Dr. SZE said that this Committee

would be submitting a report on publications with financial details to the full Commission.

He suggested postponement of the discussion

until this report had been received.

The CHAIRMAN asked the Secretariat to note the suggestions made and proposed that the one

of Dr. Routley's with regard to the nutrition brochure should be referred to the Committee

on Administration and Finance, which could then make suitable proposals to the Commission.

This proposal was adopted.

6. Staff Regulations.

In item IV -p, Staff Regulations, (Annex 2p), Dr. SZE said that it was one of the Commission's statutory obligations to

draw up personnel

regulations for the World Health Organization.

He was surprised that this task had not seemed to have been envisaged in the document.

The EXECUTIVE SECRETARY explained that this

was a very difficult question and depended on decisions not yet taken by the United Nations.

It was hoped, however, that draft personnel

regulations would be ready for the fourth session, and he assured members that such regulations would be sent to them several weeks before the first meeting.

The CHAIRMAN announced a meeting of the Chairmen of the Internal Committees, to plan

the work of the third session. Drs. van den

Berg, Mackenzie, Shousha Pasha and Mani would attend.

FOURTH MEETING

Held on Tuesday, r April 1947, at 2.3o p.m., Palais des Nations, Geneva.

Chairman:

Dr. A. STAMPAR (Yugoslavia).

The meeting was called to order, and discussion was continued on the Report of the Executive Secretary.

1. Financial Services and Regulations. Report^. on Financial Services (Annex 2q).

It was agreed that the Committee on Adminis- tration and Finance be asked to study this docu-

ment and to report to a plenary meeting of the Interim Commission.

2. Cancer Research (Annex 2s).

In reply to a request for explanation by

Dr. SZE, the EXECUTIVE SECRETARY said that the position with regard to this question had been set

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FIFTH MEETING

- 17 -

7 APRIL a947 out as concisely as possible in the document and

that he had no further explanation to give.

Dr. CAVAILLON remarked that the question of

cancer mortality was of extreme interest

to

France, and thought that it would be very

valuable to study thoroughly the recommendation put forward in the resolution.

The opinion of Dr. EVANG was that the idea of creating a Central Statistical and Medical Centre

for further study of cancer should have the

general support of the World Health Organization, but that no action should immediately be taken,

other than asking the Secretariat to prepare a

recommendation to this effect to be presented to the Assembly.

On the proposal of Dr. MACKENZIE, supported by Dr. HYDE, it was agreed that the matter of

cancer research be referred to the

Priorities Committee for consideration.

3. Supply of Insulin.

The EXECUTIVE SECRETARY said that sufficient

information was not available to show whether the recommendation with regard to the supply

and production of insulin (Annex 2s, Part II) was important or not, but it was clear that,

because of better diagnosis

and treatment,

more and more diabetics in the world were now finding it possible to live. Some measures had

apparently been taken to increase the world

supply of insulin ; research in synthetics was under way, but it did not appear that one could

count on the production of synthetic insulin

within any reasonably short time. Accordingly,

unless steps were taken, there might be an

extensive insulin famine. The suggestion now made was only for an investigation, which would be done by correspondence and would therefore involve no expense to the Commission. A report

could then be made at the fourth session with

recommendations as to any further action indicated.

Dr. CAMERON reported that recent investigation by the Insulin Committee at the University of Toronto had confirmed the fact that production of synthetic insulin seemed quite remote, while in Canada, at least, the consumption of insulin had approximately doubled in seven years.

It was agreed that the Secretariat should be

authorized to collect data on the subject of the supply of insulin.

4. Miscellaneous.

The Commission decided to postpone consider-

ation of items IX, X and XI on the agenda -

concerning the place and tentative date for the First World Health Assembly, other business and

the next session of the Interim Commission -

until

after the arrival of the representative

from the USSR.

5. Addition to Priorities Committee.

On the proposal of the CHAIRMAN, it was agreed

that the representative of Egypt be appointed

a member of the Priorities Committee.

6. Procedure.

A schedule of meetings of the various Internal Committees was then presented by the EXECUTIVE SECRETARY and was approved.

Representatives were asked by the EXECUTIVE SECRETARY to write out any proposals which they wished to be considered by the Priorities Com- mittee, such proposals to reach the Secretariat by noon on Thursday, 3 April.

This concluded the discussion of all the items on the agenda, with the exception of those which had been submitted to Committees or those which the Commission had agreed to postpone.

FIFTH MEETING

Held on Monday, 7 April 1947, at 10 a.m., Palais des Nations, Geneva.

In opening the meeting, the CHAIRMAN wel- comed Dr. Soper,

the Director

of

the Pan

American Sanitary Bureau.

1. Additions to Committees.

Upon the proposal of the CHAIRMAN, it was

agreed that the representative from the USSR

be appointed a member of the Priorities Com- mittee and, further, that he be invited to attend the meetings of the Committee on Administration and Finance during the third session in place of the Ukrainian representative, who was unable to be present.

2. Speech of USSR Representative.

Dr. KOLESNIKOV, having been prevented from

attending the earlier meetings of the session,

responded to the invitation of the Chairman to

express his point of view on items which had

already been discussed. He said that the USSR was aware that very useful work had been done by the Interim Commission, with the assistance

of other experts, in a spirit of most friendly

co- operation, and that it attached the greatest importance to the activites of the WHO. Never, indeed, had such a need been felt for health work as now, after the terrible crisis through which the world had passed.

In his opinion, priorities for the WHO were those problems which followed as a consequence of the war ; the task of repairing the appalling

damage to social and health institutions and

great

and permanent

responsibilities in the struggle against social diseases and epidemics, particularly in those countries where health and

hygiene institutions had not yet been fully

developed. The Organization would therefore

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7 APRIL 1947

- 18 -

FIFTH MEETING

have to undertake an extremely heavy pro-

gramme, which would require the full strength,

energy, and co- operation of all the members.

In its efforts, it could be sure that it would be

supported by f he peoples of all countries.

To meet the expectations of these peoples, the WHO should immediately formulate a concrete,

functional and practical programme.

Help should be given where it was needed, and sound

principles of organization would have to

be established for the provision of this help. A long - range view, however, should be taken ; the most helpful measures would be those which would enable the countries concerned to develop their own schemes and to stand on their own feet.

The WHO was a young, inexperienced organization. It was therefore natural that for guidance it should look to those international institutions

which had worked for similar ends in similar

fields and had acquired useful experience. At the same time, one had to remember that those

organizations had been dealing with the past,

while the World Health Organization was of

to -day and to- morrow and should work for the future.

It should also take into account and benefit

by the progress which had been made nationally

in the various fields in which it would work.

It might be true to say that the Interim Com-

mission had not availed itself sufficiently of that vast and rich experience in the past.

Tremendous progress had been made in the USSR in the past few years in the fight against infant mortality and epidemics ;

and the war medical staff had great achievements to

^its credit. The USSR would be happy to place its knowledge and experience at the disposal of other countries, benefiting in

turn from whatever

experience and knowledge those other countries had gained. This kind of co- operation should be developed to the best advantage of all con-

cerned, and this would be both possible and

necessary within the general framework of the World Health Organization.

In this

friendly spirit of co- operation, the

experts and scientists of the USSR would be

willing to participate in the work of all the committees of the Organization already established

or to be established in the future.

Such co-

operative action would be of great benefit to

humanity, would help to restore the health of the world destroyed through the bitter years of war,

to build it on a firm basis, and to continue to

develop it.

3. Report and Recommendations of the Com- mittee on Administration and Finance.

The Commission proceeded to consider the

First Report of the Committee on Administration

and Finance

(document WHO.IC /67, Annex 3a).

In (1), the Draft Rules of Procedure for the

Committee on Administration and Finance (document WHO.IC /AF /7, Annex 4), the Commission approved the recommendation of the Committee for the alteration of the wording of Rule 13, sub- paragraph (b), to read as follows :

" ... any item submitted by any member of the Committee or of the Interim Commission to the Executive Secretary not later than fourteen days before the opening of the meeting."

In (2), Financial Regulations (document WHO.IC /AF /Io, Annex 8),

it was agreed that

the recommendations under this heading should be further discussed at the fourth session of the

Interim Commission, when a

definite set of regulations would be submitted by the Secretariat.

As to (3), the Expenses and Per Diem Allowances for Representatives and Delegates (document WHO.IC /AF /6, Annex 5), the Commission likewise approved the recommendation of the Committee that the policy adopted at the second session as to travel and subsistence allowances of representatives should not be altered, but that the Executive Secretary should explore the matter of the per diem allowances at the Secretariat level with the United Nations Co- ordination Com- mittee, or with other appropriate bodies.

Regarding (4), the Repayment of Loan made by the United Nations and Scales of Contribution (document WHO.IC/AF/r3/Rev.I, Annex 7), the CHAIRMAN outlined the position with regard to the loan of $1,300,000 which had been received from the United Nations. The decision of the

General Assembly had been that this amount

must be considered only as a loan, repayments to commence in 1949.

In order to arrive at a final decision as to the method of repayment, his opinion was that it would be necessary to

consult the different specialized agencies. In the document under consideration, a table was given showing the percentage contributions ^of the Member States of the United Nations, but it had

to be taken into account that there were only

fifty -four of those Member States

as against

sixty -three signatories to the Constitution of the World Health Organization. Consequently, the contributions would probably amount to less than those shown in the document.

It was agreed that thé Executive Secretary be asked to explore the matter further and to present a detailed report and proposals to the

fourth session of the Interim Commission.

As for (5), the Programme and Costs of Public- ations (documents WHO.IC /61 -n, WHO.IC/

AF /9, and WHO.IC /AF /12, Annexes en,. ro and II), the CHAIRMAN pointed out that some decision as to publications would be necessary ; otherwise the Committee on Administration and Finance could not propose a definite budget.

The DEPUTY EXECUTIVE SECRETARY asked

the Commission to take into account the fact

that the annual salaries shown under " Corres- ponding Staff " in the Draft Budget for Publica- tions, 1947 (Annex 2n, Appendix) did not in ac- tuality represent the actual sum to be allocated to publications, since staff members concerned with publications would have other functions in addition to this work.

Dr. PAZ SOLDAN referred to the proposed publication of a " Tropical Disease Bulletin ".

The world was not divided into tropical and non- tropical zones, and he saw no need for a special publication on this subject. He suggested that the name be changed to " World Epidemiology Bulletin ".

OFFICIAL RECORDS