World Memmological Organisation accept the concept of full membership for mon-self-governing territories or groups of mach territories. All three, however, differ profoundly dom the I.E.(O. in that they deal with highly technical subjects where there is urgent need for world- wide co-omonation of services, irrespective of the status in international relations of the country or territory in which they exist and which are of such a nature that they do not inwelve political issues of either a national or an international character. It will probably be agreed, therefore, #at they do not lend themselves to effective
mparison with the LL.O.
5. Two regional organs of the United Nations-the Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East, and the Economic Commisssion for Latin America-provide for association with their activities of the non-self- governing territories situated in the regions concerned. This is described as associate membership, but in fact it carries with at watig rights only in committees and other subordinate bbc lies and not in the commissions themselves. Cay the Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East in practice has associate members. It would seem, therefore, that the de facto position in regard to the demiteorites concerned in relation to these commissima is monsiderably less favourable than the position in practice of the same non-metropolitan terri- ɗatian to regional conferences of the I.L.O. for the same areas as described in paragraph 9.
16. The World Health Organisation and U.N.E.S.C.O. have also made constitutional provision for associate members, Im the case of the W.H.O. the terms are as follows (article 8 off the Constitution):
Territories or groups of territories which are not responsible for the conduct of their international relations may be admitted as associate members by the Health Assembly upon application made on behalf of such territory or group of territories by the Member or other authority having responsibility for their inter- national relations. Representatives of associate mem- bers to the Health Assembly should be qualified by their technical competence in the field of health and should be chosen from the native population. The nature and extent of the rights and obligations of associate emembers shall be determined by the Health Assembly.
The U.N.ES.C.O. provision, adopted in 1951, is in similar terans.
17. There is as yet mo practical experience of the operation of the associate member system in connection with U.N.ES.C.O. It should be noted, however, that in contrast to the position in the W.H.O., which intro- duced the system at its inception, associate members have been given no voting rights, even in subordinate bodies of the Conferenze.
18. The World Health Organisation has three Associate Members: Southern Rhodesia, Morocco (French and Spanish Zones) and Tunisia. They participate without vote in the Health Assembly and in its main committees, and with vote in certain others. They cannot serve on the Executive Board. In regional committees, while they may be represented and partici- pate in the proceedings, they have no vote in plenary meetings or in subdivisions dealing with financial or constitutional matters. Their representatives must be qualified by technical competence in the field of health and must be chosen from the native population.. Other territories or groups of territories not associate members may be admitted to regional committees. They have the rights of associate members, subject only to con- sultation between the States Members in the region and the Member or other authority having responsibility for the international relatioms of these territories ".
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19. Apart from the formal status conferred by the title Associate Member it seems, therefore, that as far as the rain organ off the W.H.O. is concerned, the practical right of such a member is that of participating in the discussions of them licalth Assen.bly. Even in
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regional committees (which have considerable power and autonomy) the lack of voting rights on financial and constitutional matters, together with the complete lack of voting power in plenary meetings, would seem, in practice, to limit the effective participation of associate members to discussion of technical matters and comments on regional policy without the power to support those comments by vote. The Associate Members of the W.H.O. therefore have fewer rights in W.H.O. regional committees than the non-metropolitan territories already have in the I.L.O. at Asian regional conferences.
20.
The Workers' group considers that associate membership of the I.L.O. should be instituted for non- self-governing territories on the following basis:
1. Representation at the International Labour Conference and at other conferences and commissions should be tripartite in the same way, and to the same degree, as for the ordinary members.
2. Special provisions should be made for the application by associate members of I.L.O. Conventions and Recommendations.
3. For the rest, associate members should have the same rights and obligations as ordinary members, except for the right to vote.
21. Points 1 and 3 of paragraph 20 may now be considered together. The Governing Body may feel that the real point to be examined is whether the right of representation on a tripartite basis at the General Conference and at other conferences and commissions without voting rights would really provide powers of greater practical value to non-metropolitan territories than exist under the present constitutional arrangements. In the first place it would represent fewer rights than they already have in I.L.O. regional conferences, where they have in practice voting powers. In the second place, as far as the International Labour Conference is concerned, it would certainly enable any territories which might be admitted as associate members to take part in the debates on the Report of the Director- General and in committees, the latter being largely concerned with the drafting of international legal instru- ments in the form of Conventions and Recommendations which carry with them, on adoption by the Conference, legal obligations on the Member States. On the other hand, it would confer no right to influence by vote the final form of these obligations. Moreover, it would presumably carry with it financial obligations on those territories which became associate members irrespective of their attendance at particular conferences. Yet in practice the objects to be attained by associate member- ship in the form suggested could equally be attained by full use of the powers at present contained in article 3 of the Constitution. It remains to develop them in accordance with the actual relationships which exist, and which differ in the case of each member State con- cerned, between the home country and the non-metro- politan territories involved.
22.
If the Governing Body is in agreement, therefore, it may be felt that, at this stage at least, it would be more profitable to explore, in the first place possibly by developing in practice the powers already possessed by a tripartite discussions on the national level, methods of
State under article 3 (3), as amended, of the I.L.O. Constitution to appoint, in appropriate circumstances, additional advisers from non-metropolitan territories to each of its delegates. It may be, however, that provided there was some evidence of a desire on the part of non- metropolitan territories to share more actively in the work of the I.L.O., some of the existing difficulties could be overcome on the initiative of the member States concerned and in particular that arrangements could be made, when appropriate, to secure representation of non-metropolitan territories on a regional basis. This would lighten the financial burden. Arrangements might also be made for some form of rotation of represen- tation of individual territories or of selective representa- tion having regard to the subjects under discussion at