Cablegram 181, CANBERRA, 28 September 1949, 5.25 p.m.
RESTRICTED
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 1. If T.A.B. is to be effective in co-ordinating activities of participating organisations it would appear that considerable discretion will have to be left with the Directors-General. On the other hand Governments through the Executive Boards will desire more than post hoc control. We consider that this difficulty might be partly overcome if each Agency required the Director-General to consult the Chairman of the Board before committing his organisation to any change in approved programme necessitated by T.A.B. discussions.
2. Each Agency should authorise its Director-General to negotiate, on behalf of the Agency, a supplementary agreement with the United Nations which would make acceptance by the Agencies of the various principles a condition of their receiving share of the funds. We will advance this as an amendment at Assembly. Otherwise we are not proposing changes in allocations among Agencies or relative functions of T.A.B. and T.A.C. We would prefer changes but think it preferable not to open up possibilities that first year’s arrangements will be drastically revised by Assembly.
3. We shall continue to advocate the transfer of the present technical assistance activities of the Agencies and the United Nations from the regular budget.
4. Regarding the question as to which countries may qualify for assistance under the scheme we are instructing the Assembly delegation that we would like the principle of universality inserted but that discretion should be left with the participating organisations. However, when a project to be effective must include non-members of the organisation concerned such non-members should receive assistance equally with members.
5. Please raise these matters during the current session of U.N.E.S.C.O.
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[AA : A1838, 716/1/1, IV]