1. The Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe has always been anxious to maintain close relations with international organisations working for world peace and social progress. In particular it wishes to be kept informed of the work of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) with a view to exchanging information and to mutual co-operation in achieving the aims of the two Organisations.
It is therefore with great pleasure that the Assembly has examined the 1st Progress Report of UNICEF, which it is to receive every year in future. The Assembly is resolved to co-operate to the utmost in publicising the work of UNICEF, especially in Europe, and in giving special support to those UNICEF activities which are related to its own work.
2. The Consultative Assembly accordingly requests its members to support in their respective countries any action to promote the work of UNICEF.
The UNICEF National Committees, with a membership of eminent citizens whose task it is to publicise and develop the activities of the Fund in their respective countries, might possibly in the future call on members of the Assembly for support for the work of their organisation.
3. It is therefore with great pleasure that the Assembly has examined the 1st Progress Report of UNICEF, which it is to receive every year in future. The Assembly is resolved to co-operate to the utmost in publicising the work of UNICEF, especially in Europe, and in giving special support to those UNICEF activities which are related to its own work.
"Article 16. - The right of the family to social, legal and economic protection : With a view to ensuring the necessary conditions for the full development of the family, which is a fundamental unit of society, the Contracting Parties undertake to promote the economic, legal and social protection of family life by such means as social and family benefits, fiscal arrangements, provision of family housing, benefits for the newly-married, and other appropriate means."
"Article 17. - The right of mothers and children to social and economic protection: With a view to ensuring the effective exercise of the right of mothers and children to social and economic protection, the Contracting Parties will take all appropriate and necessary measures to that end, including the establishment or maintenance of appropriate institutions or services."
The Charter, which was signed in Turin on 18th October 1961, has not yet come into force, but as soon as it does these two clauses might lend force to UNICEF in the European countries where it has been ratified.
4. The Assembly would like, in a future progress report, to have more information concerning the activities of the International Children's Centre set up in Paris with equal contributions from the French Government and UNICEF for the purpose of studying child problems in general and training staff to carry out the medico-social child-protection programmes.
5. The Assembly is interested to note that UNICEF is helping to train maternal and child welfare workers and draws attention to the Council of Europe fellowships programme for social workers, which is to come into operation in 1963 with three fellowships awarded annually by each member Government.
The UNICEF National Committees might take steps at national level to ensure that some of these fellowships go to mother and child welfare workers.
6. The Assembly takes a keen interest in the question of voluntary contributions to the Fund by Council of Europe countries, and is sorry to learn that the UNICEF budget is smaller today than in the early years when the Organisation was mainly assisting European children.
Having noted that in 1962, the contributions of only seven member countries, namely the Federal Republic of Germany, Denmark, Greece, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Turkey, had reached or exceeded the percentages fixed for their contributions to the United Nations Organisation and its Specialised Agencies, whereas contributions from the other Council of Europe countries were below this level, the Assembly is addressing a Recommendation to the Committee of Ministers asking them to "request the nine member Governments concerned to agree to a voluntary increase in their contributions to UNICEF by making their percentages at least equal to their percentage contributions to the United Nations Organisation and its Specialised Agencies".