1. Assembly 57.

A resolution re an international conference on trade and
employment is being presented to the Economic and Social Council
by the United States Delegation. [1] After recounting steps
already taken for the establishment of international machinery for
economic co-operation, the resolution states that it is essential
that these might be supplemented by further measures dealing
directly with trade barriers and discriminations which stand in
the way of an expansion of multilateral trade and by an
undertaking on the part of nations to seek full employment, and
continues-

'Paragraph 4. The Government of the United States has proposed
that the United Nations should call such a conference in 1946 and
has published a set of proposals [2] for the expansion of world
trade and employment for consideration by the peoples of the world
and [to] serve as a basis for discussion in an international
conference in the belief that previous international conferences
in the field of commercial policy have but limited results because
they were [3] for the most part confined to policies in the
abstract and not closely enough integrated with arrangements for
concrete action, the United States Government has further invited
a number of Governments to meet together for the negotiation of
reduction of specific trade barriers and discriminations in
advance of the general international conference. Similar
negotiations are to be proposed to all other countries of like
mind as rapidly as possible. [4]

Paragraph 5. These initiatives have been welcomed by a number of
delegates in the opening debate of the General Assembly.

Paragraph 6. The Economic and Social Council has been authorised
in general by Article 62 of the Charter of the United Nations to
call International Conferences on matters falling within its
competence, and specifically by supplementary Rule T of the
Provisional Rules of Procedure of the General Assembly to call a
conference on international trade and employment. The Economic and
Social Council therefore-
(a) Agrees in conformity with supplementary Rule T, to sponsor the
convening in the latter part of 1946, of an international
conference on trade and employment for the purposes of promoting
the expansion of the production, exchange and consumption of
goods.

(b) Proposes that the major chapters of the agenda of this
conference be as follows-
(i) International agreement relating to the achievement and
maintenance of high and stable levels of employment and economic
activity. (ii) International agreement relating to regulations,
restrictions and discriminations affecting international trade.

(iii) International agreement [relating] to restrictive business
practices.

(iv) International agreement relating to inter-governmental
commodity arrangements.

(v) Establishment of an international trade organisation, to be a
specialised agency of the United Nations, having responsibilities
in the fields of (ii), (iii) and (iv) above.

(c) Hereby constitutes a Preparatory Committee of the Economic and
Social Council to elaborate an annotated draft agenda including a
draft convention for consideration by the conference, taking into
account suggestions which may be submitted to it by the Economic
and Social Council or directly by members of the United Nations.

The members of this Committee shall consist of representatives
designated by the Government of the countries referred to in
paragraph 4 above, and of two other countries, members of the
Economic and Social Council designated by the Council. A
representative of the Secretary of the Council shall participate
without the right to vote in the meetings of the Committee.

(d) Requests the President of the Economic and Social Council to
confer with members of the Council and with the Secretary-General
with a view to reporting to a subsequent session of the Council
recommendations as to what states, if any, not members of the
United Nations, should be invited to the Conference on trade and
employment.'
2. A footnote lists Australia among the countries referred to in
paragraph 4. [5]