Pakistan. The financing comprises a $4 million commitment by the IFC and an investment of $3 million by PICIC. These are the largest single investments made by either institution. The total cost of the project is estimated at $12.3 million. A $2.4 million commitment in Peru will assist in financing an expansion and diversification of the Portland cement production of Cemento Andino, S.A. The total cost of the project is estimated at the equivalent of $3.4 million. Through December 31, 1961, 45 investments were approved by the Corporation in the net total of $57.5 million, almost two-thirds of which has been disbursed. (See table 9.) 88 In terms of geographical distribution, the bulk of these funds ($43 million) was channeled into constructive projects in nine countries in Latin America, and in terms of the purposes for which investments were made, approximately $50 million was approved for manufacturing and processing activities relating, among others, to metalworking, chemicals, pulp and paper, machinery, and a variety of consumer goods from automobiles to electric fans. SALES AND PARTICIPATIONS The Corporation, in the current period, continued its efforts to attract private investment capital into productive enterprises in the less-developed member countries. Participations in IFC investments have increased from $2 million through June 30, 1959, to a total of $6.6 million at the end of the period under review. Sales of IFC investments in completed projects in this period totaled an additional $2.6 million, thereby increasing the total of IFC net sales and participations to $9.2 million on December 31, 1961. The U.S. Director of the International Finance Corporation, or his Alternate, acting on the advice of the Council, supported the decisions taken with respect to the foregoing matters. THE INTERNATIONAL LABOR ORGANIZATION 69. FORTY-FIFTH SESSION OF THE INTERNATIONAL LABOR CONFERENCE, GENEVA, JUNE 7-29, 1961: Report of the U.S. Government Delegation (Excerpts) 89 The 45th Session of the International Labor Conference was held in a highly charged political atmosphere occasioned in part by the concurrent meeting of the International Conference for the Settle Not reprinted here. Report of the United States Government Delegates to a Meeting of the International Labor Organization: The Forty-fifth Session of the International Labor Conference, Geneva, Switzerland, June 7-29, 1961 (Washington, Department of Labor, undated). 91 ment of the Question in Laos, the resumed session of the Conference on Suspension of Nuclear Weapons Tests, the visit of President Kennedy to Paris and Vienna, and in part by the fact that 20 new nations, primarily African, were seeking their appropriate place and role in the work of the Conference. It was highlighted by the admission of three new Member States, the adoption of a Recommendation concerning Workers' Housing, the failure of adoption for lack of a quorum of a Recommendation on Hours of Work, a report and general debate on world labor relations and interesting exchange of views on employment problems and policies, and on the ILO program of technical co-operation. 94 The Conference, probably the largest ever held, was attended by more than 1,000 delegates, technical advisers, and observers from 94 member countries and four territories.93 The number included 42 cabinet members responsible for labor affairs in their respective countries. Three new countries, Kuwait, Mauritania and Sierra Leone, were admitted to membership, bringing to 100 the number of States Members of the Organization. Each member of the ILO is entitled to four delegates to the Conference, two representing the Government, one the Worker and one the Employer. These tripartite delegations may be accompanied by advisers for the technical items on the agenda. The 45th Session convened on June 7 and adjourned late in the evening of June 29, 1961, after giving final consideration to two technical matters (Workers' Housing and Hours of Work). A Recommendation and Resolution were adopted concerning the former item; 95 a Recommendation concerning the latter item 96 failed for want of a quorum. In addition, two technical items (Vocational Training and Equality of Treatment of Nationals and Non-Nationals in Social Security) were discussed and carried forward for final consideration in 1962, and two items (Employment Problems and Policies and Technical Co-Operation) were the subject of general discussion and a broad exchange of views. A net expenditure budget of $11,115,438 for 1962 was approved; 97 this compares with the 1961 net expenditure budget of $9,857,110. During the Conference, elections were held for members of the newly constituted African Ad 20 See post, docs. 510 et seq. 91 See post, docs. 571 et seq. 92 See post, docs. 199 and 228–230. 93 See the table appended below. Three members of the ILO were not represented-Haiti, Iceland, and Paraguay. Kuwait and Sierra Leone by resolutions adopted June 13; Mauritania by a resolution adopted June 20-texts in International Labour Conference, Fortyfifth Session, Geneva, 1961: Record of Proceedings (Geneva, ILO, 1962), pp. 889890. ILC Recommendation 115 (ibid., pp. 912-931) and Res. 21 of the 45th ILC (ibid., pp. 899-900), both adopted June 26. 17 Text ibid., pp. 800-802. By Res. 16 of the 45th ILC, June 26 (text ibid., p. 898). visory Committee,98 and the ILO's International Institute of Labor Studies 99 was formally inaugurated. Five countries, through their delegates to the Conference, contributed or pledged a total of $335,000 to the growing endowment fund of the Institute. 4 5 2 3 1 Several Resolutions on items not on the agenda of the Conference were adopted. These Resolutions related to: freedom from hunger; holidays with pay; problems of older workers; regional activities of the ILO; freedom of association and the protection of the right to organize, including the protection of representation of trade unions. at all levels; and the withdrawal of the Republic of South Africa from the ILO. A Resolution concerning human rights in dependent territories was referred to the Governing Body, one pertaining to unemployment was referred to the technical committee of the Conference concerned with the subject, and two draft Resolutions failed to obtain the necessary quorum for adoption. One of these concerned the full participation of Member States in the work of the ILO," the other was on the activities of the ILO to contribute to the eradication of the consequences of colonialism.10 8 The Conference took "no decision" regarding objections to the credentials of the Hungarian delegation and rejected objections to the credentials of the following: the Chinese delegation, the Republic of Congo (Leopoldville) delegation, Workers' Delegate of France, Workers' Delegate of Italy, the Dominican Republic delegation, Worker delegation of the Republic of South Africa, Workers' delegation of Spain, Workers' delegation of Uruguay, Employers' delegation of Cuba, Workers' delegation of Portugal, two Worker advisers of Morocco and the Worker delegation of Mauritania. The Resolution concerning the Republic of South Africa was probably one of the most controversial Resolutions considered by the Conference in recent years because of its deep seated political and constitutional implications and was more fully debated than any other single issue. The Constitution of the ILO makes no provision for the expulsion of a member, while the intent of the Resolution is to seek the exclusion of South Africa from the ILO through forced withdrawal brought about by the pressure of world opinion and that of the Governing Body. The Resolution was introduced by the Government of Nigeria which *See ibid., p. 514. "See American Foreign Policy: Current Documents, 1960, p. 146, footnote 6. 'Res. 6 of the 45th ILC, adopted June 29 (text in International Labour Conference, Forty-fifth Session, Geneva, 1961: Record of Proceedings, pp. 891-892). Res. 7 of the 45th ILC, adopted June 29 (text ibid., pp. 892-893). 2 4 Res. 8 of the 45th ILC, adopted June 29 Res. 9 of the 45th ILC, adopted June 29 (text ibid., pp. 893-894). Res. 5 of the 45th ILC, adopted June 29 (text ibid., p. 891). resisted modifying language which would have made the Resolution widely acceptable to the Conference as a whole. It was strongly supported by the States Members of Africa whose spokesmen took the position repeatedly that a vote against the Resolution would be construed as contrary to the aspirations of the African countries. There was practically unanimous support for the first two operative paragraphs condemning the policy of apartheid and expressing sympathy to those whose rights were suppressed by such policy but broad opposition and wide divergencies of views concerning the last two operative paragraphs seeking to force the withdrawal of a States Member from the ILO. This opposition, manifested by the 89 abstentions, was engendered in part by sincere doubts as to the constitutionality of the procedure and in part by fears of the future uses which might be made of such a precedent. The emotional reaction to the basic issue presented by the Resolution, however, was sufficient to permit its adoption particularly as no concerted effort was made towards its defeat. On the vote which was taken late in the closing hours of the session, after prolonged debate, the Resolution failed of adoption on a vote by show of hands; it narrowly carried on a record vote immediately thereafter, the quorum required for adoption being 162 votes, with the Resolution obtaining 163. The Resolution concerning freedom from hunger was utilized by the Soviet Bloc representatives as a propaganda instrument in presenting a massive attack on colonialism, despite the fact that a draft Resolution on colonialism, subsequently defeated for lack of a quorum, had been submitted by the USSR Government Delegation and at this stage was pending discussion of the Committee. As previously noted, two Resolutions failed to obtain the necessary quorum for adoption. Both of these were of a highly political character-one, concerning the full participation of Member States in the ILO, sought to introduce the principle of the "troika" into the Organization, while the other sought to marshal the support of the ILO to the eradication of colonialism. The drafts as originally submitted in each instance by members of the Soviet Bloc were almost completely rewritten so as to destroy their future propaganda value to the Soviet Bloc. The work of the Resolutions Committee this year occupied more time at the Conference than at any past session and continued right up to the closing hours. This was due primarily to the controversial nature of the draft Resolutions presented, coupled with the clear intent of representatives of the Soviet Bloc to continually press the propaganda barrage against the free democratic societies on the issue of colonialism and the need of adequate reply to preclude the building of a one-sided record. Much of the crucial voting took place in the final hours of the Conference when large numbers of delegates had already departed without formal notification to the Secretariat. Consequently, while there were only 188 delegates present, the necessary quorum, which is based upon the number of delegates attending the Conference and entitled to vote, remained at 162 and this enabled any 27 delegates to prevent passage by merely abstaining on the vote. This is illustrated by the vote on colonialism where 143 voted for the Resolution, none against and 45 abstained. In the light of this experience, which is without precedent in the work of the Conference, the Standing Orders covering the relevant aspects of the question are to be examined by a committee of the Governing Body in search of a workable formula to prevent future occurrences of this nature. ANNEX MEMBERSHIP OF THE ILO AND CONTRIBUTIONS 11 (Membership as of December 31, 1961; contributions as assessed for 1962) 11 Table taken from Yearbook of the United Nations, 1961, pp. 600-601. |