Secretariat / Administration / Human resources

International Organization Information / Research: 1959 (Part #8)

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Regional Secretariats: Me Raoul Lenz, Geneva, has asked to be relieved of his functions as UIA Representative in Switzerland, on account of heavy commitments in other directions. The UIA is exteremely grateful to him for his help during the past years.

In New York, in agreement with Mrs Julie d'Estournelles, who had provisionally agreed in 1956 to act as UIA Liaison Officer, Mr Richard Winslow, Director of the World Affairs Center for the United States, has kindly agreed to be UIA Representative for the USA as from 1 January 1959.

The UIA continues to enjoy the benefit of valuable support from its representatives in Buenos Aires, Duesseldorf, The Hague, London, Paris and Rio de Janeiro.

Finance: The attached statement of income and expenses for the year 1958 reveals that the financial situation remains difficult.

Printing costs were high. Salaries for nine persons (the staff is now eight) with the concomitant insurance charges constitute heavy regular outgoings, but the excessive amount of work to be done does not permit a reduction in personnel; members of the staff operate with a competence that is matched by their devotion. General expenses have been reduced to a minimum, bearing in mind that postage stamps alone represented an expense of BF 128.890 in 1958.

The income derived from sale of publications is noteworthy, and in fact exceptional for an international organization, but grants received are certainly much too low. On the one hand they include regular support from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Belgium, France, German Federal Republic, Luxembourg and Netherlands, to which is to be added the Political Federal Department of Switzerland as from 1959; on the other hand there are grants and supporting subscriptions from international NGOs and national financial and industrial concerns.

As one of our auditors has put it, the UIA cannot go on resembling a pyramid balanced on its point.

We urgently appeal to all members, Corresponding Organizations and Associate Members to help us to expand the UIA income. If each were to obtain one supporting subscription of $50 to the magazine, the budget would be balanced.

Doubtless we should consider ourselves guilty for having neglected this disagreeable task of begging help from our members, for an organization is really healthy only to the extent that its members give it concrete support.

At present, with a deficit of BF 287.000 we must call for a minimum of help from our members.

Headquarters: The adequate and pleasant premises which the UIA has in the Palais d'Egmont, at a modest rent from the Brussels Municipal Authorities, are possibly going to be lost to us, the Municipality being on the point of selling the Palais d'Egmont to the Belgian Government to serve as offices for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Commerce.

Staff: The staff at headquarters is now as follows:

• Mr Georges Patrick Speeckart (started work in the UIA in October 1948), Secretary-General, full-time since 1 December 1958
• Mlle Genevieve Deville (started February 1950), Assistant Secretary-General, responsible for editing and producing the magazine, supervision of publications, preparation of surveys, administrative and financial matters
• Mr Eyvind S. Tew (started at Headquarters October 1956, having acted as UK Representative since 1951), Administrative Secretary, responsible for documentation, preparation of Yearbook and Calendars of forthcoming meetings, abstracting of periodicals, statistical work, liaison with English-language countries
• Mme Eliane Dolo (started January 1956) qualified Librarian, responsible for classification of books and periodicals, preparation of Directory of Periodicals published by International Organizations, assistance with documentation work, book reviews.
• Mlle Denise Salteur (started January 1958), assists M. Speeckaert in matters of external relations
• Mr Jacques Wittmann (started October 1955), responsible for sales and distribution of UIA publications
• Mlle Mona Regout (started October 1956), responsible for receiving visitors, follow-up work on each issue of the magazine (advertisement invoices, despatch of voucher copies), correspondence
• Mr Jean Diederickx (started September 1956), responsible for duplication of documents, despatches, filing

Except for the last-named, all work full-time in the UIA.

The UIA also has the services of a professional accountant who keeps the books and prepares monthly and annual accounts.

Marketing: In general, the sale of new and old UIA publications proceeds fairly satisfactorily, but at the cost of considerable propaganda, efforts, varied according to field of interest.

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