TO : The Minister of Foreign Affairs
The Director-General, National Economic     and Development Authority   The Minister of Budget   The Chairman, National Science and     Development Board
WHEREAS the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Resolution 98 (IV) reaffirmed the need to agree upon effective international action towards the solution of the particular and long-term or permanent problems of the least developed among the developing countries, developing island countries and developing land-locked countries;

WHEREAS, the aforementioned UNCTAD Resolution calls upon developing countries in a position to provide special measures and specific action in favor of the least developed countries and in favor of land-locked and island developing countries to implement their efforts through the machinery which these countries deem appropriate;

WHEREAS, the Philippine Government pledged the sum of US $500,000 at UNCTAD IV in Nairobi in 1976, for a fund to aid the least developed of the developing countries;

WHEREAS, General Assembly Resolutions 32/180 on Economic Cooperation Among Developing Countries (ECDC) and 32/182 on Technical Cooperation Among Developing Countries (TCDC) called for the implementation of programs end "projects in the areas of ECDC and TCDC;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, FERDINAND E. MARCOS, I resident of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by the Constitution, do hereby order the following:

A Permanent Inter-Agency Technical Group be created to manage the Philippine Technical Assistance Program for the Least Developed Countries which shall be called the Technical Assistance Council whose Chairman will come from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Co-Chairman from the national Economic and Development Authority, The other members of the Council shall be representatives from the following agencies as may be designated by their respective heads:

1. The Ministry of Budget
2. The National Science Development Board

The Chairman of the Council aha11 designate other Ministries and/or government agencies as members of the body as the need arises„

The Council shall be charged with the following responsibilities:

1. To identify appropriate technical assistance which can be offered in the Philippines under the Technical Assistance Program for the Least Developed Countries;
2. To formulate guidelines that would govern the implementation of the Technical Assistance Program for the Least Developed Countries;
3. To formulate the necessary administrative and financial arrangements to meet the overall requirements of the Program; and
4. To oversee the overall implementation of the Program.

The Ministry of Budget shall release as soon as possible the US$500,000 to the Technical Assistance Council through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which shall administer the Fund.

The Chairman of the Council shall establish a secretariat to support the Council which shall have an administrative staff to manage its finances.

The Technical Assistance Council shall formulate and adopt its implementing rules and regulations.

DONE in the City of Manila, this 11th day of May, in the Year of Our Lord, nineteen hundred and seventy-nine.