The Colombo Plan has been defined as “a cooperative plan to enable members to help one another through bilateral arrangements for assistance, both capital and technical. Its objective is to raise the standard of living by accelerating the pace and extending the scope of economic development in the countries of South and South-East Asia with special emphasis on the production of food.” Frederick Benham, British economist and student of the Plan, has called it “one of those voluntary and flexible arrangements based on goodwill which are not subject to any formal rules—it is not really a plan at all. It may be regarded as an envelope covering the development programs of member countries in South and South-East Asia.”

Though the United Nations has succeeded to only a limited extent in bringing about the actual settlement or adjustment of disputes and threatening situations that have been brought to its attention, it has achieved a considerable measure of success in its efforts to bring fighting to an end and to assist the parties in maintaining the cessation of hostilities to which they have agreed. In Indonesia, the United Nations was able to follow up its success in inducing the parties to agree to a cease-fire with a valuable assist in the negotiation of a final political settlement. In Palestine, however, the United Nations contribution has been largely limited to getting the states directly involved in the fighting to agree to a cease-fire, and then to armistice agreements. The political issues involved seem as far from resolution as ever. In dealing with the dispute between India and Pakistan over the State of Jammu and Kashmir, the United Nations has likewise found itself unable to get the parties to agree on a political settlement. Nevertheless, fighting has been brought to an end, and the United; Nations has played an important part in achieving that result.

Nearly thirty-five years have gone by since the signing of the Treaty of Versailles brought into existence a new international entity, the territory under mandate or trusteeship. Histories of the peace negotiation, depending on the prejudices or the personalities of their authors, represented the system as the creation of a group of impractical idealists or as the ultimate Surrender to militant colonialism. Only recently has it proved feasible to examine much of the evidence, to discover the effects of the system on the territories themselves, and to draw a few conclusions.

The eighth session of the General Assembly, which had recessed on December 9, 1953, to be reconvened if necessary by the President of the Assembly with the concurrence of a majority of United Nations Members to consider the problem of Korea, was formally adjourned at a brief meeting on September 20, 1954.

Pursuant to a letter of September 8 from the United States, the Security Council convened for its 679th and 680th meetings on September 10, 1954, to consider the Soviet–United States controversy concerning the shooting down of a United States military aircraft. The United States letter stated that one of its naval aircraft, on a peaceful mission, was attacked and shot down without warning by two Soviet aircraft over international waters. A Soviet communication to the Security Council on September 10 stated that the United States military aircraft was in Soviet air space one hundred miles east of Vladivostok when spotted by two Soviet fighters. Upon attempting to warn the United States aircraft that it was violating Soviet territory and attempting to advise it to leave Soviet air space, the United States aircraft fired without provocation on the two Soviet aircraft. The Soviet aircraft returned fire and the United States aircraft disappeared, its fate unknown.

The Sub-Committee of the Disarmament Commission (France, Soviet Union, Canada, United Kingdom, United States) met in London, May 13–June 22. Following discussion of possible approaches for the Sub-Committee, the Soviet representative presented a draft resolution11 prohibiting unconditionally weapons of mass destruction and asking the Security Council to effect an international agreement to guarantee enforcement of that prohibition. Permanent members of the Security Council would reduce by one-third conventional military equipment and personnel within a year. The draft recommended the convening by the Security Council of a conference to effect reduction of armaments by all states and to abolish military installations on foreign territories. The Soviet representative attacked parts of the United Nations Majority Plan for Control of Atomic Energy, stating that the United States desired to monopolize nuclear secrets and to secure information on Soviet armaments without prohibiting nuclear weapons.

Council

The 20th session of the Council of the Food and Agriculture Organization was held in Rome from September 27 through October 8, 1954, under the chairmanship of Mr. G. Ugo Papi (Italy). The Council considered various aspects of the world food situation and heard an oral report by the Director-General (Cardon) on the 1953–1954 crop year and prospects for 1954–1955. Mr. Cardon reported that, while agricultural production in the world as a whole had increased at a pace faster than the rate of population increase, the increase had been uneven, both in terms of geographical distribution and in terms of crops and commodities produced. The situation had now been reached, Mr. Cardon observed, where the need to expand agriculture existed in one part of the world while serious surpluses existed elsewhere. Another disturbing feature, Mr. Cardon noted, was that the somewhat eased problem of surpluses of some commodities had resulted from decreased production rather than increased consumption. The over-all stability of the price of agricultural products had been a striking feature of the past year, Mr. Cardon added, resulting mainly from the fact that the main surplus stocks were under government control and had not been unloaded in an uncoordinated way on the world market. One serious problem which Mr. Cardon pointed out was that, while the wholesale price had followed the international price closely, retail prices had been rigid. Mr. Cardon emphasized that in order for the benefits of programs for agricultural efficiency to be realized, marketing and processing would also have to be rationalized.

Ninth Annual Meeting

The ninth annual meeting of the Board of Governors of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development was held in Washington from September 24 to 29, 1954, under the chairmanship of J. van de Kieft (Governor for the Netherlands). Two of the five plenary meetings were held jointly with the Board of Governors of the International Monetary Fund, and on September 28 an informal panel discussion was held on the prospects for private international investment.

Council

The 23d meeting of the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) opened in Montreal on September 28, 1954. Questions of air navigation occupied the most prominent place on the Council's agenda, which approved and communicated to ICAO members the proposals of the Air Navigation Commission for action on the recommendations of the Special Middle East Communications Meeting and of the fourth session of the Meteorological Division. Amendments were made to the regional supplementary procedures, to the Caribbean-South American-South Atlantic aeromobile frequency plan and to the rules of the air and air traffic control plan for the South American-South Atlantic region. In addition, the Council elected the membership of the Finance Committee and Committee on Joint Support of Air Navigation Services for the subsequent twelve months, gave preliminary consideration to the action to be taken on the resolution of the eighth session of the ICAO Assembly concerning the number and length of sessions and working methods of the Council, Air Navigation Commission and Air Transport Committee, decided to convene the fourth session of the Facilitation Division in the Philippines in the autumn of 1955, decided to convene a meeting of medical experts on hearing and visual requirements at Paris in April 1955 and decided, in principle, that ICAO should proceed to construct, in conjunction with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and on land leased to UNESCO by the French government, accommodations to meet the space requirements of its Paris office.

Governing Body

The Governing Body of the International Labor Organization held its 127th session in Rome from November 16 through 19, 1954, under the chairmanship of Mr. R. Ago (Italy). After deciding that the 39th session of the ILO Conference should open in Geneva on June 6, 1956, and noting that, in addition to the regular agenda items, the questions of vocational training in agriculture and welfare facilities for workers were likely to be carried over from the 38th session, the Governing Body considered several reports put before it by the Director-General (Morse) relating to possible further agenda items for the 39th session of the Conference. A study on discrimination in the field of employment and occupation, and a note setting forth certain questions relating to conditions of plantation workers were also discussed. The Governing Body decided to add to the agenda of the 39th session three new items of 1) forced labor, 2) weekly rest in commerce and offices, and 3) living and working conditions of indigenous populations in independent countries. The Governing Body's Committee on Standing Orders and the Application of Conventions and Recommendations was instructed to give further consideration to various points relating to the organization of the work of the ILO Conference, and particularly to arrangements for discussion of the Director-General's report and the work of the Conference committee on the application of conventions and recommendations.

Ninth Annual Meeting

The ninth annual meeting of the Board of Governors of the International Monetary Fund was held in Washington from September 24 through 29, 1954, under the chairmanship of Dr. M. W. Holtrop, Governor for the Netherlands. Two of the seven plenary sessions were held jointly with the Board of Governors of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade

The ninth session of the thirty-four contracting parties to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade opened in Geneva on October 28, 1954, under the chairmanship of Mr. L. Dana Wilgress (Canada). A number of non-member states and inter-governmental organizations sent observers to the session, whose work was divided into two parts: discussion of the normal business of GATT, which extended from October 28 through November 7, and consideration of proposals for the revision of GATT, which would expire in mid-1955, and for transforming it into a more permanent organization.

Regional Meetings

During the autumn of 1954, sessions were held of six of the regional committees of the World Health Organization. From September 10 to 16, 1954, the Regional Committee for the Western Pacific held its fifth session in Manila under the chairmanship of Dr. F. S. Maclean (New Zealand). In adopting the report of the Regional Director on the activities of 1953–54, the committee expressed particular appreciation of the increase in the number of fellowships within the region. The regional program and budget for 1956 were approved, as were certain revisions in the 1955 budget made necessary by financial restrictions; the principal activities planned for 1955 and 1956 related to the control of malaria, tuberculosis, venereal diseases, and yaws, but educative and administrative aspects of public health were also included. The following were among the main recommendations and suggestions of the committee: 1) that the Regional Director allocate, so far as possible, the necessary funds for a travel study tour within the region in 1956; 2) that health authorities in the region be asked to prepare papers on the public health aspects of virus diseases; and 3) that the staff of the regional office and consultants be required to give first priority to the least favorably situated member countries. Technical discussions held during the session dealt with public health administration, with particular reference to the organization of health services. In closing, the committee decided that its sixth session should be held in September 1955, at Singapore.

Council

At a meeting in Cairo in June 1954, attended only by diplomatic representatives in Cairo of the League's member states, the Arab League Council approved a Pakistani proposal to hold an Arab-Islamic conference in Jerusalem. A number of appointments of League officials were made at the session, which also decided to contribute financially to the establishment of a religious institute in the Gaza Strip. The 22d session of the Council opened in Cairo on October 30, under the chairmanship of Shaykh Ibrahim al-Fadl (Saudi Arabia). A resolution was passed congratulating Egypt on the signing of the Anglo-Egyptian agreement on the Suez Canal Zone. According to press reports, it was decided at a further session of the Council to form an Arab mutual defense pact, to defend Arab states against “foreign aggression”. The pact would be a development of the present Arab collective security pact. It had also been decided, according to the press, to let Arab governments deal as they wished with United States offers of military and economic aid.

Council

The Council of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization met in regular ministerial session in Paris on December 17 and 18, 1954, under the chairmanship of Stephanos Stephanopoulos, Foreign Minister of Greece. One of the principal items considered by the Council was the annual review of the military position of NATO, which had been prepared by the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe (SACEUR, Gruenther) and by the Military Committee at its meetings in Washington in November and in Paris immediately preceding the Council meeting. According to press reports, the review showed that defensive rearmament of NATO was virtually completed so far as conventional armaments were concerned. It was reported that SACEUR and the Military Committee recommended that only the air arm of NATO defenses be substantially augmented in 1955, and that even the increases recommended in this regard represented a realization in 1955 of the goals set for 1954 which had not been met. Ground forces in 1954 were said to have been reduced by the equivalent of two divisions by the reduction in periods of conscription in Belgium, Denmark and the Netherlands, the failure of Norway to increase its conscription period and the transfer of French units to north Africa; a reported two percent increase in NATO naval forces was recommended for 1955. Total defense expenditures of European NATO members in 1954 were reported to have fallen 2.4 percent below the 1953 level; the eleven European members were reported to have spent $10,865 million in 1954 as compared with $11,133 million in 1953.

The virtual rejection of the European Defense Community (EDC) treaty by the French National Assembly on August 30, 1954, was followed by a period of intensive high level negotiations, culminating with the signature on October 23 of a series of agreements dealing with 1) restoration of sovereignty to the German Federal Republic, 2) admission of the German Federal Republic to NATO, 3) transformation of the Brussels Treaty Organization (BTO) into a broader political and military alliance and the admission of the German Federal Republic and Italy, and 4) the basis for a German-French agreement on the status of the Saar.

Twelfth Session

The South Pacific Commission held its twelfth session at Anse Vata, Noumea, from October 12 to 29, 1953. The Senior Commissioner for the United States, Dr. F. M. Keesing, was chairman until October 24, when Dean K. A. Ryerson (Commissioner for the United States) took his place. The Commission, in deciding to consider the recommendations contained in the report of the fifth session of the Research Council, stated that it regarded the report of the fifth session to be a “model technical review, both in form and content, of the needs and possibilities for welfare and development in the South Pacific region”.