25. THE PROVISION OF FOOD SURPLUSES TO FOODDEFICIENT PEOPLES THROUGH THE UNITED NATIONS SYSTEM: Resolution 1496 (XV), Adopted by the U.N. General Assembly, October 27, 1960 22

The General Assembly,

Considering that the peoples in many of the less developed countries suffer from serious shortages of food,

Noting with approval that the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, in co-operation with the United Nations, appropriate specialized agencies, Governments of member States and non-governmental organizations, has launched a Freedom from Hunger Campaign designed as a concerted attack on the problem of providing adequate food for food-deficient peoples,

Recalling General Assembly resolutions 827 (IX) of 14 December 1954 23 and 1025 (XI) of 20 February 1957 24 and Economic and Social Council resolutions 621 (XXII) of 6 August 1956 25 and 685 (XXVI) of 18 July 1958 26 concerning international co-operation in the establishment of national food reserves,

Bearing in mind the existing opportunities for consultation and exchange of information provided by the Food and Agriculture Organization through its Consultative Sub-Committee on Surplus Disposal, Recognizing that the principles of surplus disposal and guiding lines of the Food and Agriculture Organization 27 are a valuable instrument for guidance to Governments in transactions, programmes, policies, and consultations relating to the disposal and utilization of agricultural surpluses,

Recognizing further that the ultimate solution to the problem of hunger lies in an effective acceleration of economic development_allowing the under-developed countries to increase their food production and enabling them to purchase more food through normal channels of international trade,

Convinced of the impelling need to solve the problem of hunger and malnutrition among many peoples and of the role which the United Nations system can play in actions designed to help solve this critical problem,

Further convinced that assistance to food-deficient peoples will help raise productivity and thus contribute to the improvement of their standard of living,

"U.N. General Assembly Official Records, Fifteenth Session, Supplement No. 16 (A/4684), p. 8. This resolution, sponsored by the representatives of Canada, Haiti, Liberia, Pakistan, the United States, and Venezuela, was adopted unanimously.

Text ibid., Ninth Session, Supplement No. 21 (A/2890), p. 14. "Text ibid., Eleventh Session, Supplement No. 17 (A/3572), pp. 11-12.

Text in U.N. ECOSOC Official Records, Twenty-second Session, Supplement No. 1 (E/2929), p. 8.

"Text ibid., Twenty-sixth Session, Supplement No. 1 (E/3169), p. 3. Functions of a World Food Reserve-Scope and Limitations (Rome, FAO, 1956), Appendix III and par. 300. (FAO Commodity Studies No. 10.)

1. Endorses the Freedom from Hunger Campaign launched by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations 28 and urges all States Members of the United Nations and members of the specialized agencies to support this campaign in every appropriate way;

2. Appeals to States Members of the United Nations and members of the specialized agencies to take suitable measures to relieve the suffering of food-deficient people in other nations and assist them in their economic development and in their efforts towards a better life; 3. Expresses the belief that international assistance in the establishment of national food reserves in food-deficient countries is one effective transitional means of assisting accelerated economic development in the less developed countries;

4. Invites the Food and Agriculture Organization, after consulting Governments of member States, the Secretary-General and appropriate specialized agencies, to establish without delay procedures-in particular for consultation and the dissemination of information-by which, with the assistance of the United Nations system, the largest practicable quantities of surplus food may be made available on mutually agreeable terms as a transitional measure against hunger, such procedures to be compatible with desirable agricultural development as a contribution to economic development in the less developed countries and without prejudice to bilateral arrangements for this purpose and compatible with the principles of the Food and Agriculture Organization;

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5. Further invites the Food and Agriculture Organization, in consultation with Governments of member States, the Secretary-General, appropriate specialized agencies and other international bodies (such as the International Wheat Council,29 the Wheat Utilization Committee, etc.), to undertake a study of the feasibility and acceptability of additional arrangements, including multilateral arrangements under the auspices of the Food and Agriculture Organization, having as their objective the mobilization of available surplus foodstuffs and their distribution in areas of greatest need, particularly in the economically less developed countries;

6. Requests the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization to report on action taken to the Economic and Social Council at its thirty-second session;

7. Requests the Secretary-General, in consultation with the DirectorGeneral of the Food and Agriculture Organization and after such other consultations as he may deem necessary, to report to the Economic and Social Council at its thirty-second session on the role which the United Nations and the appropriate specialized agencies could

29

28 See American Foreign Policy: Current Documents, 1959, pp. 163–170. Established under the International Wheat Agreement of 1949 (TIAS 1957; 63 Stat. 2173), as amended and renewed by the International Wheat Agreements of 1953 (TIAS 2799; 4 UST 944), 1956 (TIAS 3709; 7 UST 3275), and 1959 (TIAS 4302; 10 UST 1477).

30

Established in accordance with the joint communiqué issued at Washington May 6, 1959, at the conclusion of a conference of major wheat-exporting nations (text in American Foreign Policy: Current Documents, 1959, pp. 1489-1492).

play in order to facilitate the best possible use of food surpluses for the economic development of the less developed countries;

8. Recommends that the Secretary-General, in preparing, in consultation with the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization, the provisional programme for the joint session of the Commission on International Commodity Trade and the Committee on Commodity Problems of the Food and Agriculture Organization which will examine a report on the prospects of the production of, and demand for, primary commodities, include the question of the production of, and demand for, food in relation to the problem of hunger;

9. Stresses that any action taken or contemplated under the present resolution proceed in accordance with the principles of surplus disposal and guiding lines of the Food and Agriculture Organization, and, specifically, with adequate safeguards and appropriate measures against the dumping of agricultural surpluses on the international markets and against adverse effects upon the economic and financial position of those countries which depend for their foreign exchange earnings primarily on the export of food commodities, and in the recognition that the avoidance of damage to normal trading in foodstuffs will best be assured by multilateral trading practices.

26. UNITED STATES OPPOSITION TO THE PROPOSED ESTABLISHMENT OF A UNITED NATIONS CAPITAL DEVELOPMENT FUND: Statement Made by the U.S. Representative (Payne) in Committee II of the U.N. General Assembly, November 25, 1960 (Excerpts) 31

This proposal to establish a United Nations Capital Development Fund 32 is, of course, the latest in a series of such proposals. We know of no development over the past year which would lead us to conclude at the present time that such a proposal would lead to practical results. The time has come to ask Member governments whether any number of them are seriously prepared to contribute to another multilateral fund for capital financing aid to underdeveloped countries.

Document E/4488 contains the Secretary General's report to the General Assembly on this subject. Only 18 Governments have taken the trouble to express their views on this matter. On the basis of the replies of these 18 Member Governments, the report of the Secretary General reasonably concluded that, and I quote, "they do not indicate any significant new developments in connection with the establishment of a United Nations Capital Development Fund."

It would clearly appear that few Governments are prepared to contribute substantially at this time to a United Nations Capital Development Fund. If this is true, then action looking to the establishment of additional machinery would not only be futile but wasteful.

After a brief period of careful planning the International Development Association was formed and began its existence just a few weeks ago.33 The IDA was set up to accomplish exactly what supporters of the United Nations Capital Development Fund appear to have in mind for their project, if we interpret them correctly. The IDA must be given the opportunity to prove its worth. By any logic the clear burden of proof for establishing new United Nations machinery in this field rests upon the co-sponsors and supporters of this initiative. We believe that it would be pertinent for them to explain what beyond generalities they have in mind. We think it is time for the sponsors to specify what new funds the supporters of a United Nations Capital Development Fund expect to find for a new institution. We think it is time also for the sponsors to explain what major types of aid a United Nations Capital Development Fund could provide that existing international institutions, particularly the IDA, could not provide.

Mr. Chairman, it is the conviction of my delegation that a United Nations Capital Development Fund could at best only do what the International Development Association is already undertaking to do. that is, to make a very substantial contribution to the financing of certain basic projects in the underdeveloped countries on more favorable terms than are available through normal commercial financing.

I regret that my delegation, though sympathizing with the basic objectives which the co-sponsors of this resolution have in mind and with the feelings which motivate them, cannot support the present resolution. Nevertheless, my Government and the people of the United States will continue, in the future as they have in the past, to take a leading part in assisting the people and the governments of economically underdeveloped nations in their efforts to achieve for themselves a reasonable standard of living.

33 See post, doc. 50.

27. ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL CONSEQUENCES OF DISARMAMENT: Resolution 1516 (XV), Adopted by the U.N. General Assembly, December 15, 1960 34

The General Assembly,

Recalling its resolution 1378 (XIV) of 20 November 1959,35

Conscious that the impact of disarmament is likely to set in motion great changes in the domestic economies of States and in international economic relations, as a result of the progressive diversion of human and material resources from military to peaceful purposes,

Recognizing that effective action at the national and international levels will need to be taken to make use of material and human resources becoming available as a consequence of disarmament, in order to promote social progress and better standards of living in the world, Bearing in mind the importance of comprehensive and systematic studies in this field to enable Member States, especially those which are under-developed, to make the necessary economic and social adjustments in the event of disarmament,

Convinced that it is both timely and desirable to undertake such studies,

1. Requests the Secretary-General to examine:

(a) The national economic and social consequences of disarmament in countries with different economic systems and at different stages of economic development, including, in particular, the problems of replacing military expenditures with alternative private and public civil expenditures so as to maintain effective demand and to absorb the human and material resources released from military uses;

(b) The possible development of structural imbalances in national economies as a result of the cessation of capital investment in armaments industries, and the adoption of possible corrective measures to prevent such imbalances, including expanded capital assistance to the under-developed countries;

(c) The impact of disarmament on international economic relations, including its effect on world trade and especially on the trade of underdeveloped countries;

(d) The utilization of resources released by disarmament for the purpose of economic and social development, in particular of the under-developed countries;

2. Recommends that the Secretary-General should conduct the proposed examination with the assistance of expert consultants to be appointed by him with due regard to their qualifications and to the need of geographical representation and intimate knowledge of countries with different economic systems and at different stages of economic development;

*U.N. General Assembly Official Records, Fifteenth Session, Supplement No. 16 (A/4684), pp. 9-10. This resolution, sponsored by the representative of Pakistan, was adopted by a vote of 76 (including the U.S.) to 0, with 3 abstentions.

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Text in American Foreign Policy: Current Documents, 1959, p. 1281.