ANNEX 11 Report of the Drafting Committee of the Economic and Social Council, Approved by the Council, and Resolution Adopted June 11, 1946 The Economic and Social Council considered on 27 May 1946 the report of the Technical Preparatory Committee for the International Health Conference (Journal of the Economic and Social Council No. 13, 22 May 1946), which is to set up a single International Health Organization of the United Nations, and formed a Drafting Committee to deal with this question, made up of delegates from: Belgium, Chile, China, Czechoslovakia, France, Peru, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia, under the chairmanship of Sir Ramaswami Mudaliar (India). The Drafting Committee met on 1, 4 and 8 June 1946. 1. The Committee, fully alive to the desirability of early co-operation of all countries in the health field, and taking into account the nearness of the opening of the Health Conference, decided to invite at once to attend that conference, observers from sixteen States not members of the United Nations, from Allied commissions in three other countries, and from ten international organizations interested in public health. 2. The Committee considered a series of points which had given rise to observations in the discussions by the Council of the report of the Technical Preparatory Committee. 3. By a majority of five to four, the Committee decided to recommend that the Constitution Conference should give to the World Health Organization authority to prepare and sign conventions (section VI, 3 (e) of the report). The minority was not opposed to such an authority but considered that the Committee's opinion should have been expressed in the form of an observation rather than a recommendation. 4. The Committee discussed the question of regional health bureaux (section XII of the Preparatory Committee's report), and their relationship to the "Single World Health Organization" to be set up; five of its members desired that the Council recommend Alternative A [Certain typographical errors in the original have been corrected.-EDITOR.] of the report which corresponds to the placing of the regional bureaux under the authority of the Health Organization. Five other members preferred to let the Conference decide what relationship should exist between the regional bureaux and the central Organization, the views expressed by the members of the Council on the subject being communicated to the Conference for its information. 5. The Committee considered the proposal made by one member according to which the Constitution of the Health Organization should enter into force by a resolution of the General Assembly of the United Nations in September. Five members expressed the opinion that this method was not practicable in the present state of their national constitutional laws and favoured a procedure such as outlined in Section XIX of the report of the Technical Preparatory Committee, under which States may sign with or without reservation as to subsequent legislative approval and ratification, according to the requirements of their constitutional legislation. The Constitution should come into force when the specified number of signatures without reservations and ratifications has been obtained. Two members considered that this number should be twenty-six. 6. On the basis of the views expressed by the members of the Council at their meeting on 27 May, and its own meetings of 1, 4 and 8 June, the Drafting Committee submits for adoption the following draft resolution, to the Council: THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL 1. NOTES with satisfaction the report (Journal of the Economic and Social Council No. 13, 22 May 1946, pages 138 to 155) of the Technical Preparatory Committee which, as a result of its resolution of 15 February 1946, met in Paris to prepare the International Health Conference which is to set up the Health Organization of the United Nations, and thanks the Chairman and the members of this Committee for the excellent work they have accomplished; 2. ENDORSES recommendation III of the Technical Preparatory Committee and confirms the decision of the Drafting Committee to issue invitations immediately to send observers to the International Health Conference to: (a) the Governments of: Afghanistan, Albania, Austria, Bulgaria, Eire, Finland, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Portugal, Rumania, Siam, Sweden, Switzerland, Transjordan and Yemen; (b) Allied control authorities in Germany, Japan and Korea; (c) the following international organizations interested in public health: International Labour Organization United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration Provisional International Civil Aviation Organization Pan American Sanitary Bureau Rockefeller Foundation World Federation of Trade Unions. 3. APPROVES recommendation IV of the Technical Preparatory Committee regarding the setting up by the International Health Conference of an Interim (Health) Commission in the event of the Health Organization not being established upon the conclusion of the June Conference; the functions of this Interim Commission being those enumerated in the above-mentioned resolution and such others as the Conference may determine. 4. RECOMMENDS that until such time as the convention creating the Health Organization comes into force, and the Health Organization is in a position to start functioning the Department of Social Affairs of the United Nations should act as the secretariat of this Commission and constitute the temporary machinery mentioned in recommendation V, and, among other functions, carry on the present activities of the League of Nations Health Organization. 5. APPROVES also recommendation VI of the Technical Preparatory Committee's report regarding the absorption of the Office international d'hygiène publique by the Health Organization, and recommendation VII concerning the assumption, without interruption, by the latter, or by its Interim Commission and secretariat, and, at the request of either the Organization or the Interim Commission, of the functions and duties assigned to the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration by the International Sanitary Conventions of 1944. 6. TRANSMITS to the International Health Conference a list of recommendations, suggestions and observations made by one or several of its members in full session (27 May) or in the Drafting Committee (1, 4 and 8 June 1946), in the discussion of the Technical Preparatory Committee's report (annex I) together with the full records of its debates on this subject. ANNEX I Recommendations, suggestions and observations made by members of the Economic and Social Council, in full session (27 May) or in the Drafting Committee (1, 4 and 8 June 1946), concerning the report of the Technical Preparatory Committee for the International Health Conference.1 (The items are listed in the order in which they are given in the report of the Technical Preparatory Committee; figures in brackets refer to the number of members who expressed the opinion mentioned; an asterisk (*) indicates that no dissenting opinion was voiced.) Functions of the Health Organization III. (a) (b) (f) (g) Should include urgent health relief measures in war-scarred territories (such as Greece) and include particularly protection of the child, control of malaria and tuberculosis. (Co-operation for this work should be established with the Social Commission of the United Nations.) [2*] III. (g) and I. Preamble, 7th paragraph Psychological preparation of youth for harmonious social and international relations is not the exclusive responsibility of the Health Organization, but is part of the field of the UNESCO. III. (¿) [1*] Should explicitly include social (health) legislation, including health insurance; the subject being dealt with in co-operation [1] with the International Labour Organization. [4] (One member considered, however, that this subject should be dealt with exclusively by the International Labour Organization.) [1] III. (1) A systematic information service on research on curative and preventive medicine should be maintained by the Health Organization. [1*] 1 The opinion was expressed by three members that a detailed discussion of the proposals of the Technical Preparatory Committee was the function of the International Health Conference itself rather than of the Council. IV. 1 and 3 Membership The desirability of all States participating in the struggle against disease and particularly epidemic disease, is recognized, but the competent authority of the United Nations should regulate admission to membership. IV. 4 [1] Suspension of membership privileges, provided in the report, seems to provide against participation of undesirable States in the Organization. Functions of the World Health Conference VI. 3 (e) and III. (p) [1] The World Health Conference should be empowered to prepare and sign international conventions without recourse to special diplomatic conferences. (N.B. This was recommended by a majority of five to four in the Drafting Committee, the minority preferring to present it as an observation.) Special provision should be made for the signing of international health conventions and regulations, to cover the particular constitutional position of federal states. VI. (f) [1*] International health regulations should be in force only in States formally accepting them, instead of not formally rejecting them. [2] (The opposite view was held on grounds of expediency by one member.) [1] . Regulations regarding medical standards and biological remedies for international trade should not be obligatory but submitted as recommendations. Regional Arrangements XII. A and XVII (6) Existing international regional health organizations (Pan American Sanitary Bureau) should be absorbed by the World Health Organization (alternative A). (N.B. This was recommended by a majority of five to four in the Drafting Committee.) |