International > Report of the Governing body of the International Institute of Intellectual Co-operation > 1931

The Governing Body of the International Institute of Intellectual Co-operation held
its eighth session at Geneva on July 20th, 21st and 25th, 1931, under the chairmanship of
M. Painleve.
The following were present : Mme. Curie-Sklodowska, M. Sanin-Cano, M. Castillejo,
M. Destree, Sir Frank Heath, M. Kruss, M. Lin-Yutang, Mr. Gilbert Murray, Sir
Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan, M. de Reynold, M. Rocco, Mr. Shotwell, M. von Srbik,
M. Susta, M. Tanakadate and M. Titulesco (temporarily replaced by M. Oprescu).
For the League of Nations Secretariat, M. Dufour-Feronce, M. de Montenach,
M. Vivaldi.
For the International Institute of Intellectual Co-operation, M. Bonnet and M. Secretan.
During the past year, the Committee of Directors of the Institute held four meetings.
It consisted of M. Painleve, Chairman of the Governing Body, who presided, Mr. Gilbert
Murray, Chairman of the International Committee on Intellectual Co-operation, and
M. Casares, Mme. Curie-Sklodowska, M. Destree, Sir Frank Heath, M. Kruss,
M. Roland-Marcel, M. de Reynold, and M. Rocco.
In 1930, the Governing Body asked the Directors’ Committee to undertake, jointly with
the Executive Committee, the reorganisation of the Institute. The special task devolving
upon the Directors’ Committee was to prepare a scheme for the new composition of the staff
and to frame the 1931 budget. The Directors’ Committee was also called upon to adjust the
regulations of the Institute to the new conditions.
The report of the Directors’ Committee and that of the Director of the Institute, 1 which
were presented to the Governing Body, deal, in the first place, with these questions.
As regards staff, the reports show that the total number of Institute officials has been
considerably reduced ; on the other hand, a few new appointments have been made. The rates
of salary have been slightly increased so far as funds permitted. It is, nevertheless, desirable
that the Institute’s financial position should be such as to permit, in the future, of a further
slight increase of salary rates, in order that the Institute may secure the highly qualified staff
which the work requires.
As regards the regulations, 2 the Governing Body adopted the following resolution :
“ The Governing Body :
" After examining the three draft regulations (Rules of Procedure, Financial Regu¬
lations and Staff Regulations), approved by the Directors’ Committee ;
“ Adopts the substance of these texts and decides that the Rules of Procedure and
the Staff Regulations shall immediately come into force, reserving, however, in the Staff
Regulations, Articles 27 and 28, specifying the categories of staff which shall enjoy diplo¬
matic privileges and immunities as contemplated in Article 7 of the Covenant of the
League of Nations ;
“ Submits the Financial Regulations for approval to the Council of the League of
Nations, in pursuance of Article 12 of the Organic Statute ;
“ Communicates the Staff Regulations to the Council of the League of Nations, in
accordance with Article 7 of the Organic Statute, and requests the Council, in accordance
with Article 11 of the said Statute, to give its formal approval to the rules laid down in
Articles 27 and 28 of the said regulations.”
As contemplated in the new Staff Regulations, the Governing Body considered the question
of a system of pensions or retired pay for Institute officials. In this connection, it adopted the
following resolution :
“ The Governing Body :
“ Fully conscious of the moral and practical reasons which make it desirable to
provide the permanent staff of the Institute at an early date with the system of pensions
or retired pay contemplated in Article 26 of the new Staff Regulations ;
Believing that the most suitable means of instituting such a system would be to
secure the assistance of the League of Nations Pensions Fund, on the understanding
that the assistance thus given would not involve the League of Nations in any financial
or other responsibility, as specified in point 4 of the French Government’s letter of De¬
cember 8th, 1924 ;
“ Requests the Council of the League of Nations to instruct the competent Secretariat
services to study the possibility of achieving this result by a modification of the present
Pensions Fund regulations, which might be submitted to the next Assembly of the League
of Nations.”
In budget matters, the Governing Body had a threefold duty to perform. It had to approve
the closed accounts for the 1930 financial period, on the basis of the report of M. Vivaldi,
1 See Appendix 1.
2 See Appendix 2.