Reply to the Fourth Progress Report of the Special Representative of the Council of Europe for National Refugees and Over-population

Recommendation 239 (1960)

Author(s):

Parliamentary Assembly

Origin

Assembly debate on 28th April 1960 (6th Sitting) (see Docs 1069Docs 1069, Fourth Progress Report of the Special Representative, and Doc. 1107, Report of the Committee on Population and Refugees). Text adopted by the Assembly on 28th April 1960 (6th Sitting).

The Assembly,

Having considered the Fourth Progress Report of the Special Representative of the Council of Europe for National Refugees and Over-population;

Recalling its Resolution 114 (1957) which declared that "it relied on the Special Representative to take all possible steps to promote the improvement of vocational training facilities for surplus elements of population";

Noting that no action has yet been taken on the six proposals concerning vocational training made by the Special Representative in 1958, though the necessity and the urgency of the measures suggested have been frequently stressed by the Consultative Assembly and by all the competent national and international organisations;

Reaffirming its conviction that, as stated in Recommendation 189 (1959), the problem of vocational training "is a European problem which can only be solved on a European basis";

Noting that, in his Fourth Progress Report, with regard to vocational training the Special Representative makes three main proposals -the establishment of an International Vocational Training Information and Research Centre, a pilot scheme for training the unskilled and grants for instructor training;

Welcoming the opportunity offered to the Committee on Population and Refugees for co-operation with the Special Representative's Advisory Committee;

Desirous of contributing to the activities of the Council of Europe Resettlement Fund,

Recommends that the Committee of Ministers:

1 should intervene to urge the Governments of member States to :

1.1 approve the six-point programme for vocational training submitted in 1958 by the Special Representative in his Third Progress Report (Doc. 849);

1.2 provide the Special Representative with the funds required for the immediate implementation of the three priority projects mentioned in the Fourth Progress Report (Doc. 1069), viz:

a the establishment of an International Vocational Training Information and Research Centre;

b the pilot scheme for training 300 workers;

c the provision of grants for the training of 30 instructors;

1.3 provide the Special Representative with the indispensable funds, which have been kept down to a minimum thanks to contributions from the international organisations associated with these schemes;

2 should invite the Special Representative :

2.1 to include a certain number of refugees among those who are to benefit by the schemes for the training of workers and instructors;

2.2 to associate the Committee on Population and Refugees with the implementation of his vocational training programme;

3 should, in its next Report to the Assembly, state its attitude to the whole vocational training programme drawn up by the Special Representative and the decisions already taken in this matter;

4 should furnish the Assembly with fuller particulars of the operation of the Council of Europe Resettlement Fund.