10 December 1981

International Conference of Plenipotentiaries on Succession of States in respect of State Property, Archives and Debts

The General Assembly,

Having considered chapter II of the report of the International Law Commission on the work of its thirty-third session which contains final draft articles and commentaries on succession of States in respect of State property, archives and debts,

Noting that the International Law Commission at its first session in 1949 listed succession of States and Governments among the topics of international law as being suitable for codification, that at its fourteenth session in 1962, pursuant to General Assembly resolution 1686 (XVI) of 18 December 1961, it included the topic on its priority list and that at its fifteenth session in 1963 the Commission endorsed the objective of preparing draft articles on the topic,

Recalling that in its resolutions 1765 (XVII) of 20 November 1962, 1902 (XVIII) of 18 November 1963, 2045 (XX) of 8 December 1965, 2167 (XXI) of 5 December 1966, 2272 (XXII) of 1 December 1967, 2400 (XXIII) of 11 December 1968 and 2501 (XXIV) of 12 December 1969,

the General Assembly recommended that the International Law Commission should continue the work of codification and progressive development of succession of States and Governments, taking into account the views expressed in the General Assembly and the comments submitted by Governments with appropriate reference to the view of States which have achieved independence since the Second World War,

Recalling further that, by its resolution 3495 (XXX) of 15 December 1975, the General Assembly decided to convene a Conference of Plenipotentiaries to consider the International Law Commission's draft articles on succession of States in respect of treaties and to embody the results of its work in an international convention and such other instruments as it might deem appropriate,

Noting also that the Vienna Convention on Succession of States in respect of Treaties was adopted on 23 August 1978,

Noting further that, subsequent to the adoption of General Assembly resolutions 2634 (XXV) of 12 November 1970, 2780 (XXVI) of 3 December 1971, 2926 (XXVII) of 28 November 1972, 3071 (XXVIII) of 30 November 1973, 3315 (XXIX) of 14 December 1974, 3495 (XXX) of 15 December 1975, 31/97 of 15 December 1976 and 32/151 of 19 December 1977, the International Law Commission, pursuant to General Assembly resolutions 33/139 of 19 December 1978, 34/141 of 17 December 1979 and 35/163 of 15 December 1980, completed at its thirty-third session its draft articles on succession of States in respect of State property, archives and debts,

Recalling that, as stated in paragraph 86 of the report of the International Law Commission on the work of its thirty-third session, the Commission decided to recommend that the General Assembly should convene an international conference of plenipotentiaries to study the Commission's draft articles on succession of States in respect of State property, archives and debts, and to conclude a convention on the subject,

Mindful of Article 13, paragraph 1 (a), of the Charter of the United Nations, which provides that the General Assembly shall initiate studies and make recommendations for the purpose of encouraging the progressive development of international law and its codification,

Believing that the successful codification and progressive development of the rules of international law governing succession of States in respect of State property, archives and debts would contribute to the development of friendly relations and co-operation among States, irrespective of their differing constitutional and social systems, and would assist in promoting and implementing the purposes and principles set forth in Articles 1 and 2 of the Charter,

1. Expresses its appreciation to the International Law Commission for its valuable work on the question of succession of States in respect of State property, archives and debts, and to the Special Rapporteur on the topic for his contribution to this work;

2. Decides that an international conference of plenipotentiaries shall be convened to consider the draft articles on succession of States in respect of State property, archives and debts, and to embody the results of its work in an international convention and such other instruments as it may deem appropriate;

3. Requests the Secretary-General to convene the United Nations Conference on Succession of States in respect of State Property, Archives and Debts early in 1983 at a place to be determined by the General Assembly at its thirty-seventh session;

4. Invites Member States to submit, not later than 1 July 1982, their written comments and observations on the final draft articles on succession of States in respect of State property, archives and debts, prepared by the International Law Commission;

5. Requests the Secretary-General to circulate such comments so as to facilitate the discussion on the subject at the thirty-seventh session of the General Assembly;

6. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its thirty-seventh session an item entitled "United Nations Conference on Succession of States in respect of State Property, Archives and Debts".