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for postponement of all the proposed resolutions was not accepted, pressure of business did in fact result in their being held over for final consideration at the second part of the third session. 4. Economic and Social Questions (a) General Assembly While the principal responsibility for implementing the Charter provisions relating to economic and social questions rests with the Economic and Social Council, the General Assembly exercises a general supervisory function, and, of course, may also consider any problems in this field which may be brought directly before it. After reviewing the Council's report, the third session of the Assembly made a number of recommendations which, for convenience, are considered below in relation to the action taken on them by the Council. In the economic field the Assembly considered two new items brought forward by Poland relating respectively to trade discrimination and the wasting of food by certain countries. The Assembly decided to take no action on the first item, and on the second adopted a resolution which asked member States to attempt to avoid wastage and speculation, and called on the Economic and Social Council, in conjunction with FAO and other specialized agencies, to give consideration to all means of increasing the world food-supply. The only new item of importance in the social field which came before the Assembly was the question of relief for the Arab refugees in Palestine, which is considered under the relevant geographical section of this report. The most important act of the Assembly under this heading in 1948 was, however, the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which is discussed in more detail below in connection with the work of the Human Rights Commission. (b) Economic and Social Council At the eighth session of the Economic and Social Council the New Zealand delegate (Mr James Thorn) was unanimously elected President of the Council for 1949. This may be taken to reflect a measure of the regard in which the New Zealand representative is held by members of the United Nations as well as recognition of New Zealand's record of achievement in economic and social affairs. At the end of 1949 New Zealand's three-year term on the Council expires. The Council held two sessions during the period under review, the seventh session being in Geneva in July-August, 1948, and the eighth session in New York in February-March, 1949.