§ Mr. Taverneasked the Minister of Overseas Development in what activities the United Kingdom National Commission for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation has been engaged during the past 12 months; what was its cost to public funds; and what plans it has for future activities.
§ Mr. OramThe National Commission has been mainly concerned this year with examining, and advising the Government on, the preliminary draft programme for United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation for 1967–68. Continuing activities have included the provision of speakers for meetings, dealing with enquiries, and answering U.N.E.S.C.O. questionnaires. Officers of the Commission collaborated with the Secretariat of U.N.E.S.C.O. in arranging 375W a U.N.E.S.C.O. "Round Table Meeting of Experts on Human Rights" at Oxford in November.
It is difficult to distinguish meaningfully, in terms of cost, between the work of the National Commission and that arising from our other activities with and for U.N.E.S.C.O. In the last twelve months excluding the British contribution to the budget of U.N.E.S.C.O. and the salaries of officers engaged on the work of U.N.E.S.C.O. and the National Commission, the cost of participation in the work of U.N.E.S.C.O. through the National Commission and in other ways, has been £8,693.
The major concern of the Commission in 1966 will be preparation for the participation of the British delegation in the 14th Session of the General Conference of U.N.E.S.C.O. in the autumn. It is also likely to be concerned with plans for marking the twentieth anniversary of U.N.E.S.C.O.; arrangements for a U.N.E.S.C.O. Symposium on Agroclimatology at Reading in July; and the holding in this country of a seminar, to be sponsored jointly by the U.N.E.S.C.O. Institute for Education (Hamburg) and the Commission on teaching for international understanding.
§ Mr. Taverneasked the Minister of Overseas Development how many of the member countries of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation have set up national commissions or co-operating bodies for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation; and what reports exist of their activities.
§ Mr. OramThe latest available information shows that national commissions have been established in 109 of the 120 member states of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation.
Activities of national commissions are reported regularly in the monthly "Unesco Chonicle". Some national commissions periodically publish separate reports.