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Intergovernmental Bureau of Informatics

1961-1988

The Intergovernmental Bureau of Informatics was created, with the name International Computation Center, under the auspices of the United Nations and UNESCO by an international Convention signed on December 6, 1951 in Paris. The Resolutions concerning the establishment of this body were taken by the United Nations and UNESCO in 1946, 1948, 1950 and 1951. The International Computation Center was transformed in three stages (1969-70: reorganization, 1971-72: consolidation, and from 1978 on expansion). into the IBI in order to react to the technological evolution in the field.
The IBI had 38 member states which were members either of the United Nations, or of UNESCO, or of one of the other Specialized Agencies of the United Nations.
At its sixth extraordinary session, held in Rome on 28 and 29 November 1988, the General Assembly, by resolution R.6E/09 decided that IBI would cease to exist as from 30 November.
Dissolution had been made inevitable due to a series of difficulties encountered by IBI with regard to both its programme activities and its own organizational management and administration. These difficulties led to the successive withdrawal of several Member States from 1985 onwards, in particular the three main contributors (France, Spain and Italy) which deprived IBI of all its funding. Lacking resources, and in the throes of an unprecedented administrative crisis, with a temporary Board of Management acting as a Directorate, IBI was dissolved after 26 years spent in promoting co-operation in informatics.

The Headquarters of IBI was located in 23, Viale Civilità del Lavoro, Rome, Italy.

Multilateral Organisation devoted to the promotion of informatics in the Third World

The scope of the IBI was permanently to assist people in the field of informatics, to help them live in the context created by this discipline, to understand better its impact on society and to derive the maximum benefit from its possibilities.
It undertook actions promoting the development and diffusion of informatics, and in particular advised, promoted and, where required, recommended actions of national and international nature concerning the adoption of informatics policies, improved administration methods through informatics, improvement of education in and through informatics, research, studies and development programs contributing to the scope of the IBI.

The convention about the creation of an International Computation Center was adopted on 6 December 1951 and entered into force on 28 November 1961, with the deposit of the forth instrument of acceptance. UNESCO's Executive Board authorized the Director-General to sign an agreement with the International Computation Centre on 13 November 1964 (See 68 Ex/Decisions 7.3 and 68 Ex/31 with Annex I and II).

The IBI was composed by three organs:

• the General Assembly which was composed of one representative of each member state and of a representative of UNESCO. Each member had one vote. It met every two years.

• the Executive Council which was composed of 30% of the members of IBI elected by the General Assembly for a 4 year term, and a representative of UNESCO. It met twice a year.

• The Director General which was appointed by the General Assembly for a term of 4 years, and the staff whose international character was prescribed

Created by Julia Pohle, August 2009

International Governmental Organizations Constitutional Documents: Education, Culture, Copyright, Science and Health Pt. 3 & 4. by Amos J. Peaslee, page 205-208.

131 EX/22, 131st session: North-South Co-operation in the Field of Informatics.