Reply to UNESCO's Third Report to the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe
- Author(s):
- Parliamentary Assembly
- Origin
- (see Doc. 611, draft Resolution presented by the Committee on Cultural and Scientific Questions and Explanatory Memorandum by Mme Rehling). This Resolution was adopted by the Assembly at its 37th Sitting, on 11th January 1957
1. The Consultative Assembly wishes to thank UNESCO for its Third Report and to congratulate it most sincerely on the remarkable work it has accomplished in Europe during the past year.
Co-operation between UNESCO and the Council of Europe
2. As regards effective co-ordination of the activities of UNESCO and the Council of Europe, the Assembly has before it a proposal from the Committee of Ministers that the Joint Cultural Committee of the Council of Europe be entrusted with the task of ensuring liaison with UNESCO in connection with the examination of the future cultural activities of our Organisation. This task is in accordance with the mandate of the Joint Cultural Committee, which is to permit a free exchange of views among the Representatives of the Consultative Assembly, on the one hand, and the members appointed by the Committee of Cultural Experts, on the other hand, concerning the cultural policy of the Council of Europe.
3. The Joint Committee may also, if it sees fit, make use of the periodical reports of the Director-General of UNESCO supplied for information purposes to the interested organs of the Council of Europe. The Assembly wishes to express its gratitude to the Director-General of UNESCO for this courteous gesture.
4. In the light of information concerning an increase in the credits of UNESCO for purposes of implementing of the "programme of participation in the activities of member countries", and convinced that one of the main obstacles to the extension of the cultural activities of the Council of Europe is the lack of funds, the Assembly wonders whether it would not be possible to facilitate the implementation on a multilateral basis of certain large-scale projects within the regional framework of the European Cultural Convention by making use of the facilities which UNESCO offers its members. The European Cultural Convention concluded under the auspices of the Council of Europe may, in the opinion of the Assembly, serve as a useful instrument for the implementation of "regional projects" as advocated at the General Conference of UNESCO at Montevideo.
5. As regards the technical and administrative side of the co-operation between UNESCO and the Council of Europe, the Assembly is relying on the initiative of the two Secretariats.
Co-operation with non-governmental organisations
6. Turning to account the pilot experiments carried out in recent years by its Committee on Cultural and Scientific Questions, the Assembly intends to continue its endeavours to extend its relations with international non-governmental organisations working in the cultural field. It hopes, should need arise, to enjoy the friendly co-operation of UNESCO, which has succeeded in such an exemplary manner in creating around it a huge network of non-governmental organisations.
Recommendations to the Committee of Ministers
Adult Education
7. In accordance with the declaration made in its
Resolution 77 (1955) in reply to the previous Report of UNESCO, the Assembly has noted, in the last message of the Director-General, a number of questions of special interest to member countries of the Council of Europe, which it considers call for Assembly action. It has accordingly addressed the following recommendations to the Committee of Ministers :(i)
Recommendation 126, advocating the accession of member countries of the Council of Europe to the International Bureau of Education at Geneva (ii)
Recommendation 127, concerning the International Computation Centre in Rome
8. The Assembly has noted with satisfaction that, in the seminars organised by UNESCO for the training of teachers in the field of adult education, European problems are frequently explained and discussed. The Assembly feels that adult education is one of the most promising fields for joint action by UNESCO and the Council.
9. The Assembly considers accession to these institutions to be a quite normal process, since it had always declared itself in favour of specialised institutes on a multilateral basis in the scientific and cultural field. In addition, it realises the importance for contemporary civilisation of the advances made in computation methods, particularly in view of the increasingly great influence which cybernetics are likely to have in all departments of social life.
10. It is for the countries of Europe to shoulder their share of responsibility in developing a branch of science which has such a great future before it.(iii)
Recommendation 128, on the participation of the Council of Europe in the UNESCO projects concerned with "mutual appreciation of Eastern and Western cultural values"
11. Presentation of the European idea is one of the main objectives of the cultural activities of the Council of Europe. This is shown by the organisation of the "Round Table" in 1953, and by the sponsoring of the book Europe and the Europeans, which is to appear shortly in the original English edition.
Note
12. The task of presenting European culture outside Europe raises serious problems. The Assembly is, nevertheless, convinced that it must be tackled. On the one hand, it realises how desirable it is for the nations of the world which have become accustomed to viewing Europe exclusively from the point of view of its technological achievements also to learn to appreciate its artistic, moral and spiritual values. On the other hand, it is convinced that a joint effort to present Europe abroad as a cultural entity could have a salutary effect on the development of European solidarity within the countries of Europe.(iv)
Recommendation 129, on the participation of the Council of Europe in the work of the UNESCO Institute of Social Sciences at Cologne
13. The Assembly believes that this Institute could become one of the centres linking up the scientific needs of the Council of Europe with UNESCO's endeavours to extend knowledge and application of the social sciences in the world.
14. In addition to the matters covered by Recommendations, the Assembly would like to take advantage of this Reply to emphasise the importance it attaches to certain other activities of UNESCO referred to in the Director-General's message.
The International Universities Bureau
15. The International Universities Bureau took an important part in preparing the Report of the Committee on Scientific and Cultural Questions on the "Rôle of the Council of Europe in assisting the European Universities to play their part in developing a sense of community among the European peoples" (
Doc. 561). The Assembly takes this opportunity to thank the Bureau.
16. It now remains for it to hope that the International Universities Bureau will, on its side, effectively implement the "Conclusions" of the Paris Special Meeting, and in particular that the Bureau will use its Bulletin to ensure that the Assembly's work in connection with universities, and its various suggestions, are known in university circles.
17. With regard to the Bureau's activities in connection with the equivalence of university degrees, UNESCO is not unaware of the work of the Council of Europe on the subject ; the Assembly has special pleasure in announcing the signature, in December 1956, of a second Convention on the Equivalence of Periods of University Study.
18. The Assembly is particularly anxious that there should be closer collaboration among the appropriate services of the Council of Europe and of the International Universities Bureau. It reserves the right to make suggestions to those services with regard to publications of the Bureau which have a European bearing.
The question of so-called "neighbouring" rights
19. Lastly, the Consultative Assembly has noted with satisfaction the information published in the Report on exchanges of radio and television programmes. It agrees with UNESCO that the extension of the exchanges of television programmes depends to a large extent on the solution of the problem of so-called "neighbouring" rights. It also welcomes any efforts UNESCO may make jointly with other international organisations to solve this problem.
