Declaration on the Inadmissibility of Intervention and Interference in the Internal Affairs of States

A/RES/36/103View PDF

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 58 Review of the implementation of the Declaration on the Strengthening of International Security, published in 1982.

What subjects does this mandate have?

2 subjects

Declarations (Text)Intervention

What’s in this document?

2 operative paragraphs

Approves the Declaration on the Inadmissibility of Intervention and Interference in the Internal Affairs of States, the text of which is annexed to the present resolution;

Requests the Secretary-General to ensure the widest dissemination of the Declaration to States, the specialized agencies and other organizations in association with the United Nations, and other appropriate bodies.

" Resolution 2832 ( XXVI).

self-determination and independence, respect for the sovereignty of States.

as well as permanent sovereignty of States over their natural resources.

irrespective of their political, economic or social systems or the levels of their development,

Considering that full observance of the principle of non-intervention and non-interference in the internal and external affairs of States is of the greatest importance for the maintenance of international peace and security and for the fulfilment of the purposes and principles of the Charter,

Reaffirming, in accordance with the Charter, the right to self-determination and independence of peoples under colonial domination, foreign occupation or racist regimes,

Stressing that the purposes of the United Nations can be achieved only under conditions where peoples enjoy freedom and States enjoy sovereign equality and comply fully with the requirements of these principles in their international relations,

Considering that any violation of the principle of non-intervention and non-interference in the internal and external affairs of States poses a threat to the freedom of peoples, the sovereignty, political independence and territorial integrity of States and to their political, economic, social and cultural development, and also endangers international peace and security.

Considering that a declaration on the inadmissibility of intervention and interference in the internal affairs of States will contribute towards the fulfilment of the purposes and principles of the Charter,

Considering the provisions of the Charter as a whole and taking into account the resolutions adopted by the United Nations relating to that principle, in particular those containing the Declaration on the Strengthening of International Security, the Declaration on the Inadmissibility of Intervention in the Domestic Affairs of States and the Protection of Their Independence and Sovereignty, the Declaration on Principles of International Law concerning Friendly Relations and Co-operation among States in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and the Definition of Aggression,

Solemnly declares that:

I .

No State or group of States has the right to intervene or interfere in any form or for any reason whatsoever in the internal and external affairs of other States.

The principle of non-intervention and non-interference in the internal and external affairs of States comprehends the following rights and duties:

(a) Sovereignty, political independence, territorial integrity, national unity and security of all States, as well as national identity and cultural heritage of their peoples;

{b)

The sovereign and inalienable right of a State freely to determine its own political, economic, cultural and social systems, to develop its international relations and to exercise permanent sovereignty over it,

natural resources, in accordance with the will of its people. withou1 outside intervention, interference, subversion. coercion or threat in any form whatsoever;

The right of States and peoples to have free access to information (c)

and to develop fully, without interference, their system of information and mass media and to use their information media in order 10 promote their political, social, economic and cultural interests and aspirations,

based, inter a/ia, on the relevant articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights89 and the principles of the new international information order;

(a) The duty of States to refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force in any form whatsoever to violate the existing internationally recognized boundaries of another State. to disrupt the Declaration on the Inadmissibility of Intervention and political, social or economic order of other States. to overthrow or Interference in the Internal Affairs of States change the political system of another State or its Government, to cause tension between or among States or to deprive peoples of their national

The General Assembly,

identity and cultural heritage:

Reaffirming, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, that (b)

The duty of a State to ensure that its territory is not used in any no State has the right to intervene directly or indirectly for any reason manner which would violate the sovereignty, political independence. whatsoever in the internal and external affairs of any other State,

territorial integrity and national unity or disrupt the political, economic

Reaffirming further the fundamental principle of the Charter that all and social stability of another State: this obligation applies also to States States have the duty not to threaten or use force against the sovereignty,

entrusted with responsibility for territories yet to attain self-detem1ination political independence or territorial integrity of other States,

and national independence:

Bearing in mind that the establishment, maintenance and strengthening of international peace and security are founded upon freedom, equality.

89 Resolu1ion 217 A (Ill)

(c) The duty of a State to refrain from armed intervention, subversion, military occupation or any other form of intervention and interference, overt or covert, directed at another State or group of States, or any act of military, political or economic interference in the internal affairs of another State, including acts of reprisal involving the use of force:

(d) The duty of a State to refrain from any forcible action which deprives peoples under colonial domination or foreign occupation of their right to self-determination, freedom and independence;

(e) The duty of a State to refrain from any action or attempt in whatever form or under whatever pretext to destabilize or to undermine the stability of another State or of any of its institutions:

(f) The duty of a State to refrain from the promotion, encouragement or support, direct or indirect, of rebellious or secessionist activities within other States, under any pretext whatsoever, or any action which seeks to disrupt the unity or to undermine or subvert the political order of other States;

The duty of a State to prevent on its territory the training, fi- (g) nancing and recruitment of mercenaries, or the sending of such mercenaries into the territory of another State, and to deny facilities, including financing, for the equipping and transit of mercenaries:

(h) The duty of a State to refrain from concluding agreements with other States designed to intervene or interfere in the internal and external affairs of third States;

(i) The duty of States to refrain from any measure which would lead to the strengthening of existing military blocs or the creation or strengthening of new military alliances, interlocking arrangements, the deployment of interventionist forces or military bases and other related military installations conceived in the context of great-Power confrontation:

The duty of a State to abstain from any defamatory campaign, vilification or hostile propaganda for the purpose of intervening or interfering in the internal affairs of other States:

(k) The duty of a State, in the conduct of its international relations in the economic, social, technical and trade fields, to refrain from measures which would constitute interference or intervention in the internal or external affairs of another State, thus preventing it from determining freely its political, economic and social development; this includes, inter alia, the duty of a Stat~ not to use its external economic assistance programme or adopt any multilateral or unilateral economic reprisal or blockade and to prevent the use of transnational and multinational corporations under its jurisdiction and control as instruments of political pressure or coercion against another State, in violation of the Charter of the United Nations;

(I) The duty of a State to refrain from the exploitation and the distortion of human rights issues as a means of interference in the internal affairs of States, of exerting pressure on other States or creating distrust and disorder within and among States or groups of States;

(m) The duty of a State to refrain from using terrorist practices as state policy against another State or against peoples under colonial domination, foreign occupation or racist regimes and to prevent any assistance to or use of or tolerance of terrorist groups. saboteurs or subversive agents against third States;

(n) The duty of a State to refrain from organizing, training, financing and arming political and ethnic groups on their territories or the territories of other States for the purpose of creating subversion, disorder or unrest in other countries;

(o) The duty of a State to refrain from any economic, political or military activity in the territory of another State without its consent:

III

(a) The right and duty of States to participate actively on the basis of equality in solving outstanding international issues, thus actively contributing to the removal of causes of conflict and interference:

(b) The right and duty of States fully to support the right to selfdetermination, freedom and independence of peoples under colonial domination, foreign occupation or racist regimes. as well as the right of these peoples to wage both political and armed struggle to that end. in accordance with the purposes and principles of the Charter:

(c) The right and duty of States to observe, promote and defend all human rights and fundamental freedoms within their own national territories and to work for the elimination of massive and flagrant violations of the rights of nations and peoples. and, in particular, for the elimination of apartheid and all forms of racism and racial discrimination:

The right and duty of States to combat, within their constitutional (d) prerogatives. the dissemination of false or distorted news which can be interpreted as interference in the internal affairs of other States or as being harmful to the promotion of peace. co-operation and friendly relations among States and nations:

( e) The right and duty of States not to recognize situations brought about by the threat or use of force or acts undertaken in contravention of the principle of non-intervention and non-interference.

.1 The rights and duties set out in this Declaration are interrelated and are in accordance with the Charter.

Nothing in this Declaration shall prejudice in any manner the right to self-determination. freedom and independence of peoples under colonial domination, foreign occupation or racist regimes. and the right to seek and receive support in accordance with the purposes and principles of the Charter.

Nothing in this Declaration shall prejudice in any manner the provisions of the Charter.

6 Nothing in this Declaration shall prejudice action taken by the United Nations under Chapters VI and VII of the Charter.

"" A/16/386 and Add. 1-3

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

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