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International Agreement on the importation of materials of an educational, scientific or cultural character

Recommendation 163 (1958)

Author(s):
Parliamentary Assembly
Origin
(a) Subject introduced on 15th September 1957 by the tabling of the Fourth Report of UNESCO to the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe, Doc. 696.<br>(b) 30th April 1958, tabling of the Report of the Cultural Committee, Doc. 825.<br>(c) 3rd May 1958, debate in the Assembly (see 9th Sitting of the 10th Session).

The Assembly,

Considering that on the initiative of UNESCO an international agreement designed to remove obstacles to the free circulation of books was signed in 1950 and has been ratified by 20 nations including 3 members of the Council of Europe;

Considering that measures such as purchase tax, excessive postage rates or high transportation costs are still imposed on books by some countries, contrary to the terms of the Agreement,

Recommends to the Committee of Ministers that all Governments which have not already done so should ratify the agreement or implement its provisions as far as possible, by removing obstacles such as purchase tax, high postage rates and high transport costs.

The Recommendation was adopted unanimously.

Considering that many cases of the expatriation of persons for the purpose of exploiting them or others as prostitutes have been established in recent years, that nationals of the Member States have been involved and that such acts have been committed in their territories;

Considering that a convention for the suppression of the traffic in persons and of the exploitation of the prostitution of others was approved by the United Nations General Assembly on 2nd December 1949, that the world-wide ratification and implementation of this convention would put an end to the situation described above and that this convention, which entered into force on 25th July 1951, has since been ratified by certain States and acceded to by others, but has been ignored by most of the Member States of the Council of Europe,

1. Recommends to the Committee of Ministers that they urge the Governments signatories to this convention to ratify it if they have not yet done so - and that they call upon the other Governments to accede to this international instrument;
2. Requests the Committee of Ministers to inform it of any action taken on this Recommendation.