COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANISATION
AND THE INTERGOVERNMENTAL COMMITTEE FOR EUROPEAN MIGRATION

1. In an exchange of correspondence which took place in April, May, and June, 1952, the Director-General of the International Labour Office and the Acting Director of the Provisional Intergovernmental Committee for the Movement of Migrants from Europe ⁽¹⁾ agreed upon working arrangements for liaison, exchange of information, and co-operation on matters of mutual interest, as between their two organisations ⁽²⁾.

2. The texts of the letters of the I.L.O. and P.I.C.M.M.E. setting forth these arrangements are given below :

P.I.C.M.M.E.,
Geneva.

9 April 1952.

Sir,

I have the honour to refer to the conversations which, since the establishment of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Movement of Migrants from Europe, by Resolution of the Brussels Conference (MCB/9 dated 6th December 1951), have taken place between members of our respective staffs in order to establish a basis of liaison and a profitable co-operation in matters of mutual interest.

The Committee wishes to take the fullest advantage of the specialised knowledge and advice of the International Labour Office in the manpower field and, accordingly, is ready to make the following arrangements.

1. The Committee will keep the Office informed on the progress of its migration operations and will consult the Office regularly on matters with which it is concerned.

2. The Committee will appoint a senior officer to be responsible for liaison with the International Labour Office. Similar arrangements have been made to effect liaison with other international agencies such as the United Nations, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the World Health Organisation and the Council of Europe.

3. The Committee will also designate other officials to meet with representatives of your staff to discuss common problems on the technical level. Such meetings might take place at regular intervals with special meetings called as necessary to discuss specific matters.

4. Where it is desirable to develop joint projects for the placement of migrants, possibly with the assistance of other international agencies with specialized technical resources, the Committee will place great value on the collaboration of the International Labour Office.

5. The International Labour Office will be invited to be represented at the sessions of the Intergovernmental Committee in accordance with the Committee's "Rules of Procedure" and it would be appreciated if the Office could make reciprocal arrangements.

It would greatly facilitate the Committee's task if our two organisations would exchange documentary and statistical material including publications on manpower and migration matters, and statistical data and reports concerning migration potentials in countries both of emigration and immigration. I should also be grateful if daily contact could be arranged between our Research Office and the library of the International Labour Office for the examination of outside publications bearing on migration matters.

In conclusion, I wish to emphasise the great importance I place on the close and profitable co-operation between our two organisations in order that the problems of surplus population with which the Committee has been established to deal, may be efficiently solved.

I have the honour to be,

Sir,

Your obedient Servant.

Mr. David A. Morse.
Director-General,
International Labour Office.
GENEVA.

(signed) Pierre Jacobsen,
Acting Director.

I.L.O.
Geneva.

7 May 1952.

Sir,

I have the honour to acknowledge your letter of 9 April referring to conversations between officials of our two organisations in order to establish a basis of liaison and co-operation on matters of mutual concern.

I note with great pleasure the Provisional Intergovernmental Committee's wish to take full advantage of the specialised knowledge and advice of the International Labour Organisation in the manpower field and I am most happy to confirm my willingness to co-operate fully with you in pursuit of our common objectives and in carrying out our respective functions.

In regard to the specific points raised in your letter :

1. The Office will undertake to keep PICMME informed of its operations in the manpower field relating to migration and to consult the Committee regularly on matters of common interest

2. The Office will appoint a senior official to be responsible for liaison with the Committee's Secretariat.

3. The Office will also make the necessary arrangements for informal liaison for regular discussion of technical matters of common interest.

4. The Office will value the co-operation of PICMME in developing appropriate solutions for problems connected with the placement of migrants and in carrying out projects for this purpose with the collaboration, as appropriate, of international organisations with specialised resources.

5. The Director-General will have pleasure in recommending to the Governing Body at its next session (Geneva, 26-31 May 1952) that it should decide to invite PICMME, subject to reciprocity, to attend and participate without vote in meetings of the Governing Body of the International Labour Office and other I.L.O. meetings at which matters of interest to PICMME may be discussed.

I am in agreement with your proposals for informal exchange, on a reciprocal basis, of information and technical materials relating to migration, including documents and publications.

In conclusion, I wish to emphasise the importance which I, too, attach to the closest co-operation with PICMME in its efforts to deal with certain aspects of the problem of surplus population in Europe, a problem which in all its various aspects has long been of grave concern to the I.L.O. and to other international organisations interested in migration.

I have the honour to be,

Sir,

Your obedient Servant,

For the Director-General :

(signed)
R. Rao,
Assistant Director-General.

The Acting Director,
Provisional Intergovernmental Committee
for the Movement of Migrants from Europe,
63, rue des Pâquis,
GENEVA.

I.L.O.
Geneva.

10 June 1952

Sir,

Further to my letter of 7 May 1952, 1 have pleasure in enclosing for your information a copy of document G.B.119/13/18 in which the Director-General suggested that the Governing Body should, in line with the decisions already taken by it in respect of other international governmental organisations, decide to invite the Provisional Intergovernmental Committee for the Movement of Migrants from Europe, subject to reciprocity, to attend and participate without vote in meetings of the Governing Body of the International Labour Office and other I.L.O. meetings at which matters of interest to PICMME may be discussed.

I am happy to inform you that on 31 May 1952 the Governing Body agreed with that suggestion and that such invitations will accordingly be addressed to you in future.

I have the honour to be.

etc. etc,

(signed)
R. Rao,
Assistant Director-General

The Acting Director,
Provisional Intergovernmental Committee
for the Movement of Migrants from Europe,
63, rue des Pâquis,
GENEVA.

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Published in: ILO, Agreements concluded between the International Labour Organisation and other international intergovernmental organisations, Volume II, Agreements concluded with regional organisations, Geneva (no date).

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