Man has always been a gregarious animal. It is contrary to his nature to live alone and hence has emerged in every part of the world, however backward or advanced, the concept of society which, because of man's innate desire for companionship, has developed from family life to the wider field of community and nation. No society, however, primitive or small in numbers, can prosper unless its members are united and aware of their duties and responsibilities. In order, therefore, to evolve a mode of life which contributes to the prosperity of the community, certain laws of behaviour had to be formulated and I feel that it would be interesting for us to turn our minds for a little while towards the earliest concepts of a social order. Coming as I do from a country whose civilisation stretches back to many milleniums, I should like to place before you the Indian concept of life which, though it may not be followed in action in modern India, does still sway the minds of our masses.

The ICRC's humanitarian activity on behalf of the victims of the conflict covers various fields: visits to prisons and places of detention in France and Algeria, representations to the authorities of penal establishments, and the question of the resettlement centres.

In Algeria, the ICRC has to undertake increasing commitments and in addition to the assistance which it has given to prisoners and internees since the beginning of the conflict, it has intensified its relief action to the civilian population in the resettlement centres.

During the past year, the Central Tracing Agency dealt with 66,348 cases and opened 20,525 enquiries with the National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Government ministries, Registrar and Municipal offices, etc. The volume of work thus continues to be considerable.

531. — Publication in Arabic of the pamphlet mentioned under No. 527, Fr. 0.50.

532. — Henri COURSIER, Adviser—Legal Department, International Committee of the Red Cross. Translated by M.C.S. PHIPPS. (This volume was originally published in French in the « Que sais-je?» series under the title “La Croix-Rouge internationale” by the Presses Universitaires de France, Paris).—1961. In-8, 131 p., Fr. 3.50.