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human groups." The Council appointed a committee to consider in detail the draft convention prepared by the Secretariat with the assistance of certain experts, and to report to the seventh session of the Council. The matter will then probably be referred to the next session of the General Assembly. Many other questions dealt with at the fifth and sixth sessions have been referred to under other headings—e.g., the protection of trade-union rights, preparations for the Conference on Freedom of Information, reports of the International Children's Emergency Fund, &c. The Council also examined and referred to the General Assembly protocols providing for the transfer to the United Nations of the functions previously exercised by the League of Nations under the international conventions on traffic in women and children and obscene publications ; elected the members of the Permanent Central Opium Board; concluded the necessary arrangements for the convening of the International Conference on Trade and Employment at Havana; and dealt with essential questions of procedure. Finally, the Council, at its fifth and sixth sessions, considered the reports from its functional commissions. Some of these have been referred to above ; those with which New Zealand is particularly concerned are mentioned in separate notes later. The following notes outline certain of the matters considered by the other Commissions, except the Transport and Communications Commission, which did not meet within the year under review in this report. The Commission on Human Rights gave consideration at its second session to questions of the protection of minorities and the present validity of earlier treaties on minorities, the protection of stateless persons, and similar questions. Essentially, however, this Commission has been concerned with drafting an International Bill of Human Rights. The Charter of the United Nations contains many references to " human rights and fundamental freedoms." At its second session the Commission completed drafts of an International Bill of Human Rights comprising a declaration, a covenant, and certain proposals for implementation. The declaration is intended as a short statement defining the essence of each right and freedom without, however, imposing any obligations on States members of the United Nations. The covenant will be drafted in much more detail and will set out precisely the rights and freedoms, with the limitations on each, to which persons are entitled; it would have the status of a treaty and be ratified by member States. The proposals for implementation cover the questions of procedure for handling the regular flow of communications to United Nations on matters