146 EFFECTIVENESS OF THE COMMITTEE ON OCEANOGRAPHY 



Distribution: general UNESCO/NS/176 



PARIS, 1 February 1962 

 Original: English 



UNITED NATIONS EDUCATIONAL, 

 SCIENTIFIC AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATION 



INTERGOVERNMENTAL OCEANOGRAPHIC COMMISSION 



REPORT ON THE FIRST SESSION OF THE COMMISSION 



Unesco, Paris 19-27 October 1961 



I. INTRODUCTION 



1 . The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission established by resolution 2.31 adopted by 

 the General Conference of Unesco at its eleventh session, and in conformity with the recommenda- 

 tion of the Intergovernmental Conference on Oceanic Research (Copenhagen 11-16 July 1960) met 

 for its first session in Paris at Unesco Headquarters from 19 to 27 October 1961. 



2. By the end of the session, a total of 40 States had become members of the Commission. These 

 are: Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Cuba, Denmark, Dominican 

 Republic, Ecuador, Finland, Federal Republic of Germany, France, Ghana, India, Israel, Italy, 

 Ivory Coast, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Mauritania, Monaco, Morocco, Netherlands, Norway, 

 Pakistan, Poland, Rumania, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, Tunisia, Union of Soviet Socialist 

 Republics, United Arab Republic, United Kingdom, United States of America, Uruguay, Viet-Nam. 

 Of these States only four, Chile, Ivory Coast, Pakistan and Rumania, did not send delegations to 

 the first session of the Commission. Rumania was represented at the meeting by the Permanent 

 Delegate to Unesco in the capacity of an observer. Observers from the following States not mem- 

 bers of the IOC were also present: Ceylon, Guatemala, Honduras, Iceland and South Africa. 



3. Representatives and observers of the following intergovernmental and non- governmental 

 organizations also attended the session: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Food and 

 Agriculture Organization (FAO), World Meteorological Organization (WMO), World Health 

 Organization (WHO), Intergovernmental Maritime Consultative Organization (IMCO), International 

 Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU), International 

 Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG), International Association of Physical Oceanography 

 (IAPO), International Union of Biological Sciences (IUBS), Special Committee on Oceanic Research 

 (SCOR), Permanent Association of Navigational Congresses, International Hydrographic Bureau 

 (IHB), International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), Inter-American Tropical Tuna 

 Commission. 



4. The session was opened by the Acting Director-General of Unesco, Mr. Rene Maheu, who 

 welcomed the delegates on behalf of Unesco (see Annex I) and stressed the importance of the 

 newly created Commission as an instrument for solving those problems of oceanography which 

 require concerted international action. 



5. The Commission received the following cable from the Soviet Oceanographic Expedition 

 aboard the research vessel "Vityaz": 



"ON BEHALF OF MEMBERS SOVIET OCEANOGRAPHIC EXPEDITION ON BOARD 

 VITYAZ IN CENTRAL PACIFIC OCEAN I AM SENDING MY BEST WISHES TO PARTI- 

 CIPANTS OF CONFERENCE AND WISH EVERY SUCCESS IN CREATING INTERNA- 

 TIONAL PROGRAMS FOR STUDYING OCEANS DIRECTED TOWARDS GOOD OF ALL 

 MANKIND 



Professor KORT" 



This cable was announced to the plenary meeting and the answering cable was approved and sent 

 to the Chief of the Expedition, Professor V.G. Kort: 



