Conditions on Which Switzerland May Become a Party to the International Court of Justice

A/RES/91(I)View PDF

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, published in 1947.

What subjects does this mandate have?

3 subjects

International Courts Participants Switzerland

What’s in this document?

7 operative paragraphs

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The Committee has considered the letter Irom the Chief of the Swiss Federal Political Department which was forwarded to the Seaetary-General on 26 October 1946 by the Swiss Consul-General in New York. (document S/185). That letter expressed the desire of the Swiss Federal Council to k.now the conditions on which Swiuerland could become a party to the Statute of the lnternational Court of Justice. Under Article 93, paragraph 2, o( the Charter, those conditions are to be determined by the General Assembly upon the recommendation o( the Security Council t. The Committee advises the Security Council to scnd the following recommendation to the General Assembly:

"The Security Council recommends that the General Assembly, in accordance with Article 93, paragraph 2, of the Charter, determine the conditions on which Switzerland may become a party to the Statute of the International Court of Justice, as follows:

"Switzerland will become a party to the Statute of the Court on the date of the deposit with the Sécretary-General of the United Natioris of an instrument, signed on behal( of the Government of Switzerland and ratified as may be required by Swiss constitutional law, containing:

"(a) Acceptance of the provisions o( the Statute of the International Court of Justice;

" (b) Acceptance of all the obligations of a Member of the United Nations undf'T Article 94 of the Charter; la Suisse peut devenir partie au Statut de la Cour internationale de Justice, ainsi qu'il suit:

La Suisse deviendra partie au Statut de la Secrétaire général des Nations Unies, d'un instrument signé au nom du G~uvernement suisse et éventuellement ratifié conformément a la loi constitutionnelle suisse. Cet instruméht portera:

a) Acceptation des dispositions du Statut de la Cour in~ernationale de Justice;

b) Acceptation de toutes les obligations qui dúi,ulenl pour un Membre des Nations Unies de l'Article 94 de la Charte;

e) Engagement de verser la contribution fixera équitablement le montant de temps a autre apres consultation avec le Gouvernement suisse.

Cinquante-sixieme séance pléniere,

le 11 décembre 1946.

Annexe Rapport et recommandation du Comit4' conditions dans lesquelles la Suisse pourra devenir partie au Statut de la Cour internationale de Justice vmgtieme séance du 15 novembre 1946)

département fédéral politique suisse transmise Consul général de Suisse a New-York. (document Conseil fédéral suisse d'etre informé des conditions dans lesq~lles la Suisse pourrait devenir partie au Statut de la Cour internationale de Justice. Aux termes de l'Article 93, paragraphe 2, de la Charte, ce~ conditions doivent etre détermandation du Conseil de sécurité.

soumettre la recommandation suivante a l' Assemblée générale:

"Le Conseil de sécurité recommande a l°Assemblée générale de déterminer, conformément a l'Article 93, paragraphe 2, de la Chane,

devenir partie au Statut de la Cour internationale de Justice, de la maniere suivante:

º'La Suisse devient partie au statut de la Secrétaire général des Nations Unies d'un instrument, signé au nom du Gouvernement suisse, et é,·entuellement ratifié conformément a la loi constitutionnelle suisse. Cet instrument portera:

"a) Acceptation des disposition~ du Statut de la Cour internationale de Justice;

"b) Acceptation de tou.es les obligations Unies de l'Article 94 de la Charte;

" (e) An undertaking to contribute to the expenses of the Court such equitable amount as the General Assembly shall assess from time to time after consultation with the Swiss Government."

The Committee decided that it is unnecessary to use in the first suggested condition the words in the Protocol of Signature of the Statute of the Permanent Court of International Justice (16 December 1920, Series D, No. 1, 4th edition, page 7) whereby signatories declared acceptance of "the jurisdiction of the Court in accordance with the terms and subject to the conditions or• the Statute. In the opinion of the Committee, acceptance of the provisions of the Statute ineludes acceptance of any incidental jurisdiction exercisable by the Court under the provisions of the Statute.

The Committee desires to state that its intention in inserting the second suggested condition is the same as that which caused it to recommend the identical wording appearing in paragraph (1) of the resolution adopted by the Security Council on 15 October 1946 setting out the conditions under which the Court shall be open to States not parties to the Statute. The obligations imposed by Article 94 of the Charter upon a Member of the United Nations should, in the opinion of the Committee, apply equally to non-members of the Unitcd Nations which become parties to the Statute and to non-parties which are allowed access to the Court. In the :>pinion of the C:>mmittee, the obligations of a Member of the United Nations under Article 94 include the complementary obligations arising under Articles 25 and 103 of the Charter insofar as the provisions of those Articles may relate to the p.rovisions of Article 94, and non-members of the United Nations which become parties to the Statute (and non-parties which have aécess to the Court) become bound by these complementary obligations under Articles 25 and 103 in relation to the provisions of Article 94 (but not otherwise), when they accept "ali thc obligations of a Member of the United Nations under Article 94." The French text of this latter phrase in the recommendation in this report differs from the French text of the Council resolution o{ 15 October 1946 relating to access to the Court. The Committee believes that the present text states the meaning more accurately.

On the third suggested condition-rontributions to the expenses of the Court-the Committee noted that the last sentence of Article 35, paragraph 3, of the Statute contemplates a general contribution (i.e., not one assessed in each case) towards the expenses of the Court by parties to the Statute which are not members of the United Nations. Although budgetary matters are within the competence of the Assembly, the obligation to contribute to the expenses of the Court must be imposed by the Assembly as a oondition under Anide 93, paragraph 2, upon "e) Engagement de verser la contribution rale 6.xera équitablement le montant de temps a autre apres consultation avec le Gouvernement suisse."

3. Le Comité décide qu'il n'est pas nécessairc de faire usage, dans la premiere condition suggérée, des termes du Protocole de signature uu Statut de la Cour permanente de Justice internationale (16 décembre 1920, série D. no 4émc édition, page 7) par lesquels les signataires du Protocole déclarent accepter "la juridiction de

des dispositions du Statut entraíne l'acceptation de toute compétence d'attribution dévolue a

insérant la seconde condition suggi:rée, solll les memes que celles qui l'ont amené a recommander l'emploi des termes memes qui figurent au

la Cour est ouvertc aux .Etats non parucs au l'Article 94 de la Charte impose aux Membres des Nations Unies s'appliquent égalcmelll aux .Etats non memores des Nations Unies qui deviennent parties au Statut, et aux Etats non parties auxquels la Cour est ouverte. De l'avis Nations Unies, aux termes de l'Article 94, comprenncnt les obligations complémentaires décou-

se rapporter a celles de l'Article 94; a son av1~ aussi, Jes Etats qui devicnnent parties au Statut sans appartenir aux Nations Unies (de mcme ouverte) deviennem liés par les obligations com plémentaires découlant des Articles 25 et 103 tions de l'Article 94 (mais non autrement), lorsqu'ils acceptelll "toutes les obligations qui dt'.- l'Artic!e 94''. Le texte fran\ais de ce dernier membre de phrase dans la rccommandation iigurant au présent rapport diifere du texte fran\ais 1946 traitant de l'acces a la Cour. Le Comité croit que le présent texte rend plus exactement le sens.

En ce qui concerne la troisieme condition suggérée - contributions aux frais de la Cour - l'article 35, paragraphe 3, du Statut envisageait une contribution générale (c'est-a-dire une contributio_n qui n'est pas fixée dans chaque cas)

sort de l'Assemblée, c'est sur la recommandation tribuer aux frais de la Cour doit ctre imposée

thc rccommendation of the SecUf'ity Council. The Committee therefore decided to recommend this condition.

The Committee desires to draw attentiou to the fact that under Article 93, paragraph 2, of the Charter the conditions on which a State whicl1 is not a mcmber of thc U nited N atiom may become a party to the Statute are to be

determined in each case by the General Assembly upon the recommendation oc' the Security Council. Accordingly, the conditions recommended above as appropriate to thc case of Switzerland are not intended to constitutc a precedcnt to be followed either by the Security Cou11cil or by the General Assembly in any future case under Article 93, paragraph 2, of the Chartcr.

The Committee points out that when Switzerlapd becomes a party to the Statute by accepting the conditions determined by the General Assembly under Article 93, paragraph 2, of the Charter, Switzerland may, under Articles 4 and 69 of the Statute, participa te in electing members of the Court and in making ame11dme11ts to the Statute, on conditions which the Assembly may prescribe upon the recomme11dation of thc Sccurity Council. In this connection, it is 11oted that, while Article 93, paragraph 2, of the Charter requires thc setting of conditions of accession in each case, Articles 4 and 69 of the Statute permit the General Assembly, 011 the recomme11lLllio11 ol the Security Cou11cil, to set generally applicable conditio11s on which non-member Stall'" pa1 lle, to the Statute may participate in electing members of thc Court and in the making of ame11dme11ts to the Statute. The Committee advises that no special conditions 011 those matters should be prescribed in the case of Switzerla11d. It advises also that the Cou11cil should 11ot now rccommend to the Asscmbly generally applicable conditions under Anides 4 a11d 69 of thc Sta tute, but should do so after Switzerland or sorne other nonmcmber Sta te has actually acceded to the Sta tute. At that time, the Council may wish to i11clude in the ge11erally applicable co11ditio11s provisions similar to those of Article 19 of the Charter in con11cction with the third condition of accession suggcsted in paragraph 2 abovt', il the General Assembly prescribes that condition and Switzerland accepts it.

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