§ Mr. Nicholas Wintertonasked the Minister for Overseas Development (1) who are the British members of the National Commission for UNESCO and of its various sub-committees;
(2) when the National Commission for UNESCO last met; and what are its functions.
§ Mr. PrenticeThe main functions of the United Kingdom National Commission for UNESCO are to act as a channel of liaison between UNESCO and the United Kingdom to advise the Government on all aspects of UNESCO's work, and to promote a better understanding of UNESCO in the United Kingdom.
The Commission consists of the Minister for Overseas Development, who is Chairman, and the members of five advisory committees. A list of these committees and the members within each committee was included in a written reply which my right hon. Friend the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs gave to the hon. Member yesterday.—[Vol. 903, c. 478–9.] The advisory committees last met as follows:
Communications Advisory Committee on 5th September 1975.
Culture Advisory Committee on 1st September 1975.
Education Advisory Committee on 26th August 1975.
Royal Society UNESCO Committee on 16th January 1976.
Social Sciences Advisory Committee on 11th December 1975.
There is also a Co-ordinating Council of the United Kingdom National Commis- 574W sion consisting of the Minister for Overseas Development and the Chairmen of the five advisory committees which last met in June 1973.
§ Mr. Nicholas Wintertonasked the Minister of Overseas Development what action the National Commission for UNESCO took over the expulsion of Israel from UNESCO.
§ Mr. PrenticeIsrael has not been expelled from UNESCO. The 18th Session of the General Conference of UNESCO which was held in Paris in October 1974 did, however, pass two resolutions which directly affected the position of Israel as a member State of the Organisation. The chairmen of the five committees of the National Commission who had attended the General Conference as members of the United Kingdom delegation wrote toThe Times on 10th January 1975 endorsing the view expressed by my predecessor that it would be unwise to react by withholding the whole or part of the United Kingdom's assessed contribution. They also urged that the United Kingdom Government in their continuing participation in UNESCO affairs should insist on the principle, which my predecessor had reaffirmed, that all member States should enjoy equal rights of participation in the activities of UNESCO. Four of the five Committees met shortly after the publication of the letter and expressed support for the chairmen's letter and recorded their concern over the decisions affecting Israel.