Report of the International Law Commission on the Work of Its 48th Session

A/RES/51/160View PDF

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 146 Report of the International Law Commission on the work of its 48th session, published in 1997.

What other versions does this mandate have?

27 versions · 1953–2025

This is an older version — the most recent is A/RES/80/164

Year	Symbol	Title	Word length	Text similarity
2025	A/RES/80/164	Report of the International Law Commission on the work of its 76th session	3,121	76%Compare
2024	A/RES/79/121	Report of the International Law Commission on the work of its 75th session	2,857	85%Compare
2023	A/RES/78/108	Report of the International Law Commission on the work of its 74th session	2,747	65%Compare
2019	A/RES/73/265	Report of the International Law Commission on the work of its 70th session	2,790	80%Compare
2017	A/RES/72/116	Report of the International Law Commission on the work of its 69th session	2,421	74%Compare

Which reports were submitted under this mandate?

2 reports · 2007–2009

Year	Symbol	Title		Mandate resolution
2009	A/64/283	Assistance to special rapporteurs of the International Law Commission report of the Secretary-General		A/RES/63/123
2007	A/62/87	Strengthening of the coordination of emergency humanitarian assistance of the United Nations report of the Secretary-General		A/RES/61/34

What subjects does this mandate have?

17 subjects

Anniversaries Conferences Crimes Against Humanity Crimes Against Peace Diplomatic Protection International Criminal Courts International Law International Law Codification Liability Meeting Records Nationality Participants Questionnaires State Responsibility State Succession Unilateral Acts of States Work Programme

What’s in this document?

19 operative paragraphs

Takes note of the report of the International Law Commission on the work of its forty-eighth session;1

Expresses its appreciation to the International Law Commission for the work accomplished at its forty-eighth session, in particular for the completion of the final draft articles on the draft Code of Crimes against the Peace and Security of Mankind and the provisional draft articles on State responsibility, and draws the attention of the States participating in the Preparatory Committee on the Establishment of an International Criminal Court to the relevance of the draft Code to their work;

Requests the Secretary-General to invite Governments to submit, before the end of the fifty-third session of the General Assembly, their written comments and observations on action which might be taken in relation to the draft Code of Crimes against the Peace and Security of Mankind;

Recommends that, taking into account the comments of Governments, whether in writing or expressed orally in debates in the General Assembly, the International Law Commission should continue its work on the topics in its current programme;

Draws the attention of Governments to the importance, for the International Law Commission, of having their views on the draft articles on State responsibility adopted on first reading by the Commission, and urges them to submit their comments and observations in writing by 1 January 1998, as requested by the Commission;

Encourages Governments that may wish to do so to provide, in writing, their comments and observations on the report of the Working Group on International Liability for Injurious Consequences Arising out of Acts not Prohibited by International Law, annexed to the report of the International Law Commission,⁴ in order that the Commission may, in the light of the report of the Working Group and such comments and observations as may be made by Governments and those that have been made in the Sixth Committee, consider at its forty-ninth session how to proceed with its work on the topic and make early recommendations thereon;

⁴Official Records of the General Assembly, Fifty-first Session, Supplement No. 10 and corrigendum (A/51/10 and Corr.1), annex I.

Invites States and international organizations, particularly those that are depositaries, to answer promptly the questionnaire prepared by the Special Rapporteur on the topic concerning reservations to treaties;

Notes the completion of the preliminary study of the topic "State succession and its impact on the nationality of natural and legal persons", requests the International Law Commission to undertake the substantive study of the topic "Nationality in relation to the succession of States" in accordance with the modalities provided for in paragraph 88 of its report, and invites Governments to submit comments on the practical problems raised by the succession of States affecting the nationality of legal persons;

Takes note with appreciation of paragraphs 143 to 244 of the report of the International Law Commission concerning its procedures and working methods;

Takes note of the comments of the International Law Commission on the question of a split session, as presented in paragraphs 228 to 233 of its report;

Encourages the International Law Commission, in relation to its internal matters, to take decisions which could contribute to its efficiency and productivity;

Takes note of the decision of the International Law Commission contained in paragraph 256 of its report on the duration of its next session;

Invites the International Law Commission further to examine the topics "Diplomatic protection" and "Unilateral acts of States" and to indicate the scope and the content of the topics in the light of the comments and observations made during the debate in the Sixth Committee on the report of the Commission and any written comments that Governments may wish to submit;

Requests the International Law Commission to continue to pay special attention to indicating in its annual report, for each topic, those specific issues, if any, on which expressions of views by Governments, either in the Sixth Committee or in written form, would be of particular interest in providing effective guidance for the Commission in its further work;

Reaffirms its previous decisions concerning the role of the Codification Division of the Office of Legal Affairs of the Secretariat and those concerning the summary records and other documentation of the International Law Commission;

Once again expresses the wish that seminars will continue to be held in conjunction with the sessions of the International Law Commission and that an increasing number of participants from developing countries will be given the opportunity to attend those seminars, appeals to States that can do so to make the voluntary contributions that are urgently needed for the holding of the seminars, and requests the Secretary-General to provide the seminars with adequate services, including interpretation, as required;

Requests the Secretary-General to forward to the International Law Commission, for its attention, the records of the debate on the report of the Commission at the fifty-first session of the General Assembly, together with such written statements as delegations may circulate in conjunction with their oral statements, and to prepare and distribute a topical summary of the debate, following established practice;

Also requests the Secretary-General to make appropriate arrangements to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the establishment of the International Law Commission through a colloquium on the progressive development and codification of international law, to be held during the consideration in the Sixth Committee of the report of the Commission on the work of its forty-ninth session;

Recommends that the debate on the report of the International Law Commission at the fifty-second session of the General Assembly commence on 27 October 1997.

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

What other versions does this mandate have?

Which reports were submitted under this mandate?

What subjects does this mandate have?

What’s in this document?

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