A move toward organization of a special world-wide study on discrimination against minorities in the field of emigration was being prepared here today by the United States representative on the United Nations “anti-bias” group. The American representative in that body–officially known as the Human Rights Commission’s Subcommission on Discrimination and Protection of Minorities–is Judge Philip Halpern of Buffalo, New York.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights recognizes as a basic freedom the right of people to emigrate. As soon as current debates on other issues are completed, by the end of this week, Judge Halpern will propose to the subcommission the selection of a special rapporteur for a study to establish by what countries and how the “right to escape” is being violated.
The representatives of the Soviet Union and of the Arab bloc countries are expected to oppose such a study. The UN Secretariat will probably also be cool to the proposal, on the grounds of the costs involved. Other members of the subcommission, led by the representative of the Philippines, are expected to approve Judge Halpern’s proposal in principle but will insist that the right of immigration or the “open door” policy is as important as the “right to escape.”
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