Economic and Social Council

Abstract

Economic Commission for Europe: The eleventh session of the Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) was held in Geneva from April 5 to 21, 1956, under the chairmanship of Pierre Forthomme (Belgium). Attending the meeting were more than 250 delegates from 29 European countries and the United States, as well as observers from Australia, Brazil, Canada, Cuba, Israel, Venezuela, and several inter-governmental and non-governmental organizations. The Commission considered the reports of its committees on agriculture, coal, electric power, housing, inland transport, steel, timber, and the development of trade, and expressed praise for their accomplishments. The Commission also invited the Executive Secretary to convene a working party of experts on water pollution in Europe, the recommendations of which would be submitted to the twelfth session of the Commission. During its lengthy debate on the status of the German Democratic Republic in ECE the Commission had before it a draft resolution submitted by Czechoslovakia which proposed 1) that the Economic and Social Council, at its 22d session, accept the German Democratic Republic as a member of ECE, and 2) that the Executive Secretary invite representatives of the German Democratic Republic to participate in the current session with the right of consultative vote. Among those supporting the resolution were representatives of the Soviet Union, Poland, Rumania, Hungary, the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic, Bulgaria, the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic and Albania, who maintained that the German Democratic Republic had made useful contributions in ECE subsidiary organs and should be entitled to a place in the Commission itself; on the other hand, the representatives of the United Kingdom, France, Greece, Netherlands, Ireland, Turkey, the United States, Spain, Luxembourg, Belgium, Italy and Denmark opposed admitting the German Democratic Republic to ECE. In order to reconcile the conflicting points of view on the matter, Czechoslovakia revised its draft resolution to propose that observers of the German Democratic Republic be allowed to take part in the current session of the Commission. The resolution was rejected by 17 votes to n with 1 abstention.