Aid to less developed areas

Recommendation 158 (1958)

Author(s):

Parliamentary Assembly

Origin

(a) Question introduced on 25th October 1956 by the tabling of a motion for a Resolution, Doc. 580, by M. Devinat and others.<br>(b) 26th October 1956, motion referred to the Committee on General Affairs (see 29th Sitting of the Eighth Session).<br>(c) 11th April 1958, tabling of the report of the Political Committee (Doc. 800).<br>(d) 30th April 1958, debate in the Assembly (see 5th Sitting of the 10th Session. The draft Recommendation as a whole was adopted by 75 votes to one and 6 abstentions (see 6th Sitting of the 10th Session, 2nd May 1958).

1. The Assembly,

2. Considering that in every age and in every continent unequal development among the nations has been a source of conflict and a material and moral burden on human society ;

3. Considering that in our own time this disparity within the community of nations has been continually accentuated through the rapid expansion of the industrial nations, on the one hand, and the growing needs of the independent States of Asia and Africa on the other ;

4. Considering that the gap is still widening between the more developed and the less developed countries ;

5. Considering that the most densely populated of the latter countries are in many cases those which have the lowest standard of living and are most threatened by social and political dislocation ;

6. Considering that assistance to less developed countries is for Europe not only part of its duty to humanity but also a guarantee of economic survival and a measure in defence of its political freedom ;

7. Considering that it is vital that the Western nations and the less developed countries should get closer together on the basis of mutual trust, help and respect, and that the Western nations must be prepared to make a much greater effort to raise the standard of living of these countries ;

8. Considering that in Resolution (57) 12 of 29th April 1957 the Committee of Ministers "proclaimed its resolve to assist the under-developed territories both inside and outside Europe" ;

9. Having taken note of the report of the Political Committee (Doc. 800) ;

10. Noting :

11. that European countries are collectively engaged in organising economic assistance for the areas most in need within Europe ;

12. that widespread assistance has already been given by certain European countries in various ways to the less developed areas of the world and that the Treaty setting up the European Economic Community provides for a fund of 581 million dollars for social and economic development in the dependent overseas territories of the member nations ;

13. that the United Kingdom and other members of the Commonwealth are assisting the independent nations covered by the Colombo Plan for co-operative economic development in South and South-East Asia ;

14. that Europe has always given its support to schemes and organisations instituted by the United Nations with the aim of internationalising assistance to the less developed countries, in particular the Special Fund, which is due to come into being on 1st January 1959, pending the so insistently desired establishment of S.U.N.F.E.D,

15. Recommends to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe and the Council of Ministers of O.E.E.C. :

16. that a European policy of concerted, systematic, sustained and better co-ordinated assistance for the technical, social and economic development of less developed countries should be worked out and put into effect, in particular for the countries where cooperation with the Governments can bring mutual advantages, both immediate and long-term, in the social, economic and political fields ;

17. that this joint European policy of assistance should provide for the closest co-ordination between bilateral and multilateral programmes of aid (in particular the Investment Fund provided for in the Rome Treaty), between those programmes and technical assistance and development activities of the United Nations and Specialised Agencies, and also between governmental efforts and private contributions in these same fields ;

18. that a body be formed for purposes of study, information and liaison between the member countries of the Council of Europe and all the less developed countries, whether receiving aid or not ; this body or "European Office for Aid to the less developed Countries" might be constituted as a special joint department of the O.E.E.C and the Council of Europe, having direct relations with the Government departments of the various States concerned and reporting to the Assembly from time to time on the progress of its work ;

19. that a Study Conference be convened, on the initiative of the Council of Europe, to which would be invited all persons with appropriate qualifications ; this conference would make it possible to awaken public opinion to the absolute necessity of an organised drive to provide assistance, in order to counter the dangers facing the world by reason of the tension arising from the widening gap between the standards of living of the different nations ;

20. that a reply to this Recommendation should be submitted to the Assembly in time for its autumn Session 1958 and that if the proposal contained in paragraph 18 is not found acceptable alternative proposals should be put forward and transmitted to the Assembly for consideration by the Political Committee.