HF55 An elaboration of the United States DEPART UNITED AMERICA DEPARTMENT OF STATE SEPTEMBER 1946 STANFORD LIBRARIES Foreword In December 1945 the Government of the United States published and transmitted to other governments for their consideration a document entitled Proposals for Expansion of World Trade and Employ ment. These Proposals put forward the idea that there should be established an International Trade Organization of the United Nations, the members of which would agree to conduct their commercial relations in accordance with rules to be set forth in the Charter of the Organization. The Proposals contained suggestions for rules to govern trade barriers, restrictive business practices, intergovernmental commodity arrangements, and the international aspects of domestic employment policies and outlined a suggested structure for the International Trade Organization itself. The governments of several other countries have expressed their general agreement with these suggestions. 136144 In February 1946 the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations, at its first meeting, adopted a resolution calling for an international conference on trade and employment to consider the creation of an International Trade Organization. It also established a Preparatory Committee of 19 countries to arrange for the conference and to prepare a draft Charter for such an Organization. The Preparatory Committee is to meet in London in the fall of 1946. In preparation for the conference, the Government of the United States has prepared an elaboration of its Proposals in the form of a suggested Charter for the International Trade Organization. Copies of the suggested Charter have been transmitted to the Secretary-General of the United Nations and to the other governments named by the Economic and Social Council to serve on the Preparatory Committee. The suggested Charter is the work of many persons of competence and experience in the departments and agencies of the United States. Government. It is put forward, however, as a basis for discussion and not as a document expressing the fixed or final views of this Government. The draft should clarify possible obscurities and remove any misunderstandings to which the condensed language of the Proposals may have given rise. CHAPTER I. PURPOSES Article 1. General purposes of the Organization Page 1 1 1 CHAPTER III. EMPLOYMENT PROVISIONS Article 3. Relation of employment to purposes of Organization. Article 6. Consultation and exchange of information on matters relating to employment. . Article 7. Assignment of functions to Economic and Social Council CHAPTER IV. GENERAL COMMERCIAL POLICY SECTION A. GENERAL COMMERCIAL PROVISIONS Article 8. General most-favored-nation treatment. Article 11. Antidumping and countervailing duties Article 15. Publication and administration of trade regulations-advance Article 16. Information, statistics and trade terminology 8 9 11 SECTION B. TARIFFS AND TARIFF PREFERENCES Article 18. Reduction of tariffs and elimination of preferences SECTION C. QUANTITATIVE RESTRICTIONS Article 19. General elimination of quantitative restrictions. Article 20. Restrictions to restore equilibrium in the balance of payments. Article 21. Nondiscriminatory administration of quantitative restrictions Article 23. Elimination of exchange restrictions in relation to current commodity transactions. 17 Article 24. Nondiscriminatory administration of exchange restrictions. (▼) 18 |