Secretariat

The Secretary-General stated in his annual report on the work of the United Nations for the period of July 1, 1949 to June 30, 1950 that despite the failure of the allied powers to resolve their disagreements over the peace settlements of World War II, the United Nations had demonstrated its capacities in many fields during the first five years of its existence. The major decisions and acts of the United Nations between July 1,1949 and June 30,1950 included 1) the decision of the General Assembly to grant independence to Libya within two years and to Somaliland after ten years, 2) the transfer of sovereignty from the Netherlands to the Republic of Indonesia, 3) the renewed effort of the Security Council to settle the dispute over Kashmir between India and Pakistan, 4) the successful maintenance of the armistice between Israel and her neighbors by the operations of the Mixed Armistice Commissions, 5) the “progressive pacification of the northern borders of Greece” although no settlement of major differences was reached, 6) the start of the United Nations Technical Assistance Program and the pledging of twenty million dollars by Members to the first period of the program, 7) the convening of the United Nations Scientific Conference on the Conservation and Utilization of Resources, serving as a beginning for future international action, 8) the preparation of a series of covenants on human rights, 9) the agreement on limitation of opium production, 10) the establishment of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, 11) the decision to appoint a High Commissioner for Refugees, when the International Refugee Organization terminated in 1951, 12) the further development of the trusteeship system with the formulation of an agreement for Italian Somaliland incorporating provisions designed to strengthen the system of supervision which are not found in other trusteeship agreements, and 13) the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice reaffirming the principle of international responsibility for Southwest Africa.