56 



tion and exploitation of petroleum, on the other hand, were progress- 

 ing at an increasing pace. Industry was becoming increasingly aware 

 of the vast mineral deposits contained in the ocean floor, which could 

 in the future become technically and economically exploitable. 



The report of the Subcommittee recognized the lack of basic docu- 

 ments — geological, topographical and geophysical, etc. — which were 

 needed to identify areas favorable for the occurrence of various min- 

 erals and to appraise their potential. The report urged international 

 cooperation in collecting these data and recommended that the devel- 

 oping countries should become more involved in their participation in 

 such projects. 



INTERNATIONAL MACHINERY 



The Subcommittee considered extensively the report of the Secre- 

 tary General, which suggested possible functions and forms of inter- 

 national machinery.^® The functions and powers would include regis- 

 tration, licensing, operation by an international agency, and the settle- 

 ment of disputes. 



One function which international machinery could fulfill would be 

 to provide a system of registration whereby States or other applicants 

 could notify an international body of the activities undertaken or 

 proposed, and of the area in which they would be conducted. The 

 committee found that the main feature of the numerous proposals put 

 forward by governments for licensing was that title or control of sea- 

 bed resources would be held by the international community, repre- 

 sented by the international authority, which would issue licenses to 

 individual operators. For operations on the seabed, an international 

 body would be established which would exercise its functions in one or 

 a combination of ways : The agency itself might carry out direct ex- 

 ploration and exploitation operations, with its own staff and facilities ; 

 it might arrange for others to perform these operations on its behalf 

 by a system of service contracts or possibly by issuing licenses ; or joint 

 ventures could be undertaken with other bodies, such as government 

 enterprises or international consortia. It was also suggested that inter- 

 national machinery could be established to provide a means for the 

 settlement of disputes arising out of the development of seabed re- 

 sources. 



The proposed functions might be carried out by various forms of 

 international machinery. Possible forms identified in the report in- 

 cluded : 



1. A secretariat center or unit which might be established within 

 an existing organization, such as the Center for Development 

 Planning, Projections and Policies; the Center for Housing, 

 Building and Planning; and the Center for Industrial Develop- 

 ment. 



2. A United Nations subsidiary organ, such as the U.N. Con- 

 ference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) ; the U.N. Chil- 

 dren's Fund (UNICEF) ; and the U.N. Relief and Works Agency 

 for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). 



™ United Nations. Secretary General. "Study on the question of establishing in due 

 time appropriate international machinery for the promotion of the exploration and ex- 

 ploitation of the resources of the seabed and the ocean floor beyond the limits of national 

 .iurisdiction, and the use of these resources in the interests of mankind." (United Nations, 

 New York). (A/AC.138/12.) 



