At The XIII Pan American Sanitary Conference, in accordance with the Constitution of the Pan American Sanitary Organization, Dr. Fred L. Soper was re-elected Director, by acclamation, for a four-year period beginning on 1 February 1951, and was designated for appointment as Regional Director of WHO for the Americas for the same period.

Considering that the programs and recommendations adopted by the Conferences and meetings for which no appropriate funds are voted become automatically ineffective;

Considering that the Pan American Sanitary Bureau is now carrying out its functions on the basis of a budget, which has not been the case in previous years; and

Considering that the recommendations accumulated from previous Conferences and meetings only serve [as expressions of] the interest of Member States in the development of certain activities, rather than as injunctions to the Bureau, as long as no corresponding funds are assigned,

1. To relieve the Pan American Sanitary Bureau [of those] responsibilities imposed by previous Conferences and meetings [that] were not supported by appropriate programs and funds, and in the future to consider as responsibilities of the Bureau only those programs and recommendations supported by a budget.

2. To instruct the Director of the Bureau to transmit the approved program to the Member Governments and inform them of changes effected in the General Program of the Bureau.

Considering that the Pan American Sanitary Bureau finds it difficult to carry forward working programs based on budgets adopted shortly before the beginning of the fiscal year;

Considering that the present schedule for study and approval of the budgets of the Organization does not allow the Member Governments sufficient time to include provision for their assessed contribution to the Organization in their national budgets for the year in question, thus delaying payments; and

[Having heard] the comments presented by the Director on this problem in Document CD4/PP/3,

1. To instruct the Directing Council to collect all required data for the study of an adequate budget policy for the Organization.

2. To authorize the Directing Council, or the organ that may assume its functions, to approve and implement a budget plan for the second year following that of its meeting.

Considering that The XIII Pan American Sanitary Conference, [regards] the budget approved by the Directing Council [to be] the decision of the Council as to the type and extent of programs for specific years, and [that this budget] should be carried out by the Bureau as resources become available;

Considering that the Pan American Sanitary Conference recognizes the fact that under the present system of approving one year's budget in the last quarter of the previous year all payments will be delayed in respect to the program and budget year of the Pan American Sanitary Organization;

Considering that the Pan American Sanitary Bureau requires adequate financial assistance in the form of a Working Capital Fund to enable it to carry out the programs in accordance with the mandates received;

Considering that a Working Capital Fund can be built within the actual and anticipated resources of the Pan American Sanitary Bureau only through maintaining an arbitrarily reduced level of expenditures below that authorized by the Directing Council, which will be reflected in an incomplete program;

Considering that Resolution III of the Directing Council in its I Meeting in Buenos Aires, 24 September–2 October 1947, approved the establishment of a reserve for budget financing purposes;

Considering that the Directing Council at its III Meeting in Lima, 6–13 October 1949, in Resolution II approved the use of unobligated funds for budget financing purposes during 1950 [pending] a final report and recommendation of the Director; and

Considering that studies have been made by the Director and his staff, with resulting solutions that were formulated in collaboration with the 10th Meeting of the Executive Committee,

1. To create a Working Capital Fund (estimated for 1951 to be $1,175,880).

2. That the Working Capital Fund shall be for the purpose of financing only the budget operations approved for the Pan American Sanitary Organization.

3. That the Working Capital Fund shall comprise:

a) Balance of cash available for credit to the reserve fund [as of] 31 December 1949, plus payments of quotas for 1949 and prior years received during 1950, in accordance with the appropriate resolution of the Directing Council at its III Meeting, Lima, 6–13 October 1949;

b) Any cash received in 1950 in respect to the 1950 budget that shall be in excess of obligations; and

c) In years subsequent to 1950, cash in excess of obligations shall be credited to the Working Capital Fund to the amount needed to replenish the Fund and finance the expenditure level approved by the Directing Council, and other balances, if any, will be disposed of in accordance with such financial regulations as are adopted by the Directing Council.

4. That title of fund shall rest with the Pan American Sanitary Organization and shall be administered by the Director of the Pan American Sanitary Bureau in accordance with such financial regulations as are adopted by the Directing Council and the Conference.

5. That reports shall be made in connection with budget estimates by the Executive Committee with the cooperation of the Director on the status of the Working Capital Fund, with recommendations as to anticipated needs.

Considering that the payment of contributions by several Member Countries of the Pan American Sanitary Organization was still pending at the end of the year for which it was due;

Considering that this fact brought about a situation under which the Director was compelled to curtail the program adopted by the Organization; and

Considering that it is desirable that the Organization carry out the total program for which budget allotments have been made, and at the same time maintain financial stability,

1. To commend the Director on his foresight in maintaining the level of expenditures within the limits determined by the total receipts that can reasonably be expected during the year in question.

2. To recommend that the Director continue to apply the same criterion in the future, so that the Organization shall not be placed in a difficult financial position.

3. To request all the Member Countries to take the necessary steps to ensure the payment of their contributions to the Pan American Sanitary Organization at the time they are due, so that the Organization may carry out the adopted program in its entirety.

4. To recommend that the Director of the Pan American Sanitary Bureau, in consultation with the Executive Committee, study means of facilitating the payment of contributions by the Member Governments.

Considering that the functions of the Pan American Sanitary Bureau are sufficiently broad to require special care in the administration of its finances, as well as adequate protection for the individuals who bear the responsibility for such administration; and

Considering that large intergovernmental organizations are guided by detailed financial rules and regulations adopted by their Member States,

1. To commend the Director for his efficient administration of the funds of the Organization in past years.

2. To request the Director to submit a draft of financial regulations to the 13th Meeting of the Executive Committee, and to request the latter to consider the said draft and submit recommendations to the Directing Council, taking into account such international procedures as are appropriate for such regulations, which are to include, among other points, provisions governing the administration of the Working Capital Fund and the procedure for auditing accounts.

Considering that experience has demonstrated the need for an international, regional, or even continent-wide approach in solving many of the health problems in the Americas;

Considering that simultaneous action by two or more governments, in cooperation with and through the Pan American Sanitary Bureau, may be able to achieve results that isolated projects within individual countries cannot accomplish; and

Considering that the Pan American Sanitary Bureau has been established (Pan American Sanitary Code, 1924) as the central agency through which the American countries coordinate their health activities and through which programs may be initiated on a regional or continent-wide scope,

1. To reaffirm the conviction of the Members that health problems should be considered on the basis of need as well as [of requests received from the countries.]

2. To urge the Member States to give full support to the projection within their territories of international, regional, and continental health programs, even when such programs may not appear to be of immediate or primary importance to them.

Considering that the Pan American Sanitary Organization provides at present several opportunities for frequent contact among the national health authorities;

Considering that the Constitution of the Organization provides that the Conference shall serve as a forum for the interchange of information and ideas relating to the prevention of disease and the promotion, preservation, and restoration of mental and physical health;

Considering that the Constitution provides, moreover, for regular meetings of the Conference; and

Considering that the Pan American Sanitary Bureau is charged with the duty of assuring adequate dissemination of public health information,

1. To request the Member Governments:

a) To report every two years to the Bureau on the action taken and the progress achieved in improving the health of their peoples;

b) To report annually on the action taken with respect to recommendations made to them by the Organization, and with respect to conventions and agreements;

c) To communicate promptly to the Pan American Sanitary Bureau important laws, regulations, official reports, and statistics pertaining to health that have been published in the countries concerned; and

d) To send, at the request of the Executive Committee, any additional information on public health that may be available.

2. To instruct the Director of the Pan American Sanitary Bureau to publish and make available the information submitted under Section 1 of this resolution in such a manner as to be the most useful to the Member Governments.

3. To discontinue the periodic meetings of national directors of health, in view of the considerations presented, in order to avoid duplication of effort on the part of the Member States.

Considering that the functions of the Governing Bodies should be facilitated and the cost of holding meetings should be reduced; and

Considering that the Conference is the supreme governing authority of the Pan American Sanitary Organization, capable of resolving directly any matter ordinarily submitted to a subordinate organ.

That meetings of the Directing Council in the future shall be held only in those years in which the Conference does not meet.

Considering that it is desirable to provide opportunities for acquainting Member Nations with the progress in public health achieved in the Western Hemisphere by holding meetings of the Conference and Directing Council in the various countries;

Considering that is also necessary [that] the Member [Countries be] regularly and periodically in contact with the central office of the Pan American Sanitary Bureau; and

Considering that it is necessary to reduce the cost to the Organization of holding meetings, while at the same time increasing technical efficiency,

1. To institute the following schedule for meetings of the Conference and of the Directing Council:

a) During the odd years between Conferences, the annual meetings of the Directing Council shall be held at the Headquarters of the Pan American Sanitary Bureau;

b) The Directing Council shall determine the place for its meetings in those even years in which a meeting of the Conference is not scheduled; and

c) The Pan American Sanitary Conference shall meet every four years and in even years, [and] in accordance with its constitutional powers, the Conference shall delegate to the Directing Council the function of setting the date and site of the next meeting of the Conference.

Considering that there exist various international bodies carrying out important functions relating to the health of the Member Countries;

Considering that the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations approved a resolution governing some cooperative programs and their coordination;

Considering that the Executive Board of the World Health Organization adopted resolutions on the development of relationships with nongovernmental organizations;

Considering that the General Assembly of the United Nations, at its Fourth Meeting, and the Third World Health Assembly have considered the problem of coordination of international agencies;

Considering that important steps have been taken within the United Nations and the Organization of American States systems, and by regional offices of the World Health Organization, to bring about adequate coordination of activities; and

Considering that it is desirable to promote the international exchange of scientific information and to cooperate toward the objective of having scientific meetings properly organized, not excessive in number, and conveniently coordinated.

1. To recommend to the Member Countries and to authorize the Pan American Sanitary Bureau that for the solution of the aforementioned problems of coordination they apply the appropriate resolutions adopted by the World Health Organization, the Organization of American States, and the United Nations.

2. To suggest to the Member Countries the adoption of the necessary measures to facilitate the coordination of international health activities, within their respective governmental structures, and the creation, within their health administrations, of an office whose functions would be to keep informed about, to study, and to advise on matters pertaining to international health relations.

3. To instruct the Director of the Pan American Sanitary Bureau to cooperate fully with the Council for the Coordination of International Congresses of Medical Sciences, created in Brussels under the auspices of UNESCO and the World Health Organization, with reference to meetings that are worldwide in scope.

4. To instruct the Director of the Pan American Sanitary Bureau to use, as far as applicable, procedures established by that Council in the coordination of regional medical congresses.

5. To recommend that the organizing committees of Pan American medical meetings or congresses that request assistance or have an official status be invited to submit plans and programs to the Executive Committee of the Pan American Sanitary Organization before proceeding with arrangements.

6. To instruct the Executive Committee:

a) To study carefully the information furnished by the organizing committee as to the purpose and program of a proposed meeting, giving due regard to the coordination of dates; and

b) To submit suggestions to the Governments on whether to discourage or encourage the conference in question.

7. To instruct the Executive Committee not to intervene in arrangements for scientific programs that should remain a responsibility of the organizing group, [giving it the authority, however, to] propose modifications of the agenda [that are] likely to enhance the significance of these meetings to the Americas.

Considering that the Technical Assistance program and budget of the Regional Office of the World Health Organization for the Western Hemisphere, presented by the Regional Director to the Regional Committee of the World Health Organization, amplifies and complements to a considerable extent the projects and activities for the Western Hemisphere,

To authorize the Director to transmit to the Director-General of the World Health Organization, for his consideration, the proposed Technical Assistance Program and Budget for 1951 of the Regional Office of the World Health Organization.

Considering that Article 105 of the Charter of the Organization of American States, signed on 30 April 1948 at the Ninth International Conference of American States, provides that "... the juridical status of the Inter-American Specialized Organizations and the privileges and immunities that should be granted to them and to their personnel, as well as to the officials of the Pan American Union, shall be determined in each case through agreements between the respective Organizations and the Governments concerned"; and

Considering that the Pan American Sanitary Bureua is desirous of determining the privileges, exemptions, and immunities to be granted to it by the Member Governments,

1. To authorize the Director of the Pan American Sanitary Bureau to conduct appropriate negotiations with the Member Governments with a view to arriving at satisfactory formal arrangements regarding the privileges, exemptions, and immunities that shall be enjoyed by the Pan American Sanitary Burea as an official international agency.

2. To recommend that the Member Governments, through their appropriate constitutional and legislative procedures, enter into an agreement with the Pan American Sanitary Burea on the subject of privileges and immunities.

Considering that Member Governments, for the purpose of arriving at a better solution of specific problems, on occasion request the Bureau to provide information on general questions relating to organization;

Considering that the information provided by the Bureau must be based on a body of principles that is universally accepted to be the best possible expression of the public health ideal today;

Considering that the opinion of the Bureau must be arrived at through considered study on the part of its entire technical staff acting to interpret the collective concept of Pan American health; and

Considering that fundamental principles must be evolved gradually, to serve as the foundation supporting the entire structure of organized and efficient public health service,

1. To instruct the Bureau to utilize its technical staff for the study and formulation of a set of principles aimed at interpreting the concept of Pan American health.

2. To instruct the Director to submit the appropriate report to the V Meeting of the Directing Council for its consideration.

Considering that one of the functions of the World Health Organization, as set forth in Article 2 of its Constitution, is to promote improved standards of teaching and training in the public health, medical, and related professions;

Considering that the First Inter-American Conference on Professional Public Health Education, held at Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1943, under the auspices of the Pan American Sanitary Bureau and the Association of Schools of Public Health of the United States and Canada, declared that the training of personnel constitutes a fundamental and urgent need in the sanitary improvement of the countries of the Americas and that the establishment or expansion of schools of public health in accordance with the particular requirements of each country is a matter not only of international but also of continental importance;

Considering that the public health services of the countries must have sufficient professional and auxiliary personnel for the achievement of the general objectives of the Pan American Sanitary Organization and for the solution of local problems;

Considering that it is indispensable that such personnel, selected according to technical standards, be employed on a full-time basis and receive adequate remuneration to assure the efficient performance of activities;

Considering that prior training of personnel is a basic condition to satisfactory performance in the discharge of specific duties;

Considering that the XII Pan American Sanitary Conference recommended1 to the Member Governments the enactment of legislation to guarantee stability of employment and promotion on a career basis and to [establish] the responsibilities of public health personnel, as well as a system of full-time employment with adequate compensation for all positions in which such an employment basis is desirable and necessary; and

Considering that to lengthen life and promote the health of human beings, which is the basic purpose of the Pan American Sanitary Organization and of the World Health Organization, it is necessary to create in all countries a well-informed public opinion on matters connected with health, and [that] this can be attained only by means of an adequate number of highly qualified technical personnel,

1. [To recommend that] the Pan American Sanitary Bureau supplement the schools of public health that are at present functioning in some countries of the Americas by (a) furnishing technicians; (b) granting fellowships for the training of teachers as well as for students; [and] (c) promoting courses and seminars of continental interest, and even subsidizing expansion and improvements;

2. [To recommend that] the Bureau encourage the development of regional training centers for public health personnel of different categories, in the organization of which the following is recommended: (a) courses and demonstrations in which basic knowledge in each subject is taught, rather than specialized studies; [and] (b) utilization of those national centers that have sufficient experience and a teaching staff qualified for the task.

3. [To recommend that] the Bureau study the general and specialized educational centers connected with public health that already exist on the Continent and that desire to serve as regional training centers, [and that,] on the basis of such a study, it [propose] the establishment of the minimum requirements for the operation of the regional training centers.

4. To recommend [that the] Member Governments [give] priority to the training of technical and auxiliary personnel in public health service [activities].

5. [To recommend that] the Bureau promote in the various countries the appointment of adequately trained public health personnel, chosen on a technical basis, such personnel [to] be incorporated into the full-time system of employment, with guarantee of stability of employment and adequate compensation to secure efficient discharge of duties.

6. To instruct the Director of the Bureau to study the budget for this program and to submit it as part of the general budget for 1952 for consideration by the Executive Committee at its next meeting.

Considering that it is essential that the national departments of health, in order to assure greater efficiency of service, establish a technical public health career service, and that they employ technical personnel on a full-time basis, guaranteeing stability of employment and salaries that would permit a decent standard of living,

To recommend to the Member Countries that have not already done so [that they] adopt a system of full-time employment for their technical personnel, guaranteeing them stability of employment, promotion on a merit basis, and adequate compensation.

Considering that the draft International Sanitary Regulations, Title VIII, Article 93, paragraph 2, state that "after entry into force, these Regulations replace, as between the States bound by these Regulations and as between these States and the Organization, the provisions of the following International Sanitary Conventions and similar Arrangements:

1. .............................................................................

2. Pan American Sanitary Code, signed at Havana, Cuba, 14 November 1924";

Considering that this Code serves as a technical instrument that establishes policy in matters of public health and at the same time is a legal instrument that gives juridical status to the Pan American Sanitary Organization;

Considering that, despite the inclusion of articles in the Constitution of the World Health Organization that recognize the regional independence of the Pan American Sanitary Bureau, it is desirable to clarify the position of both bodies;

Considering that the Pan American Sanitary Code should be perfected as regards technical public health matters, incorporating or modifying whatever is deemed advisable; and

Considering that the juridical position of the Pan American Sanitary Organization cannot validly be modified by the proposed International Sanitary Regulations or by any other rule that may be adopted by the Assembly of the World Health Organization in the application of its Constitution,

To recommend to the Director of the Pan American Sanitary Bureau that he inform the appropriate bodies of the World Health Organization that, after consideration of the problem created by the phraseology of Article 93 of the preliminary draft of the International Sanitary Regulations, the Pan American Sanitary Organization does not consider legally proper the abrogation of the Pan American Sanitary Code, which forms the legal basis of its Constitution; however, it does authorize the Director of the Pan American Sanitary Bureau to offer his collaboration to said bodies in the study of such suitable modifications as are practicable in the concepts governing technical public health matters.

Considering that the Pan American Sanitary Bureau is responsible for the distribution of adequate epidemiological information to the Member Countries; and

Considering that for the control of rabies it is important to be informed of positive cases occurring in man and animals,

That Member Countries report monthly to the Pan American Sanitary Bureau cases of rabies occurring in man and animals.

CSP13.R18 The XIII Pan American Sanitary Conference,

Considering that efforts toward the solution of the malaria problem have been undertaken to a greater or lesser extent by all countries in the Western Hemisphere, some having solved the problem completely while others have made remarkable progress in the control of the disease; and

[Recognizing the certainty] that, [with] the adoption of new techniques of malaria control and [with] sufficiently intensive and coordinated efforts on the part of Member Countries and territories, total eradication of the disease from the Americas can be achieved,

To recommend to the Pan American Sanitary Bureau to include henceforth in its operating programs the development of such activities as are necessary to provide for greatest intensification and coordination of antimalaria work in the Hemisphere, stimulating existing programs, facilitating interchange of information, and furnishing technical and, whenever possible, economic assistance to the various countries, with a view to achieving the eradication of malaria from the Western Hemisphere.

Considering that the fundamental purposes of the Pan American Sanitary Organization shall be to promote and coordinate efforts of the countries of the Western Hemisphere to combat disease, lengthen life, and promote the physical and mental health of the people;

Considering that it is an essential objective of the Pan American Sanitary Bureau to prevent the international spread of communicable diseases;

Considering that the Pan American Sanitary Code authorizes the Bureau to undertake cooperative epidemiological programs and to stimulate and facilitate scientific research and the practical application of the results therefrom;

Considering that smallpox constitutes an important epidemiological problem throughout the Continent due to the bearing it has upon the health of the people and the economy of the countries;

Considering that it was agreed at the III Meeting of the Directing Council held at Lima in 1949 to assign priority to smallpox in the control programs of communicable diseases in the Americas;1

Considering that the World Health Organization has recommended that the smallpox control programs be intensified in the various countries;

Considering that sufficient experience has been acquired regarding the epidemiological characteristics of smallpox and the methods for its control, based especially on programs of systematic and generalized vaccination and revaccination, repeated at regular intervals; and

Considering that the budget of the Pan American Sanitary Bureau approved at the IV Meeting of the Directing Council includes an item for the development of cooperative smallpox control programs in the Americas,

1. To recommend to the countries the development, in their respective territories, of systematic programs of smallpox vaccination and revaccination with a view to eradicating this disease.

2. To develop these programs under the auspices of the Pan American Sanitary Bureau which, in agreement with the interested countries, shall take the necessary measures to solve the problems that may arise in the control of smallpox, whether they be of a sanitary, economic, or legal nature.

Considering that aftosa (foot-and-mouth disease) is a livestock disease of wide distribution in the Americas and affects human nutrition because of the substantial reductions in meat and milk supplies caused by this epizootic;

Considering that the Organization of American States (OAS) and its Specialized Organizations have received numerous requests from Member Governments for the inclusion of an aftosa project under the Technical Assistance Program, and [that] the Pan American Sanitary Bureau is the only Specialized Organization of the OAS now equipped with a veterinary service, [which is] necessary for the preparation of such a program;

Considering that Article IV of the Agreement between the Council of the OAS and the Directing Council of the Pan American Sanitary Organization (23 May 1950) provides that "the Pan American Sanitary Organization shall give technical advice on matters of public health and medical care to the Council of the OAS and its organs, and to the Pan American Union, upon request";

Considering that the Secretary General of the OAS has made written request to the Director of the Pan American Sanitary Bureau for the preparation and sponsorship of a Technical Assistance program for aftosa control;

Considering that the Pan American Sanitary Bureau, in collaboration with the Inter-American Institute of Agricultural Sciences, has prepared a program for an antiaftosa center [in the Americas], to be operated with Technical Assistance funds; and

Considering that the Director of the Pan American Sanitary Bureau has indicated that any additional participation in this program is subject to special authorization by the Directing Council,

To approve the action of the Pan American Sanitary Bureau in preparing the project for the organization of an antiaftosa center in the Americas, and to authorize the participation of the Bureau in the organization of such a center until such time as some other Specialized Organization of the OAS is prepared to take full charge, on the condition that financing of the center is provided by funds other than those of the Pan American Sanitary Bureau.

Considering that the Committee has reviewed the background material compiled by the Subcommittee appointed to study the matter and it is evident that, in principle, any one of the American Nations could serve as the site of the Pan American Sanitary Bureau;

Considering that a special vote of thanks is owed to the countries that have offered their national territories for the establishment of the Headquarters of the Bureau-namely, Peru, Panama, Mexico, and the United States of America; and

Considering that, after [a careful review] of the geographic, technical, economic, cultural, and practical aspects of the problem, the delegations have agreed that the Pan American Sanitary Bureau should remain in the United States of America, which country, it is hoped, will continue to collaborate with the Bureau as it has done in the past,

1. [To provide] that the Headquarters of the Pan American Sanitary Bureau remain in the United States of America.

2. To express a special vote of thanks to the Republic of Mexico, which has offered not only the land for the building but, in addition, a detailed plan for the construction and financing of the building, an offer that represents a significant effort to encourage the fullest spirit of Pan Americanism.

Considering that the majority of opinions expressed [in regard to the construction or purchase of a Headquarters building] are in favor of the Pan American Sanitary Bureau having its own building, to be constructed in the United States of America;

Considering that the study required in the planning of such a building would involve long and painstaking work that cannot be undertaken at the present meeting of The XIII Pan American Sanitary Conference,; and

Considering that it might be desirable to acquire temporary quarters that would provide the conditions necessary for housing the Pan American Sanitary Bureau while the problem of the construction of its own Headquarters building is being resolved,

1. To authorize the Director of the Pan American Sanitary Bureau to undertake the study and planning of a building for the Bureau, in consultation with the appropriate technical bodies, and to report the results thereof at a future meeting of the Executive Committee.

2. To authorize the Executive Committee at its 12th Meeting to appoint a subcommittee of three members who, in collaboration with the Director of the Bureau, would take the necessary steps to select and contract for buildings or property, on a rental or purchase basis, to serve as an interim headquarters for the Bureau pending the construction of its own building.

3. To authorize the Director to appropriate, in accord with the Executive Committee, the amounts required for carrying out the recommendations contained in the preceding paragraphs.

Considering that, on the basis of the opinions expressed, the selection of the site for the XIV Pan American Sanitary Conference in 1954 is thought to be somewhat premature, inasmuch as unforeseen circumstances may develop that would make a decision inapplicable;

Considering that this Conference has the power to delegate to the Directing Council, at its meeting in 1952, the function of selecting the site for the next Conference; and

Considering that there may be reasons that would prevent holding the Conference at the site chosen, thus making it necessary to select another on short notice,

1. To delegate to the Directing Council the selection of the site for the XIV Pan American Sanitary Conference.

2. To agree that, should the country chosen for the site of a Pan American Sanitary Conference, because of unforeseen circumstances, be unable to comply with this commitment, the meeting of the Conference will automatically be held at the Headquarters of the Pan American Sanitary Bureau.

Considering that the Pan American Sanitary Organization was organized in December 1902, and [that] in 1952 it will have completed 50 years of continuous service for the improvement of health conditions in the American nations, a service that represents considerable endeavor and specific contributions to public health progress during the past half century;

Considering that an event of such import should not pass unnoticed, but rather should be commemorated by means of a special celebration, which would serve as an incentive to greater progress and provide an opportunity for reviewing the technical bases of public health practice and bringing them up to date, and [that] the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the Organization could fittingly be conducted by the Pan American Sanitary Organization in the form of a scientific health congress in 1952 under the title of "First Inter-American Sanitary Congress"; and

Considering that, inasmuch as one of the greatest contributions to the health of the Americas was the discovery by Carlos J. Finlay of the vector of yellow fever, the proposed Congress should also pay homage to this eminent public health worker, as well as to other great pioneers of public health, in the Hemisphere, to which end Cuba offers the city of Havana, capital of the Republic, as the seat of the Congress,

1. To hold the First Inter-American Sanitary Congress in the City of Havana, Cuba, in 1952.

2. To request the Executive Committee of the Pan American Sanitary Organization to instruct the Director of the Pan American Sanitary Bureau to proceed, jointly with the appropriate authorities of the Cuban Government, [with] the organization of this congress, the specific date of which shall be fixed through consultation between the Government of Cuba and the Director of the Pan American Sanitary Bureau.

Considering that the Directing Council, in its IV Meeting, submitted for consideration by this Conference a preliminary [draft] revision of the present Constitution, formulated by a committee chosen by the Directing Council; and

Considering that the suggested modifications require ample and detailed study due to their primary importance,

1. To take note of the preliminary [draft] revision of the Constitution.

2. To authorize the Executive Committee, after due examination of [the draft], to submit it to the Directing Council at its V Meeting, together with the expressed opinions of the Member Governments, the Members of the Regional Committee of the World Health Organization, and the Council of the Organization of American States.

3. To authorize the Directing Council at its V Meeting to decide on the amendments and to adopt them in the Constitution.

Considering that the influence of social and economic conditions constitutes an ecological factor of great importance in the health of the people, and its study on an experimental basis is highly recommended; and

Considering that the Cuban Government has offered to grant sufficient land on the Isle of Pines for the site of a social and economic research center, where plans for social and economic improvement may be evolved,

1. To acknowledge the generous offer made by the Cuban Government.

2. To recognize the fundamental importance of economic and social research for the establishment of scientific bases for public health administration.

3. To instruct the Executive Committee to make a careful study of the information that the Cuban Government wishes to submit for consideration [by] the Pan American Sanitary Organization relative to the work program or other aspects of the proposed center.

4. To instruct the Director of the Pan American Sanitary Bureau to transmit to the Member Governments all information supplied by the Cuban Government, as well as the pertinent observations and recommendations of the Executive Committee.

Considering that the Directing Council of the Pan American Sanitary Organization was definitely established on 24 September 1947, in accordance with the pertinent resolutions of the XII Pan American Sanitary Conference, and has held four meetings: at Buenos Aires, Argentina, 24 September–2 October 1947; at Mexico City, 8–12 October 1948; at Lima, Peru, 6–13 October 1949; and at Ciudad Trujillo, Dominican Republic, 25–30 September 1950;

Considering that the Executive Committee was established on 28 April 1947 and has held eleven meetings, acting under the authority of the Directing Council with regard to resolutions, proposals, and recommendations;

Considering that the resolutions, proposals, and recommendations of the Directing Council and the Executive Committee of the Pan American Sanitary Organization have been duly approved and adopted; and

Considering that the decisions of the aforementioned meetings have been communicated to all the Governments in the final reports transmitted to them,

1. To confirm the final reports of each of these meetings, signed respectively at Buenos Aires, Argentina, on the second day of October in the year one thousand nine hundred and forty-seven; at Mexico City, on the twelfth day of October in the year one thousand nine hundred and forty-eight; at Lima, Peru, on the thirteenth day of October in the year one thousand nine hundred and forty-nine; and at Ciudad Trujillo, Dominican Republic, on the thirtieth day of September in the year one thousand nine hundred and fifty.

2. To approve and confirm the decisions and resolutions taken by the Directing Council of the Pan American Sanitary Organization during the period under review.

Considering that once again recognition is given to the importance of the meetings of the World Health Organization,

To recommend to the Member Governments that they take the greatest interest in having their representatives attend the next World Health Assembly, which will meet in Geneva in May 1951.

to convey messages of special appreciation to Dr. Alberto Zwank, of Argentina, and to Dr. Carlos Enrique Paz Soldán, of Peru, for their activities in the Pan American Sanitary Organization toward improvement of the health of the peoples of the Americas.