19
Page 450.
I the production of a radio
programme
S
the flow of hard Turrency to soft currency areas by 4 to augment
61. Travel Compensation Scheme.-A scheme was considered to augment
a
pensation scheme, but this proposal is still at the planning stage. The United Kingdom Delegation remained unconvinced of the practicability of the scheme but as other Member States likely to be far more heavily involved in its actual operation have welcomed it, the United Kingdom saw no objection to enquiries being pursued.
62. International Institute of the Press. It was the United Kingdom's conviction that the proposal to establish an International Institute of the Press was premature. Whatever good might result from such an Institute in the way of providing an international forum for the discussion by journalists of their professional problems and of the problem of the freedom of information, it must be those journalists themselves or the organised bodies of journalistic opinion which must initiate such an Institute. We secured the adoption of a resolution to this effect.
63. Projects Division.-This activity was included in the programme on the initiative of the United Kingdom Delegation to the Second General Conference in Mexico City. The Projects Division was conceived essentially as a small but highly qualified section of the Secretariat alert to pick out of the day-to- day news of the world's press and information services one or two topical themes which could be presented to the world in a way to bring out and to heighten their bearing upon international co-operation and world peace. Such UNESCO themes, when selected, would rapidly be brought to the notice of the world's press and radio services, sometimes perhaps to its news reel and film industries in the hope of seeing them developed and distributed by those services.
64. The essential character of the services which the Projects Division would offer would be to stimulate the treatment by others of themes of topical interest. The small staff at UNESCO's headquarters would not itself seek to develop those themes and the utmost it would offer would be indica- tions of the source of further information.
65. The United Kingdom Delegation went to Beirut apprehensive that both the emphasis upon topicality and the emphasis upon stimulation rather than actual production were absent from the Projects Division's activities. In "UNESCO the discussions which ensued the Secretariat were able to provide a reassurance World Review on both points. Concrete schemes are in preparation, notably a series of now being
broadcasts and the publication of a world calendar calling attention-to- significant anniversaries in the annuals of education, science and culture. to 1,000 national broadcasting organizations.
distributed
"
66. Nevertheless, the United Kingdom Delegation sought to clarify the Division's work and to give it positive direction, concentrating upon the requirement that leading writers, publicists and others should be commissioned to prepare articles and broadcasts on subjects in UNESCO's field, which can be offered through direct contacts, to the directors of leading publications, radio networks and film companies.
67. Radio, Films and Press. As the result of the rearrangement of work under this Chapter, the activities falling within the field of radio, film and press have been reduced and concentrated. The resolutions in question are self-explanatory and we see in them the basis for much effective work in 1949. Under Radio, arrangements are made for wide consultation with national broadcasting organisations and for a practical study of school broad-