Editorial Note

At meetings on August 27, 28, and 29, 1951, the Economic and Social Council considered the Report of the Seventh Session of the Commission on Human Rights, that is, the Commission’s Draft International Covenant on Human Rights and measures of implementation. On August 29, the Council adopted Resolution 384 (XIII), which took note of the Report of the Commission; expressed appreciation for the Commission’s efforts to formulate basic economic, social, and cultural articles; noted that lack of time had prevented the Commission from completing tasks assigned to it by the General Assembly, in particular the revision of the first 18 articles of the draft Covenant and the preparation of recommendations regarding a federal-state article; and in respect of the latter requested the Commission at its next session to proceed to the completion of those tasks. The resolution provided for the transmission of the Commission’s reports and drafts to the Sixth Regular Session of the General Assembly, together with the Council’s own deliberations on the subject, for the information of governments not represented on the Commission or the Council. For text of the resolution, see ECOSOC (XIII)), Supplement No. 1, Resolution. For the proceedings of the Council on this matter, see ECOSOC [Page 752] (XIII), 522d meeting, 523d meeting, 524th meeting, and 525th meeting, pages 396–419. For statements to the Council by the Alternate United States Representative (Kotschnig), see ibid., pages 406–407 and 417. In the first statement, August 28, Mr. Kotschnig specifically reserved this Government’s understanding of the term “rights” as used in the economic, social, and cultural provisions of the draft Covenant (Part III) in contrast to the use of the term “rights” in Part II (provisions on civil and political rights).