Foreword & compilation Copyright © 1996, J.B.Gerald
Common Rights & Expectations
primary international treaties protecting
the rights of all peopleUNITED NATIONS TEXTS
PARTICIPATING NATIONS
CURRENT NORTH AMERICAN
RESERVATIONS AND DECLARATIONS1996
Gerald and Maas
Ottawa
United Nations Texts
Canadian English spelling.
1989 Edition: the crime of genocide & bill of human rights, United Nations Texts. J.B. Gerald and J. Maas, Moody Maine USA, 1989 isbn 0-941917-12-6
1996 Edition: common rights & expectations, United Nations Texts; Revised Canadian edition. Gerald and Maas, Ottawa Ontario, 1996 isbn 0-941917-18-5
Gerald & Maas
editions / atelier
Canada
foreword
the UNITED NATIONS TEXTS of:
CONVENTION ON THE PREVENTION AND
PUNISHMENT OF THE CRIME OF GENOCIDE
*
The International Bill of Human Rights:
UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS
INTERNATIONAL COVENANT ON ECONOMIC,
SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS
INTERNATIONAL COVENANT ON CIVIL AND
POLITICAL RIGHTS
FIRST OPTIONAL PROTOCOL
SECOND OPTIONAL PROTOCOL
*
CONVENTION RELATING TO THE STATUS OF REFUGEES
Foreword
These United Nations treaties were selected because they affirm rights of all people regardless of sex, race, ethnic grouping, religion, political
beliefs, economic status, or nationality. Because the majority of the world's nations have agreed to be bound, these rights we know to be
ours gain the force of law.
Beyond assurances to citizens by individual nations, the treaties
present everyone with a minimal standard of people's rights and
expectations. Exceptions, or "Reservations" at signing or ratification by
individual World States are not usually noted in presenting the texts of
these documents because to the global community exceptions signal
problems of the individual country. Because such conditions affect the
application of a treaty in or by North American countries, and because
exceptions suggest a departure from the treaties, it is necessary for the
people of North American democracies to know what these reservations
are. Note is made of any reservations by Canada, Mexico or the United
States.
These documents are made by people at the heart of political power, as agreements between nations affirming our rights and protection.
The treaties claim for all people rights beyond the discretion of any
single government or political system. To the measure that the treaties
are not applied, political leadership becomes unfaithful to its people and
humanity.
The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of
Genocide holds all people including those who direct policy,
responsible for their own part in what humanity has recognized for
centuries is evil. The Convention states the obvious, but by giving the
obvious the force of law without limitation by the passage of time,
places some restraint on what people might do or encourage others to
do. Because it makes criminal policies eventually prosecutable, without
a statute of limitations, its application is not under the control of any
current government. When genocide is used as a political and military
tactic in war and the control of civilian populations, offending parties
are held accountable. If offenders are too powerful to prosecute,
humanity will still make its judgement.
Countries presenting "reservations" to the Convention, indicate the
degree of controls required by their government.
Supporting materials to the Convention presented here, include the
"reservations" and "understandings" by the United States at its ratification
of the Convention in 1988, after a forty year delay. The
interpretations attempted to deny the authority of the Convention, as
though its application to the U.S. could be decided only by the U.S..
Many allied nations objected. The primary concern was whether the
United States was still committed to a signed treaty which affirms the
most basic rights of peoples against mass murder, extermination, and
nuclear holocaust.
There followed a new era of genocide as a political and military tactic,
in the Gulf war, in former Yugoslavia, East Timor, and Rwanda,
to state obvious instances.
Less obvious instances include the continuation of genocides against
original peoples in many regions of the world, and corporate as well as
military spoiling of ecosystems.
The Convention applied as a punishment has, by 1996 limited itself
to prosecution of the guilty in weak or vulnerable nations, to those with
no economic consequence to the markets of the powerful nations.
Because this Convention stands so directly in opposition to the worst
fears of humanity - because it unites everyone against an evil brought
home to European culture by the Holocaust of World War II, it may be
the essential lesson of a century filled with mass murder, and is a
primary law superseding others.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights offers a
global consensus of what are considered minimal rights. Denial of these rights
risks being criminal, whether prosecutable or permitted by individual
governments. The accompanying Covenants move these rights more
specifically toward having the force of law.
As a common ethic these have become self-evident, unalienable
rights, yet they exist within a tension of oppression or clarifying them
would not be necessary.
The difference between the global consensus of what people's most
basic rights should be and what they are in each country is one index
of oppression.
The initial five of these documents were gathered and published by
Gerald & Maas, Moody Maine, in 1989, when the Convention against
Genocide was out of print at the United Nations. Permission to publish
United Nations documents was first cleared through the U.N. Publications
Board (as it was for this edition). U.S. "reservations" and
"understandings" are specifically included in this edition.
Also included here is the Convention relating to the status
of refugees,because without it, the citizen's ultimate recourse of leaving
a criminal or persecuting State is in jeopardy. Presented originally for those
within an historical context predating 1951, it is largely reaffirmed and
extended by the 1967 Optional Protocol.
Together, these treaties in principle assure refugees the same
rights as others to whatever degree possible. By attempting to codify and
strengthen by force of law, the treatment of strangers, of the persecuted,
the most vulnerable of humanity, a step is taken toward mass
ethical behaviour. Treaties governing treatment of refugees are less
resolved than the more direct statements against genocide, or clarifying
human rights. In some areas of the world these are augmented by
regional treaties and limited by immigration policies of individual
nations which sometimes directly conflict with international law and
consensus of the world's people.
The Convention and Protocol for refugees are also minimal in
the few rights and protection offered, because "refugee status" is in many
cases a difficult status to obtain, and application for that status requires
surrender to the law and risks retribution by the country one has had
to leave.
No one or group expects to require refugee status. The agreements
were written to protect all as humanity. A difficulty is that when entire
groups are persecuted in one nation, the suffering is often acceded to
by neighbouring nations. This political convenience allows the containment
and persecution of unfavoured groups. It risks breaking the Convention
against Genocide. The degree of wrongness increases with any
coincidence in denial of refuge or refugee status, and implication in the
source difficulties of the refugee group. For example the possibility of
genocide increases if a country denies entry or refuge to people its own
policies or business practices have forced from their homes into exile.
From humanity's perspective, the Convention against Genocide and
the International Bill of Human Rights apply despite one's nationality
and particularly to refugees whether they are legally admitted to one
State or another, or officially designated as "refugees" within States
whose international policies may have endangered their survival. In the
final days of the Twentieth century nations have still not learned that
our treatment of strangers mirrors how we treat ourselves.
Honoured or betrayed, these among many treaties formed through
the United Nations, provide attempts to answer the century's terrible
crimes of the Holocaust, the use of nuclear weapons against Japan, the
poisoning of the environment, the subjugation economically of the third world,
the destruction of entire peoples for the comfort of a few, - to answer these
with warnings and affirmations of principles recognized internationally for at
least half a century, as the simplest human rights, responsibilities and expectations
of government.
- J.B.Gerald, Ottawa, May 1996
The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide was adopted unanimously by the General Assembly of the United Nations on December 9, 1948. As of March 18, 1996, 42 countries originally signed the Convention; 142 countries are currently parties through signing and ratification, or accession or succession.
Participants:
Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Bahrain, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Jordan, Kuwait, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Syrian Arab Republic, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Togo, Tonga, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United Republic of Tanzania, United States of America, Uruguay, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Yugoslavia, Zaire, Zimbabwe.CONVENTION ON THE PREVENTION AND PUNISHMENT OF THE CRIME OF GENOCIDE
THE CONTRACTING PARTIES,
HAVING CONSIDERED the declaration made by the General Assembly of the United Nations in its resolution 96 (I) dated 11 December 1946 that genocide is a crime under international law, contrary to the spirit and aims of the United Nations and condemned by the civilized world;
recognizing that at all periods of history genocide has inflicted great losses on humanity; and
being convinced that, in order to liberate mankind from such an odious scourge, international co-operation is required,
HEREBY AGREE AS HEREINAFTER PROVIDED:
Article I
The Contracting Parties confirm that genocide, whether committed in time of peace or in time of war, is a crime under international law which they undertake to prevent and to punish.
Article II
In the present Convention, genocide means any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious groups, as such: compliance
a. Killing members of the group;
b. Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group.
c. Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part;
d. Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;
e. Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.Article III
The following acts shall be punishable:
a. Genocide;
b. Conspiracy to commit genocide;
c. Direct and public incitement to commit genocide;
d. Attempt to commit genocide;
e. Complicity in genocide.Article IV
Persons committing genocide or any of the other acts enumerated in Article III shall be punished, whether they are constitutionally responsible rulers, public officials or private individuals.
Article V
The Contracting Parties undertake to enact, in accordance with their respective Constitutions, the necessary legislation to give effect to the provisions of the present Convention and, in particular, to provide effective penalties for persons guilty of genocide or of any of the other acts enumerated in Article III.
Article VI
Persons charged with genocide or any of the other acts enumerated in Article III shall be tried by a competent tribunal of the State in the territory of which the act was committed, or by such international penal tribunal as may have jurisdiction with respect to those contracting Parties which shall have accepted its jurisdiction.
Article VII
Genocide and the other acts enumerated in Article III shall not be considered as political crimes for the purpose of extradition.
The Contracting Parties pledge themselves in such cases to grant extradition in accordance with their laws and treaties in force.
Article VIII
Any Contracting Party may call upon the competent organs of the United Nations to take such action under the Charter of the United Nations as they consider appropriate for the prevention and suppression of acts of genocide or any of the other acts enumerated in Article III.
Article IX
Disputes between the contracting Parties relating to the interpretation, application or fulfilment of the present Convention, including those relating to the responsibility of a State for genocide or for any of the other acts enumerated in Article III, shall be submitted to the International Court of Justice at the request of any of the parties to the dispute.
Article X
The present Convention, of which the Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish texts are equally authentic, shall bear the date of 9 December 1948.
Article XI
The present Convention shall be open until 31 December 1949 for signature on behalf of any Member of the United Nations and of any non-member State to which an invitation to sign has been addressed by the General Assembly.
The present Convention shall be ratified, and the instruments of ratification shall be deposited with the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
After 1 January 1950 the present Convention may be acceded to on behalf of any Member of the United Nations and of any non-member State which has received an invitation as aforesaid.
Instruments of accession shall be deposited with the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
Article XII
Any Contracting Party may at any time, by notification addressed to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, extend the application of the present Convention to all or any of the territories for the conduct of whose foreign relations that Contracting Party is responsible.
Article XIII
On the day when the first twenty instruments of ratification or accession have been deposited, the Secretary-General shall draw up a procès-verbal and transmit a copy thereof to each Member of the United Nations and to each of the non-member States contemplated in Article XI.
The present Convention shall come into force on the ninetieth day following the date of deposit of the twentieth instrument of ratification or accession.
Any ratification or accession effected subsequent to the latter date shall become effective on the ninetieth day following the deposit of the instrument of ratification or accession.
Article XIV
The present Convention shall remain in effect for a period of ten years as from the date of its coming into force.
It shall thereafter remain in force for successive periods of five years for such Contracting Parties as have not denounced it at least six months before the expiration of the current period.
Denunciation shall be effected by a written notification addressed to the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
Article XV
If, as a result of denunciations, the number of Parties to the present Convention should become less than sixteen, the Convention shall cease to be in force as from the date on which the last of these denunciations shall become effective.
Article XVI
A request for the revision of the present Convention may be made at any time by any Contracting Party by means of a notification in writing addressed to the Secretary-General.
The General Assembly shall decide upon the steps, if any, to be taken in respect of such request.
Article XVII
The Secretary-General of the United Nations shall notify all Members of the United Nations and the non-member States contemplated in Article XI of the following:
a. Signatures, ratifications and accessions received in accordance with Article XI;
b. Notifications received in accordance with Article XII;
c. The date upon which the present Convention comes into force in accordance with Article XIII;
d. Denunciations received in accordance with Article XIV;
e. The abrogation of the Convention in accordance with Article XV;
f. Notifications received in accordance with Article XVI.Article XVIII
The original of the present Convention shall be deposited in the archives of the United Nations.
A certified copy of the Convention shall be transmitted to each Member of the United Nations and to each of the non-member States contemplated in Article XI.
Article XIX
The present Covenant shall be registered by the Secretary-General of the United Nations on the date of its coming into force.
Editor's note:
Declarations and Reservations1 concerning various articles were
made by Albania, Algeria, Argentina, Bahrain, Belarus, Bulgaria,
China, Czech Republic, Finland, Hungary, India, Malaysia, Mongolia,
Morocco, Myanmar, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Russian
Federation, Rwanda, Singapore, Slovakia, Spain, Ukraine, United
States of America, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen.
Footnote1
Current North American status: Canada, signature 28 Nov 1949,
ratification 3 Sep 1952; Mexico, signature 14 Dec 1948, ratification
22 Jul 1952; United States of America, signature 11 Dec 1948,
ratification 25 Nov 1988.
Declarations and Reservations made by the United States at ratification.
Reservations:
"1.That with reference to article IX of the Convention, before any
dispute to which the United States is a party may be submitted to the
jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice under this article, the
specific consent of the United States is required in each case.
"2.That nothing in the Convention requires or authorizes legislation
or other action by the United States of America prohibited by the
Constitution of the United States as interpreted by the United States."
Understandings:
"1.That the term 'intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national,
ethnical, racial, or religious group as such' appearing in article II
means the specific intent to destroy, in whole or in substantial part,
a national, ethnical, racial or religious group as such by the acts
specified in article II.
"2.That the term 'mental harm' in article II (b) means permanent
impairment of mental faculties through drugs, torture or similar
techniques.
"3.That the pledge to grant extradition in accordance with a state's
laws and treaties in force found in article VII extends only to acts
which are criminal under the laws of both the requesting and the
requested state and nothing in article VI affects the right of any state
to bring to trial before its own tribunals any of its nationals for acts
committed outside a state.
"4.That acts in the course of armed conflicts committed without the
specific intent required by article II are not sufficient to constitute
genocide as defined by this Convention.
"5.That with regard to the reference to an international penal
tribunal in article VI of the Convention, the United States declares
that it reserves the right to effect its participation in any such tribunal
only by a treaty entered into specifically for that purpose with the
advice and consent of the Senate."
Editor's note: objections of record to the one or more reservations by
the United Sates, were made by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece,
Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. A declaration of
clarification was made by the Federal Republic of Germany.
Objection by Mexico: 4 June 1990
"The Government of Mexico believes that the reservation made by
the United States Government to article IX of the aforesaid
Convention should be considered invalid because it is not in keeping
with the object and purpose of the Convention, nor with the principle
governing the interpretation of treaties whereby no State can invoke
provisions of its domestic law as a reason for not complying with a
treaty.
"If the aforementioned reservation were applied, it would give
rise to a situation of uncertainty as to the scope of the obligations
which the United States Government would assume with respect to
the Convention.
"Mexico's objection to the reservation in question should not be
interpreted as preventing the entry into force of the 1948 Convention
between the [Mexican] Government and the United States Government."
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on December 10, 1948, by vote of 48 in favour, none against, with eight abstaining.
UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS
PREAMBLE
WHEREAS recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world,
WHEREAS disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the common people,
WHEREAS it is essential, if man is not to be compelled to have recourse, as a last resort, to rebellion against tyranny and oppression, that human rights should be protected by the rule of law,
WHEREAS it is essential to promote the development of friendly relations between nations,
WHEREAS the peoples of the United Nations have in the Charter reaffirmed their faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person and in the equal rights of men and women and have determined to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom,
WHEREAS Member States have pledged themselves to achieve, in cooperation with the United Nations, the promotion of universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms,
WHEREAS a common understanding of these rights and freedoms is of the greatest importance for the full realization of this pledge,
NOW, THEREFORE, THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY PROCLAIMS
This Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations, to the end that every individual and every organ of society, keeping this Declaration constantly in mind, shall strive by teaching and education to promote respect for these rights and freedoms and by progressive measures, national and international, to secure their universal and effective recognition and observance, both among the peoples of Member States themselves and among the peoples of territories under their jurisdiction.
Article 1
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
Article 2
Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.
Article 3
Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.
Article 4
No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.
Article 5
No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
Article 6
Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law.
Article 7
All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination.
Article 8
Everyone has the right to an effective remedy by the competent national tribunals for acts violating the fundamental rights granted him by the constitution or by law.
Article 9
No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.
Article 10
Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him.
Article 11
1.Everyone charged with a penal offense has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law in a public trial at which he has had all the guarantees necessary for his defense.
2.No one shall be held guilty of any penal offense on account of any act or omission which did not constitute a penal offense, under national or international law, at the time when it was committed. Nor shall a heavier penalty be imposed than the one that was applicable at the time the penal offense was committed.
Article 12
No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks.
Article 13
1.Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state.
2.Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country.
Article 14
1.Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.
2.This right may not be invoked in the case of prosecutions genuinely arising from non-political crimes or from acts contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.
Article 15
1.Everyone has the right to a nationality.
2.No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality nor denied the right to change his nationality.
Article 16
1.Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution.
2.Marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full consent of the intending spouses.
3.The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State.
Article 17
1.Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others.
2.No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.
Article 18
Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.
Article 19
Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.
Article 20
1.Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.
2.No one may be compelled to belong to an association.
Article 21
1.Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives.
2.Everyone has the right of equal access to public service in his country.
3.The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures.
Article 22
Everyone, as a member of society, has the right to social security and is entitled to realization, through national effort and international cooperation and in accordance with the organization and resources of each State, of the economic, social and cultural rights indispensable for his dignity and the free development of his personality.
Article 23
1.Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.
2.Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work.
3.Everyone who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection.
4.Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests.
Article 24
Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay.
Article 25
1.Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.
2.Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection.
Article 26
1.Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit.
2.Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace.
3.Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.
Article 27
1.Everyone has the right to freely participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits.
2.Everyone has the right to the protection of the moral and material interests resulting from any scientific, literary or artistic production of which he is the author.
Article 28
Everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration can be fully realized.
Article 29
1.Everyone has duties to the community in which alone the free and full development of his personality is possible.
2.In the exercise of his rights and freedoms, everyone shall be subject only to such limitations as are determined by law solely for the purpose of securing due recognition and respect for the rights and freedoms of others and of meeting the just requirements of morality, public order and the general welfare in a democratic society.
3.These rights and freedoms may in no case be exercised contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.
Article 30
Nothing in this Declaration may be interpreted as implying for any State, group or person any right to engage in any activity or to perform any act aimed at the destruction of any of the rights and freedoms set forth herein.
The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, was adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations, December 16, 1966, effective January 3, 1976. 59 countries signed the Covenant. As of March 18, 1996, 133 countries are currently parties through signing and ratification, or accession or succession.
Participants:
Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Denmark, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Uganda, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United Republic of Tanzania, United States of America, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Yugoslavia, Zaire, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
INTERNATIONAL COVENANT ON ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS
PREAMBLE
THE STATES PARTIES TO THE PRESENT COVENANT,
CONSIDERING that, in accordance with the principles proclaimed in the Charter of the United Nations, recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world,
RECOGNIZING that these rights derive from the inherent dignity of the human person,
RECOGNIZING that, in accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the ideal of free human beings enjoying freedom from fear and want can only be achieved if conditions are created whereby everyone may enjoy his economic, social and cultural rights, as well as his civil and political rights,
CONSIDERING the obligation of states under the Charter of the United Nations to promote universal respect for, and observance of, human rights and freedoms,
REALIZING that the individual, having duties to other individuals and to the community to which he belongs, is under a responsibility to strive for the promotion and observance of the rights recognized in the present Covenant,
AGREE upon the following articles:
PART I
Article 1
1.All peoples have the right of self-determination. By virtue of that right they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development.
2.All peoples may, for their own ends, freely dispose of their natural wealth and resources without prejudice to any obligations arising out of international economic cooperation, based upon the principle of mutual benefit, and international law. In no case may a people be deprived of its own means of subsistence.
3.The States Parties to the present Covenant, including those having responsibility for the administration of Non-Self-Governing and Trust Territories, shall promote the realization of the right of self-determination, and shall respect that right, in conformity with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations.
PART II
Article 2
1.Each State Party to the present Covenant undertakes to take steps, individually and through international assistance and cooperation, especially economic and technical, to the maximum of its available resources, with a view to achieving progressively the full realization of the rights recognized in the present Covenant by all appropriate means, including particularly the adoption of legislative measures.
2.The States Parties to the present Covenant undertake to guarantee that the rights enunciated in the present Covenant will be exercised without discrimination of any kind as to race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.
3.Developing countries, with due regard to human rights and their national economy, may determine to what extent they would guarantee the economic rights in the present Covenant to non-nationals.
Article 3
The States Parties to the present Covenant undertake to ensure the equal right of men and women to the enjoyment of all economic, social and cultural rights set forth in the present Covenant.
Article 4
The States Parties to the present Covenant recognize that, in the enjoyment of those rights provided by the State in conformity with the present Covenant, the State may subject such rights only to such limitations as are determined by law only in so far as this may be compatible with the nature of these rights and solely for the purpose of promoting the general welfare in a democratic society.
Article 5
1.Nothing in the present Covenant may be interpreted as implying for any State, group or person any right to engage in any activity or to perform any act aimed at the destruction of any of the rights or freedoms recognized herein, or at their limitation to a greater extent than is provided for in the present Covenant.
2.No restriction upon or derogation from any of the fundamental human rights recognized or existing in any country in virtue of law, conventions, regulations or custom shall be admitted on the pretext that the present Covenant does not recognize such rights or that it recognizes them to a lesser extent.
PART III
Article 6
1.The States Parties to the present Covenant recognize the right to work, which includes the right of everyone to the opportunity to gain his living by work which he freely chooses or accepts, and will take appropriate steps to safeguard this right.
2.The steps to be taken by a State Party to the present Covenant to achieve the full realization of this right shall include technical and vocational guidance and training programs, policies and techniques to achieve steady economic, social and cultural development and full and productive employment under conditions safeguarding fundamental political and economic freedoms to the individual.
Article 7
The States Parties to the present Covenant recognize the right of everyone to the enjoyment of just and favourable conditions of work which ensure in particular:
a. Remuneration which provides all workers, as a minimum, with:
i. Fair wages and equal remuneration for work of equal value without distinction of any kind, in particular women being guaranteed conditions of work not inferior to those enjoyed by men, with equal pay for equal work;
ii. A decent living for themselves and their families in accordance with the provisions of the present Covenant;
b. Safe and healthy working conditions;
c. Equal opportunity for everyone to be promoted in his employment to an appropriate higher level, subject to no considerations other than those of seniority and competence;
d. Rest, leisure and reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay, as well as remuneration for public holidays.Article 8
1.The States Parties to the present Covenant undertake to ensure:
a. The right of everyone to form trade unions and join the trade union of his choice, subject only to the rules of the organization concerned, for the promotion and protection of his economic and social interests. No restrictions may be placed on the exercise of this right other than those prescribed by law and which are necessary in a democratic society in the interests of national security or public order or for the protection of the rights and freedoms of others;
b. The right of trade unions to establish national federations or confederations and the right of the latter to form or join international trade-union organizations;
c. The right of trade unions to function freely subject to no limitations other than those prescribed by law and which are necessary in a democratic society in the interests of national security or public order or for the protection of the rights and freedoms of others;
d. The right to strike, provided that it is exercised in conformity with the laws of the particular country.2.This article shall not prevent the imposition of lawful restrictions on the exercise of these rights by members of the armed forces or of the police or of the administration of the State.
3.Nothing in this article shall authorize States Parties to the International Labour Organization Convention of 1948 concerning Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organize to take legislative measures which would prejudice, or apply the law in such a manner as would prejudice, the guarantees provided for in that Convention.
Article 9
The States Parties to the present Covenant recognize the right of everyone to social security, including social insurance.
Article 10
The States Parties to the present Covenant recognize that:
1.The widest possible protection and assistance should be accorded to the family, which is the natural and fundamental group unit of society, particularly for its establishment and while it is responsible for the care and education of dependent children. Marriage must be entered into with the free consent of the intending spouses.
2.Special protection should be accorded to mothers during a reasonable period before and after childbirth. During such period working mothers should be accorded paid leave or leave with adequate social security benefits.
3.Special measures of protection and assistance should be taken on behalf of all children and young persons without any discrimination for reasons of parentage or other conditions. Children and young persons should be protected from economic and social exploitation. Their employment in work harmful to their morals or health or dangerous to life or likely to hamper their normal development should be punishable by law. States should also set age limits below which the paid employment of child labour should be prohibited and punishable by law.
Article 11
1.The States Parties to the present Covenant recognize the right of everyone to an adequate standard of living for himself and his family, including adequate food, clothing and housing, and to the continuous improvement of living conditions. The State Parties will take appropriate steps to ensure the realization of this right, recognizing to this effect the essential importance of international cooperation based on free consent.
2.The States Parties to the present Covenant, recognizing the fundamental right of everyone to be free from hunger, shall take, individually and through international cooperation, the measures, including specific programs, which are needed:
a. To improve methods of production, conservation and distribution of food by making full use of technical and scientific knowledge, by disseminating knowledge of the principles of nutrition and by development or reforming agrarian systems in such a way as to achieve the most efficient development and utilization of natural resources;
b. Taking into account the problems of both food-importing and food-exporting countries, to ensure an equitable distribution of world food supplies in relation to need.Article 12
1.The States Parties to the present Covenant recognize the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health.
2.The steps to be taken by the States Parties to the present Covenant to achieve the full realization of this right shall include those necessary for:
a. The provision for the reduction of the stillbirth-rate and of infant mortality and for the healthy development of the child;
b. The improvement of all aspects of environmental and industrial hygiene;
c. The prevention, treatment and control of epidemic, endemic, occupational and other diseases;
d. The creation of conditions which would assure to all medical service and medical attention in the event of sickness.
Article 131.The States Parties to the present Covenant recognize the right of everyone to education. They agree that education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and the sense of its dignity, and shall strengthen the respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. They further agree that education shall enable all persons to participate effectively in a free society, promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations and all racial, ethnic or religious groups, and further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace.
2.The States Parties to the present Covenant recognize that, with a view to achieving the full realization of this right:
a. Primary education shall be compulsory and available free to all;
b. Secondary education in its different forms, including technical and vocational secondary education, shall be made generally available and accessible to all by every appropriate means, and in particular by the progressive introduction of free education;
c. Higher education shall be made equally accessible to all, on the basis of capacity, by every appropriate means, and in particular by the progressive introduction of free education;
d. Fundamental education shall be encouraged or intensified as far as possible for those persons who have not received or completed the whole period of their primary education;
e. The development of a system of schools at all levels shall be actively pursued, an adequate fellowship system shall be established, and the material conditions of teaching staff shall be continuously improved.3.The States Parties to the present Covenant undertake to have respect for the liberty of parents and, when applicable, legal guardians to choose for their children schools, other than those established by the public authorities, which conform to such minimum educational standards as may be laid down or approved by the State and to ensure the religious and moral education of their children in conformity with their own convictions.
4.No part of this article shall be construed so as to interfere with the liberty of individuals and bodies to establish and direct educational institutions, subject always to the observance of the principles set forth in paragraph 1 of this article and to the requirement that the education given in such institutions shall conform to such minimum standards as may be laid down by the State.
Article 14
Each State Party to the present Covenant which, at the time of becoming a Party, has not been able to secure in its metropolitan territory or other territories under its jurisdiction compulsory primary education, free of charge, undertakes, within two years, to work out and adopt a detailed plan of action for the progressive implementation, within a reasonable number of years, to be fixed in the plan, of the principle of compulsory education free of charge for all.
Article 15
1.The States Parties to the present Covenant recognize the right of everyone:
a. To take part in cultural life;
b. To enjoy the benefits of scientific progress and its applications;
c. To benefit from the protection of the moral and material interests resulting from any scientific, literary or artistic productions of which he is the author.2.The steps to be taken by the States Parties to the present Covenant to achieve the full realization of this right shall include those necessary for the conservation, the development and the diffusion of science and culture.
3.The States Parties to the present Covenant undertake to respect the freedom indispensable for scientific research and creative activity.
4.The States Parties to the present Covenant recognize the benefits to be derived from the encouragement and development of international contacts and cooperation in the scientific and cultural fields.
PART IV
Article 16
1.The States Parties to the present Covenant undertake to submit in conformity with this part of the Covenant reports on the measures which they have adopted and the progress made in achieving the observance of the rights recognized herein.
2.a. All reports shall be submitted to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, who shall transmit copies to the Economic and Social Council for consideration in accordance with the provisions of the present Covenant.
b. The Secretary-General of the United Nations shall also transmit to the specialized agencies copies of the reports, or any relevant parts therefrom, from States Parties to the present Covenant which are also members of these specialized agencies in so far as these reports, or parts therefrom, relate to any matters which fall within the responsibilities of the said agencies in accordance with their constitutional instruments.Article 17
1.The States Parties to the present Covenant shall furnish their reports in stages, in accordance with a program to be established by the Economic and Social Council within one year of the entry into force of the present Covenant after consultation with the States Parties and the specialized agencies concerned.
2.Reports may indicate factors and difficulties affecting the degree of fulfilment of obligations under the present Covenant.
3.Where relevant information has previously been furnished to the United Nations or to any specialized agency by any State Party to the present Covenant, it will not be necessary to reproduce that information, but a precise reference to the information so furnished will suffice.
Article 18
Pursuant to its responsibilities under the Charter of the United Nations in the field of human rights and fundamental freedoms, the Economic and Social Council may make arrangements with the specialized agencies in respect of their reporting to it on the progress made in achieving the observance of the provisions of the present Covenant falling within the scope of their activities. These reports may include particulars of decisions and recommendations on such implementation adopted by their competent organs.
Article 19
The Economic and Social Council may transmit to the Commission on Human Rights for study and general recommendations or, as appropriate, for information the reports concerning human rights submitted by States in accordance with articles 16 and 17, and those concerning human rights submitted by the specialized agencies in accordance with article 18.
Article 20
The States Parties to the present Covenant and the specialized agencies concerned may submit comments to the Economic and Social Council on any general recommendation under article 19 or reference to such general recommendation in any report of the Commission on Human Rights or any documentation referred to therein.
Article 21
The Economic and Social Council may submit from time to time to the General Assembly reports with recommendations of a general nature and a summary of the information received from the States Parties to the present Covenant and the specialized agencies on the measures taken and the progress made in achieving general observance of the rights recognized in the present Covenant.
Article 22
The Economic and Social Council may bring to the attention of other organs of the United Nations, their subsidiary organs and specialized agencies concerned with furnishing technical assistance any matters arising out of the reports referred to in this part of the present Covenant which may assist such bodies in deciding, each within its field of competence, on the advisability of international measures likely to contribute to the effective progressive implementation of the present Covenant.
Article 23
The States Parties to the present Covenant agree that international action for the achievement of the rights recognized in the present Covenant includes such methods as the conclusion of conventions, the adoption of recommendations, the furnishing of technical assistance and the holding of regional meetings and technical meetings for the purpose of consultation and study organized in conjunction with the Governments concerned.
Article 24
Nothing in the present Covenant shall be interpreted as impairing the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations and of the constitutions of the specialized agencies which define the respective responsibilities of the various organs of the United Nations and of the specialized agencies in regard to the matters dealt with in the present Covenant.
Article 25
Nothing in the present Covenant shall be interpreted as impairing the inherent right of all peoples to enjoy and utilize fully and freely their natural wealth and resources.
PART V
Article 26
1.The present Covenant is open for signature by any State Member of the United Nations or member of any of its specialized agencies, by any State Party to the Statute of the International Court of Justice, and by any other State which has been invited by the General Assembly of the United Nations to become a party to the present Covenant.
2.The present Covenant is subject to ratification. Instruments of ratification shall be deposited with the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
3.The present Covenant shall be open to accession by any State referred to in paragraph 1 of this article.
4.Accession shall be effected by the deposit of an instrument of accession with the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
5.The Secretary-General of the United Nations shall inform all States which have signed the present covenant or acceded to it of the deposit of each instrument of ratification or accession.
Article 27
1.The present Covenant shall enter into force three months after the date of the deposit with the Secretary-General of the United Nations of the thirty-fifth instrument of ratification or instrument of accession.
2.For each State ratifying the present Covenant or acceding to it after the deposit of the thirty-fifth instrument of ratification or instrument of accession, the present Covenant shall enter into force three months after the date of the deposit of its own instrument of ratification or instrument of accession.
Article 28
The provisions of the present Covenant shall extend to all parts of federal States without limitations or exceptions.
Article 29
1.Any State Party to the present Covenant may propose an amendment and file it with the Secretary-General of the United Nations. The Secretary-General shall thereupon communicate any proposed amendments to the States Parties to the present Covenant with a request that they notify him whether they favour a conference of States Parties for the purpose of considering and voting upon the proposals. In the event that at least one third of the States Parties favours such a conference, the Secretary-General shall convene the conference under the auspices of the United Nations. Any amendment adopted by a majority of the States Parties present and voting at the conference shall be submitted to the General Assembly of the United Nations for approval.
2.Amendments shall come into force when they have been approved by the General Assembly of the United Nations and accepted by a two-thirds majority of the States Parties to the present Covenant in accordance with their respective constitutional processes.
3.When amendments come into force they shall be binding on those States Parties which have accepted them, other States Parties still being bound by the provisions of the present Covenant and any earlier amendment which they have accepted.
Article 30
Irrespective of the notifications made under article 26, paragraph 5, the Secretary-General of the United Nations shall inform all States referred to in paragraph 1 of the same article of the following particulars:
a. Signatures, ratifications and accessions under article 26;
b. The date of the entry into force of the present Covenant under article 27 and the date of the entry into force of any amendments under article 29.Article 31
1.The present Covenant, of which the Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish texts are equally authentic, shall be deposited in the archives of the United Nations.
2.The Secretary-General of the United Nations shall transmit certified copies of the present Covenant to all States referred to in article 26.
Editor's note:
Declarations and Reservations2 concerning various articles were made
by Afghanistan, Algeria, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria,
Congo, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, France, Guinea, Hungary,
India, Iraq, Ireland, Japan, Kenya, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya,
Madagascar, Malta, Mexico, Mongolia, Netherlands, New Zealand,
Norway, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Slovakia, Sweden,
Syrian Arab Republic, Trinidad and Tobago, Ukraine, United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia.
Footnote 2
Current North American status: Canada, accession 19 May 1976;
Mexico, accession 23 Mar 1981.
The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights was adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on December 16, 1966, effective March 23, 1976. As March 18, 1996, 58 countries originally signed the Covenant. 132 countries are currently parties through signing and ratification, or accession or succession.Participants:
Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Denmark, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Slovakia, Slovenia, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Tunisia, Uganda, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United Republic of Tanzania, United States of America, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen, Yugoslavia, Zaire, Zambia, Zimbabwe.INTERNATIONAL COVENANT ON CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS
PREAMBLE
THE STATES PARTIES TO THE PRESENT COVENANT,
CONSIDERING that, in accordance with the principles proclaimed in the Charter of the United Nations, recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world,
RECOGNIZING that these rights derive from the inherent dignity of the human person,
RECOGNIZING that, in accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the ideal of free human beings enjoying civil and political freedom and freedom from fear and want can only be achieved if conditions are created whereby everyone may enjoy his civil and political rights, as well as his economic, social and cultural rights,
CONSIDERING the obligation of States under the Charter of the United Nations to promote universal respect for, and observance of, human rights and freedoms,
REALIZING that the individual, having duties to other individuals and to the community to which he belongs, is under a responsibility to strive for the promotion and observance of the rights recognized in the present Covenant,
AGREE upon the following articles:
PART I
Article 1
1.All peoples have the right of self-determination. By virtue of that right they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development.
2.All peoples may, for their own ends, freely dispose of their natural wealth and resources without prejudice to any obligations arising out of international economic cooperation, based upon the principle of mutual benefit, and international law. In no case may a people be deprived of its own means of subsistence.
3.The States Parties to the present Covenant, including those having responsibility for the administration of Non-Self-Governing and Trust Territories, shall promote the realization of the right of self-determination, and shall respect that right, in conformity with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations.
PART II
Article 2
1.Each State Party to the present Covenant undertakes to respect and to ensure to all individuals within its territory and subject to its jurisdiction the rights recognized in the present Covenant, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.
2.Where not already provided for by existing legislative or other measures, each State Party to the present Covenant undertakes to take the necessary steps, in accordance with its constitutional processes and with the provisions of the present Covenant, to adopt such legislative or other measures as may be necessary to give effect to the rights recognized in the present Covenant.
3.Each State Party to the present Covenant undertakes:
a. To ensure that any person whose rights or freedoms as herein recognized are violated shall have an effective remedy, not withstanding that the violation has been committed by persons acting in an official capacity;
b. To ensure that any person claiming such a remedy shall have his right thereto determined by competent judicial, administrative or legislative authorities, or by any other competent authority provided for by the legal system of the State, and to develop the possibilities of judicial remedy; c. To ensure that the competent authorities shall enforce such remedies when granted.Article 3
The States Parties to the present Covenant undertake to ensure the equal right of men and women to the enjoyment of all civil and political rights set forth in this present Covenant.
Article 4
1.In time of public emergency which threatens the life of the nation and the existence of which is officially proclaimed, the States Parties to the present Covenant may take measures derogating from their obligations under the present Covenant to the extent strictly required by the exigencies of the situation, provided that such measures are not inconsistent with their other obligations under international law and do not involve discrimination solely on the ground of race, colour, sex, language, religion or social origin.
2.No derogation from articles 6,7,8(paragraphs 1 and 2), 11, 15, 16, and 18 may be made under this provision.
3.Any State Party to the present Covenant availing itself of the right of derogation shall immediately inform the other States Parties to the present Covenant, through the intermediary of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, of the provisions from which it has derogated and of the reasons by which it was actuated. A further communication shall be made, through the same intermediary, on the date on which it terminates such derogation.
Article 5
1.Nothing in the present Covenant may be interpreted as implying for any State, group or person any right to engage in any activity or perform any act aimed at the destruction of any of the rights and freedoms recognized herein or at their limitation to a greater extent than is provided for in the present Covenant.
2.There shall be no restriction upon or derogation from any of the fundamental human rights recognized or existing in any State Party to the present Covenant pursuant to law, conventions, regulations or custom on the pretext that the present Covenant does not recognize such rights or that it recognizes them to a lesser extent.
PART III
Article 6
1.Every human being has the inherent right to life. This right shall be protected by law. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his life.
2.In countries which have not abolished the death penalty, sentence of death may be imposed only for the most serious crimes in accordance with the law in force at the time of the commission of the crime and not contrary to the provisions of the present Covenant and to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. This penalty can only be carried out pursuant to a final judgement rendered by a competent court.
3.When deprivation of life constitutes the crime of genocide, it is understood that nothing in this article shall authorize any State Party to the present Covenant to derogate in any way from any obligation assumed under the provisions of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.
4.Anyone sentenced to death shall have the right to seek pardon or commutation of the sentence. Amnesty, pardon or commutation of the sentence of death maybe granted in all cases.
5.Sentence of death shall not be imposed for crimes committed by persons below eighteen years of age and shall not be carried out on pregnant women.
6.Nothing in this article shall be invoked to delay or to prevent the abolition of capital punishment by any State Party to the present Covenant.
Article 7
No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. In particular, no one shall be subjected without his free consent to medical or scientific experimentation.
Article 8
1.No one shall be held in slavery; slavery and the slave-trade in all their forms shall be prohibited.
2.No one shall be held in servitude.
3. a. No one shall be required to perform forced or compulsory labour;
b. Paragraph 3a. shall not be held to preclude, in countries where imprisonment with hard labour may be imposed as a punishment for a crime, the performance of hard labour in pursuance of a sentence to such punishment by a competent court;
c. For the purpose of this paragraph the term "forced or compulsory labour" shall not include:
i. Any work or service, not referred to in sub-paragraph b., normally required of a person who is under detention in consequence of a lawful order of a court, or of a person during conditional release from such detention;
ii. Any service of a military character and, in countries where conscientious objection is recognized, any national service required by law of conscientious objectors;
iii. Any service exacted in cases of emergency or calamity threatening the life or well-being of the community;
iv. Any work or service which forms part of normal civil obligations.Article 9
1.Everyone has the right to liberty and security of person. No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest or detention. No one shall be deprived of his liberty except on such grounds and in accordance with such procedure as are established by law.
2.Anyone who is arrested shall be informed, at the time of arrest, of the reasons for his arrest and shall be promptly informed of any charges against him.
3.Anyone arrested or detained on a criminal charge shall be brought promptly before a judge or other officer authorized by law to exercise judicial power and shall be entitled to trial within a reasonable time or to release. It shall not be the general rule that persons awaiting trial shall be detained in custody, but release may be subject to guarantees to appear for trial, at any other stage of the judicial proceedings, and, should occasion arise, for execution of the judgement.
4.Anyone who is deprived of his liberty by arrest or detention shall be entitled to take proceedings before a court, in order that that court may decide without delay on the lawfulness of his detention and order his release if the detention is not lawful.
5. Anyone who has been the victim of unlawful arrest or detention shall have an enforceable right to compensation.
Article 10
1.All persons deprived of their liberty shall be treated with humanity and with respect for the inherent dignity of the human person.
2.a. Accused persons shall, save in exceptional circumstances, be segregated from convicted persons and shall be subject to separate treatment appropriate to their status as unconvicted persons;
b. Accused juvenile persons shall be separated from adults and brought as speedily as possible for adjudication.3.The penitentiary system shall comprise treatment of prisoners the essential aim of which shall be their reformation and social rehabilitation. Juvenile offenders shall be segregated from adults and be accorded treatment appropriate to their age and legal status.
Article 11
No one shall be imprisoned merely on the ground of inability to fulfil a contractual obligation.
Article 12
1.Everyone lawfully within the territory of a State shall, within that territory, have the right to liberty of movement and freedom to choose his residence.
2.Everyone shall be free to leave any country, including his own.
3.The above-mentioned rights shall not be subject to any restrictions except those which are provided by law, are necessary to protect national security, public order (ordre public), public health or morals or the rights and freedoms of others, and are consistent with the other rights recognized in the present Covenant.
4.No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of the right to enter his own country.
Article 13
An alien lawfully in the territory of a State Party to the present Covenant may be expelled therefrom only in pursuance of a decision reached in accordance with law and shall, except where compelling reasons of national security otherwise require, be allowed to submit the reasons against his expulsion and to have his case reviewed by, and be represented for the purpose before, the competent authority or a person or persons especially designated by the competent authority.
Article 14
1.All persons shall be equal before the courts and tribunals. In the determination of any criminal charge against him, or of his rights and obligations in a suit at law, everyone shall be entitled to a fair and public hearing by a competent, independent and impartial tribunal established by law. The Press and the public may be excluded from all or part of a trial for reasons of morals, public order (ordre public) or national security in a democratic society, or when the interest of the private lives of the parties so requires, or to the extent strictly necessary in the opinion of the court in special circumstances where publicity would prejudice the interests of justice; but any judgement rendered in a criminal case or in a suit at law shall be made public except where the interest of juvenile persons otherwise requires or the proceedings concern matrimonial disputes or the guardianship of children.
2.Everyone charged with a criminal offense shall have the right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty according to law.
3.In the determination of any criminal charge against him, everyone shall be entitled to the following minimum guarantees, in full equality:
a. To be informed promptly and in detail in a language which he understands of the nature and cause of the charge against him;
b. To have adequate time and facilities for the preparation of his defense and to communicate with counsel of his own choosing;
c. To be tried without undue delay;
d. To be tried in his presence, and to defend himself in person or through legal assistance of his own choosing; to be informed, if he does not have legal assistance, of this right; and to have legal assistance assigned to him, in any case where the interests of justice so require, and without payment by him in any such case if he does not have sufficient means to pay for it;
e. To examine, or have examined, the witnesses against him and to obtain the attendance and examination of witnesses on his behalf under the same conditions as witnesses against him;
f. To have the free assistance of an interpreter if he cannot understand or speak the language used in court;
g. Not to be compelled to testify against himself or to confess guilt.4.In the case of juvenile persons, the procedure shall be such as will take account of their age and the desirability of promoting their rehabilitation.
5.Everyone convicted of a crime shall have the right to his conviction and sentence being reviewed by a higher tribunal according to law.
6.When a person has by a final decision been convicted of a criminal offense and when subsequently his conviction has been reversed or he has been pardoned on the ground that a new or newly discovered fact shows conclusively that there has been a miscarriage of justice, the person who has suffered punishment as a result of such conviction shall be compensated according to law, unless it is proved that the non-disclosure of the unknown fact in time is wholly or partly attributable to him.
7.No one shall be liable to be tried or punished again for an offense for which he has already been finally convicted or acquitted in accordance with the law and penal procedure of each country.
Article 15
1.No one shall be held guilty of any criminal offense on account of any act or omission which did not constitute a criminal offense, under national or international law, at the time when it was committed. Nor shall a heavier penalty be imposed than the one that was applicable at the time when the criminal offense was committed.
If, subsequent to the commission of the offense, provision is made by law for the imposition of a lighter penalty, the offender shall benefit thereby.
2.Nothing in this article shall prejudice the trial and punishment of any person for any act or omission which, at the time when it was committed, was criminal according to the general principles of law recognized by the community of nations.
Article 16
Everyone shall have the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law.
Article 17
1.No one shall be subjected to arbitrary or unlawful interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to unlawful attacks on his honour and reputation.
2.Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks.
Article 18
1.Everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. This right shall include freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice, and freedom, either individually or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in worship, observance, practice and teaching.
2.No one shall be subject to coercion which would impair his freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice.
3.Freedom to manifest one's religion or beliefs may be subject only to such limitations as are prescribed by law and are necessary to protect public safety, order, health, or morals or the fundamental rights and freedoms of others.
4.The States Parties to the present Covenant undertake to have respect for the liberty of parents and, when applicable, legal guardians to ensure the religious and moral education of their children in conformity with their own convictions.
Article 19
1.Everyone shall have the right to hold opinions without interference.
2.Everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of his choice.
3.The exercise of the rights provided for in paragraph 2 of this article carries with it special duties and responsibilities. It may therefore be subject to certain restrictions, but these shall only be such as are provided by law and are necessary:
a. For respect of the rights or reputations of others; b. For the protection of national security or of public order (ordre public), or of public health or morals.
1.Any propaganda for war shall be prohibited by law.
2.Any advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence shall be prohibited by law.
Article 21
The right of peaceful assembly shall be recognized. No restrictions maybe placed on the exercise of this right other than those imposed in conformity with the law and which are necessary in a democratic society in the interests of national security or public safety, public order (ordre public), the protection of public health or morals or the protection of the rights and freedoms of others.
Article 22
1.Everyone shall have the right to freedom of association with others, including the right to form and join trade unions for the protection of his interests.
2.No restrictions may be placed on the exercise of this right other than those which are prescribed by law and which are necessary in a democratic society in the interests of national security or public safety, public order (ordre public), the protection of public health or morals or the protection of the rights and freedoms of others. This article shall not prevent the imposition of lawful restrictions on members of the armed forces and of the police in their exercise of this right.
3.Nothing in this article shall authorize States Parties to the International Labour Organization Convention of 1948 concerning Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organize to take legislative measures which would prejudice, or to apply the law in such a manner as to prejudice, the guarantees provided for in that Convention.
Article 23
1.The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State.
2.The right of men and women of marriageable age to marry and to found a family shall be recognized.
3.No marriage shall be entered into without the free and full consent of the intending spouses.
4.States Parties to the present Covenant shall take appropriate steps to ensure equality of rights and responsibilities of spouses as to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution. In the case of dissolution, provisions shall be made for the necessary protection of any children.
Article 24
1.Every child shall have, without any discrimination as to race, colour, sex, language, religion, national or social origin, property or birth, the right to such measures of protection as are required by his status as a minor, on the part of his family, society and the State.
2.Every child shall be registered immediately after birth and shall have a name.
3.Every child has the right to acquire a nationality.
Article 25
Every citizen shall have the right and the opportunity, without any of the distinctions mentioned in article 2 and without unreasonable restrictions:
a. To take part in the conduct of public affairs, directly or through freely chosen representatives;
b. To vote and to be elected at genuine periodic elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret ballot, guaranteeing the free expression of the will of the electors;
c. To have access, on general terms of equality, to public service in his country.Article 26
All persons are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to the equal protection of the law. In this respect, the law shall prohibit any discrimination and guarantee to all persons equal and effective protection against discrimination on any ground such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.
Article 27
In those States in which ethnic, religious or linguistic minorities exist, persons belonging to such minorities shall not be denied the right, in community with the other members of their group, to enjoy their own culture, to profess and practice their own religion, or to use their own language.
PART IV
Article 28
1.There shall be established a Human Rights Committee (hereafter referred to in the present Covenant as the Committee). It shall consist of eighteen members and shall carry out the functions hereinafter provided.
2.The Committee shall be composed of nationals of the States Parties to the present Covenant who shall be persons of high moral character and recognized competence in the field of human rights, consideration being given to the usefulness of the participation of some persons having legal experience.
3.The members of the Committee shall be elected and shall serve in their personal capacity.
Article 29
1.The members of the Committee shall be elected by secret ballot from a list of persons possessing the qualifications prescribed in article 28 and nominated for the purpose by the States Parties to the present Covenant.
2.Each State Party to the present Covenant may nominate not more than two persons. These persons shall be nationals of the nominating State.
3.A person shall be eligible for renomination.
Article 30
1.The initial election shall be held no later than six months after the date of the entry into force of the present Covenant.
2.At least four months before the date of each election to the Committee, other than an election to fill a vacancy declared in accordance with article 34, the Secretary-General of the United Nations shall address a written invitation to the States Parties to the present Covenant to submit their nominations for membership of the Committee within three months.
3.The Secretary-General of the United Nations shall prepare a list in alphabetical order of all the persons thus nominated, with an indication of the States Parties which have nominated them, and shall submit it to the States Parties to the present covenant no later than one month before the date of each election.
4.Elections of the members of the Committee shall be held at a meeting of the States Parties to the present Covenant convened by the Secretary-General of the United Nations at the Headquarters of the United Nations. At that meeting, for which two-thirds of the States Parties to the present Covenant shall constitute a quorum, the persons elected to the Committee shall be those nominees who obtain the largest number of votes and an absolute majority of the votes of the representatives of States Parties present and voting.
Article 31
1.The Committee may not include more than one national of the same State.
2.In the election of the Committee, consideration shall be given to equitable geographical distribution of membership and to the representation of the different forms of civilization and of the principle legal systems.
Article 32
1.The members of the Committee shall be elected for a term of four years. They shall be eligible for re-election if renominated. However, the terms of nine of the members elected at the first election shall expire at the end of two years; immediately after the first election, the names of these nine members shall be chosen by lot by the Chairman of the meeting referred to in article 30, paragraph 4.
2.Elections at the expiry of office shall be held in accordance with the preceding articles of this part of the present Covenant.
Article 33
1.If, in the unanimous opinion of the other members, a member of the Committee has ceased to carry out his functions for any cause other than absence of a temporary character, the Chairman of the Committee shall notify the Secretary-General of the United Nations, who shall then declare the seat of that member to be vacant.
2.In the event of the death or the resignation of a member of the Committee, the Chairman shall immediately notify the Secretary-General of the United Nations, who shall declare the seat vacant from the date of death or the date on which the resignation takes effect.
Article 34
1.When a vacancy is declared in accordance with article 33 and if the term of office of the member to be replaced does not expire within six months of the declaration of the vacancy, the Secretary-General of the United Nations shall notify each of the States Parties to the present Covenant, which may within two months submit nominations in accordance with article 29 for the purpose of filling the vacancy.
2.The Secretary-General of the United Nations shall prepare a list in alphabetical order of the persons thus nominated and shall submit it to the States Parties to the present Covenant. The election to fill the vacancy shall then take place in accordance with the relevant provisions of this part of the present Covenant.
3.A member of the Committee elected to fill a vacancy declared in accordance with article 33 shall hold office for the remainder of the term of the member who vacated the seat on the Committee under the provisions of that article.
Article 35
The members of the Committee shall, with the approval of the General Assembly of the United Nations, receive emoluments from United Nations resources on such terms and conditions as the General Assembly may decide,having regard to the importance of the Committee's responsibilities.
Article 36
The Secretary General of the United Nations shall provide the necessary staff and facilities for the effective performance of the functions of the Committee under the present Covenant.
Article 37
1.The Secretary-General of the United Nations shall convene the initial meeting of the Committee at the Headquarters of the United Nations.
2.After its initial meeting, the Committee shall meet at such times as shall be provided in its rules of procedure.
3.The Committee shall normally meet at the Headquarters of the United Nations or at the United Nations Office at Geneva.
Article 38
Every member of the Committee shall, before taking up his duties, make a solemn declaration in open committee that he will perform his functions impartially and conscientiously.
Article 39
1.The Committee shall elect its officers for a term of two years. They may be re-elected.
2.The Committee shall establish its own rules of procedure, but these rules shall provide, inter alia, that:
a. Twelve members shall constitute a quorum;
b. Decisions of the Committee shall be made by a majority vote of the members present.Article 40
1.The States Parties to the present Covenant undertake to submit reports on the measures they have adopted which give effect to the rights recognized herein and on the progress made in the enjoyment of those rights:
a. Within one year of the entry into force of the present Covenant for the States Parties concerned;
b.Thereafter whenever the Committee so requests.2.All reports shall be submitted to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, who shall transmit them to the Committee for consideration. Reports shall indicate the factors and difficulties, if any, affecting the implementation of the present Covenant.
3.The Secretary-General of the United Nations may, after consultation with the committee, transmit to the specialized agencies concerned copies of such parts of the reports as may fall within their field of competence.
4.The Committee shall study the reports submitted by the States Parties to the present Covenant. It shall transmit its reports, and such general comments as it may consider appropriate, to the States Parties. The Committee may also transmit to the Economic and Social Council these comments along with the copies of the reports it has received from States Parties to the present Covenant.
5.The States Parties to the present Covenant may submit to the Committee observations on any comments that may be made in accordance with paragraph 4 of this article.
Article 41
1.A State Party to the present Covenant may at any time declare under this article that it recognizes the competence of the Committee to receive and consider communications to the effect that a State Party claims that another State Party is not fulfilling its obligations under the present Covenant. Communications under this article may be received and considered only if submitted by a State Party which has made a declaration recognizing in regard to itself the competence of the Committee. No communication shall be received by the Committee if it concerns a State Party which has not made such a declaration. Communications received under this article shall be dealt with in accordance with the following procedure:
a. If a State Party to the present Covenant considers that another State Party is not giving effect to the provisions of the present Covenant, it may, by written communication, bring the matter to the attention of that State Party. Within three months after the receipt of the communication, the receiving State shall afford the State which sent the communication an explanation or any other statement in writing clarifying the matter, which should include, to the extent possible and pertinent, reference to domestic procedures and remedies taken, pending, or available in the matter.
b. If the matter is not adjusted to the satisfaction of both States Parties concerned within six months after the receipt by the receiving State of the initial communication, either State shall have the right to refer the matter to the Committee, by notice given to the Committee and to the other State.
c. The Committee shall deal with the matter referred to it only after it has ascertained that all available domestic remedies have been invoked and exhausted in the matter, in conformity with the generally recognized principles of international law. This shall not be the rule where the application of the remedies is unreasonably prolonged.
d. The Committee shall hold closed meetings when examining communications under this article.
e. Subject to the provisions of sub-paragraph c., the Committee shall make available its good offices to the States Parties concerned with a view to a friendly solution of the matter on the basis of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms as recognized in the present Covenant.
f. In any matter referred to it, the Committee may call upon the States Parties concerned, referred to in sub-paragraph b., to supply any relevant information.
g. The States Parties concerned, referred to in sub-paragraph b., shall have the right to be represented when the matter is being considered in the Committee and to make submissions orally and/or in writing.
h. The Committee shall, within twelve months after the date of receipt of notice under sub-paragraph b., submit a report:
i. If a solution within the terms of sub-paragraph e. is reached, the Committee shall confine its report to a brief statement of the facts and of the solution reached;
ii. If a solution within the terms of sub-paragraph e. is not reached, the Committee shall confine its report to a brief statement of the facts; the written submissions and record of the oral submissions made by the States Parties concerned shall be attached to the report. In every matter, the report shall be communicated to the States Parties concerned.2.The provisions of this article shall come into force when ten States Parties to the present Covenant have made declarations under paragraph 1 of this article. Such declarations shall be deposited by the States Parties with the Secretary-General of the United Nations, who shall transmit copies thereof to the other States Parties. A declaration may be withdrawn at any time by notification to the Secretary-General. Such a withdrawal shall not prejudice the consideration of any matter which is the subject of a communication already transmitted under this article; no further communication by any State Party shall be received after the notification of withdrawal of the declaration has been received by the Secretary-General, unless the State Party concerned had made a new declaration.
Article 42
1.a. If a matter referred to the Committee in accordance with article 41 is not resolved to the satisfaction of the States Parties concerned, the Committee may, with the prior consent of the States Parties concerned, appoint an ad hoc Conciliation Commission (hereinafter referred to as the Commission). The good offices of the Commission shall be made available to the States Parties concerned with a view to an amicable solution of the matter on the basis of respect for the present Covenant;
b. The Commission shall consist of five persons acceptable to the States Parties concerned. If the States Parties concerned fail to reach agreement within three months on all or part of the composition of the Commission, the members of the Commission concerning whom no agreement has been reached shall be elected by secret ballot by a two-thirds majority vote of the Committee from among its members.2.The members of the Commission shall serve in their personal capacity. They shall not be nationals of the States Parties concerned, or of a State not party to the present Covenant, or of a State Party which has not made a declaration under article 41.
3.The Commission shall elect its own Chairman and adopt its own rules of procedure.
4.The meetings of the Commission shall normally be held at the Headquarters of the United Nations or at the United Nations Office at Geneva. However, they may be held at such other convenient places as the Commission may determine in consultation with the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the States Parties concerned.
5.The secretariat provided in accordance with article 36 shall also service the commissions appointed under the article.
6.The information received and collated by the Committee shall be made available to the Commission and the Commission may call upon the States Parties concerned to supply any other relevant information.
7.When the Commission has fully considered the matter, but in any event not later than twelve months after having been seized of the matter, it shall submit to the Chairman of the Committee a report for communication to the States Parties concerned:
a. If the Commission is unable to complete its consideration of the matter within twelve months, it shall confine its report to a brief statement of the status of its consideration of the matter;
b. If an amicable solution to the matter on the basis of respect for human rights as recognized in the present Covenant is reached, the Commission shall confine its report to a brief statement of the facts and of the solution reached;
c. If a solution within the terms of sub-paragraph b. is not reached, the Commission's report shall embody its finding on all questions of fact relevant to the issues between the States Parties concerned, and its views on the possibilities of an amicable solution of the matter. This report shall also contain the written submissions and a record of the oral submissions made by the States Parties concerned;
d.If the Commission's report is submitted under sub-paragraph c., the States Parties concerned shall, within three months of the receipt of the report, notify the Chairman of the Committee whether or not they accept the contents of the report of the Commission.8.The provisions of this article are without prejudice to the responsibilities of the Committee under article 41.
9.The States Parties concerned shall share equally all the expenses of the members of the Commission in accordance with estimates to be provided by the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
10. The Secretary-General of the United Nations shall be empowered to pay the expenses of the members of the Commission, if necessary, before reimbursement by the States Parties concerned, in accordance with paragraph 9 of this article.
Article 43
The members of the Committee, and of the ad hoc conciliation commissions, which may be appointed under article 42, shall be entitled to the facilities, privileges and immunities of experts on mission for the United Nations as laid down in the relevant sections of the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations.
Article 44
The provisions for the implementation of the present Covenant shall apply without prejudice to the procedures prescribed in the field of human rights by or under the constituent instruments and the conventions of the United Nations and of the specialized agencies and shall not prevent the States Parties to the present Covenant from having recourse to other procedures for settling a dispute in accordance with general or special international agreements in force between them.
Article 45
The Committee shall submit to the General Assembly of the United Nations, through the Economic and Social Council, an annual report on its activities.
PART V
Article 46
Nothing in the present Covenant shall be interpreted as impairing the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations and of the constitutions of the specialized agencies which define the respective responsibilities of the various organs of the United Nations and of the specialized agencies in regard to the matters dealt with in the present Covenant.
Article 47
Nothing in the present Covenant shall be interpreted as impairing the inherent right of all peoples to enjoy and utilize fully and freely their natural wealth and resources.
PART VI
Article 48
1.The present Covenant is open for signature by any State Member of the United Nations or member of any of its specialized agencies, by any State Party to the Statute of the International Court of Justice, and by any other State which has been invited by the General Assembly of the United Nations to become a party to the present Covenant.
2.The present Covenant is subject to ratification. Instruments of ratification shall be deposited with the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
3.The present Covenant shall be open to accession by any State referred to in paragraph 1 of this article.
4.Accession shall be effected by the deposit of an instrument of accession with the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
5.The Secretary-General of the United Nations shall inform all States which have signed this Covenant or acceded to it of the deposit of each instrument of ratification or accession.
Article 49
1.The present Covenant shall enter into force three months after the date of the deposit with the Secretary-General of the United Nations of the thirty-fifth instrument of ratification or instrument of accession.
2.For each State ratifying the present Covenant or acceding to it after the deposit of the thirty-fifth instrument of ratification or instrument of accession, the present Covenant shall enter into force three months after the date of the deposit of its own instrument of ratification or instrument of accession.
Article 50
The provisions of the present Covenant shall extend to all parts of federal States without any limitations or exceptions.
Article 51
1.Any State Party to the present Covenant may propose an amendment and file it with the Secretary-General of the United Nations. The Secretary-General of the United Nations shall thereupon communicate any proposed amendments to the States Parties to the present Covenant with a request that they notify him whether they favour a conference of States Parties for the purpose of considering and voting upon the proposals. In the event that at least one third of the States Parties favours such a conference, the Secretary-General shall convene the conference under the auspices of the United Nations. Any amendment adopted by a majority of the States Parties present and voting at the conference shall be submitted to the General Assembly of the United Nations for approval.
2.Amendments shall come into force when they have been approved by the General Assembly of the United Nations and accepted by a two-thirds majority of the States Parties to the present Covenant in accordance with their respective constitutional processes.
3.When amendments come into force, they shall be binding on those States Parties which have accepted them, other States Parties still being bound by the provisions of the present Covenant and any earlier amendment which they have accepted.
Article 52
Irrespective of the notifications made under article 48, paragraph 5, the Secretary-General of the United Nations shall inform all States referred to in paragraph 1 of the same article of the following particulars:
a. Signatures, ratifications and accessions under article 48;
b. The date of the entry into force of the present Covenant under article 49 and the date of the entry into force of any amendments under article 51.Article 53
1.The present Covenant, of which the Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish texts are equally authentic, shall be deposited in the archives of the United Nations.
2.The Secretary-General of the United Nations shall transmit certified copies of the present Covenant to all States referred to in article 48.
Editor's note:
Declarations and Reservations3 to various articles were made by
Afghanistan, Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Barbados, Belarus,
Belgium, Bulgaria, Congo, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Finland,
France, Gambia, Germany, Guinea, Guyana, Hungary, Iceland, India,
Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Luxembourg,
Malta, Mexico, Mongolia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway,
Republic of Korea, Romania, Russian Federation, Slovakia, Sweden,
Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic, Trinidad and Tobago, Ukraine,
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, United States
of America, Venezuela, Viet Nam, Yemen.
Declarations recognizing the competence of the Human Rights Committee under article 41 (Unless otherwise indicated, the declarations were made upon ratification, accession or succession)4 were made by the following countries: Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Congo, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Finland, Gambia, Germany, Guyana, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Senegal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Tunisia, Ukraine, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, United States of America, Zimbabwe.
Footnote3
Current North American status: Canada, accession 19 May 1976;
Mexico, accession 23 Mar 1981; United States of America, signature
5 Oct 1977, ratification 8 Jun 1992.
MEXICO
Interpretive statements:
Article 9, paragraph 5
"Under the Political Constitution of the United Mexican States
and the relevant implementing legislation, every individual enjoys
the guarantees relating to penal matters embodied therein, and
consequently no person may be unlawfully arrested or detained.
However, if by reason of false accusation or complaint any individual
suffers an infringement of this basic right, he has, inter alia, under
the provisions of the appropriate laws, an enforceable right to just
compensation.
Article 18
"Under the Political Constitution of the United Mexican States,
every person is free to profess his preferred religious belief and to
practice its ceremonies, rites and religious acts, with the limitation,
with regard to public religious acts, that they must be performed in
places of worship, and, with regard to education, that studies carried
out in establishments designed for the professional education of
ministers of religion are not officially recognized. The government
of Mexico believes that these limitations are included among those
established in paragraph 3 of this article.
Reservations:
Article 13
"The Government of Mexico makes a reservation to this article,
in view of the present text of article 33 of the Political Constitution
of the United Mexican States.
Article 25, subparagraph (b)
"The Government of Mexico also makes a reservation to this
provision, since article 130 of the Political constitution of the United
Mexican States provides that ministers of religion shall have neither
an active nor a passive vote, nor the right to form associations for
political purposes."
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Reservations:
"(1) That article 20 does not authorize or require legislation or other
action by the United States that would restrict the right of free speech
and association protected by the Constitution and laws of the United
States.
"(2) That the United States reserves the right, subject to its
Constitutional constraints, to impose capital punishment on any
person (other than a pregnant woman) duly convicted under existing
or future laws permitting the imposition of capital punishment,
including such punishment for crimes committed by persons below
eighteen years of age.
"(3) That the United States considers itself bound by article 7 to the
extent that 'cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment'
means the cruel and unusual treatment or punishment prohibited by
the Fifth, Eighth, and/or Fourteenth Amendments to the Constitution
of the United States.
"(4) That because U.S. law generally applies to an offender the
penalty in force at the time the offense was committed, the United
States does not adhere to the third clause of paragraph 1 of article
15.
"(5) That the policy and practice of the United States are generally
in compliance with and supportive of the Covenant's provisions
regarding treatment of juveniles in the criminal justice system.
Nevertheless, the United States reserves the right, in exceptional
circumstances, to treat juveniles as adults, notwithstanding
paragraphs 2(b) and 3 of article 10 and paragraph 4 of article 14.
The United States further reserves to these provisions with respect to
States with respect to individuals who volunteer for military service
prior to age 18."
Understandings:
"(1) That the Constitution and laws of the United States guarantee all
persons equal protection of the law and provide extensive protections
against discrimination. The United States understands distinctions
base upon race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other
opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or an other status -
as those terms are used in article 2, paragraph 1 and article 26 - to
be permitted when such distinctions are, at minimum, rationally
related to a legitimate governmental objective. The United States
further understands the prohibition in paragraph 1 of article 4 upon
discrimination, in time of public emergency, based 'solely' on the
status of race, colour, sex, language, religion or social origin, not to
bar distinctions that may have a disproportionate effect upon persons
of a particular status.
"(2) That the United States understands the right to compensation
referred to in articles 9 (5) and 14 (6) to require the provision of
effective and enforceable mechanisms by which a victim of an
unlawful arrest or detention or a miscarriage of justice may seek and,
where justified, obtain compensation from either the responsible
individual or the appropriate governmental entity. Entitlement to
compensation may be subject to the reasonable requirements of
domestic law.
"(3) That the United States understands the reference to 'exceptional
circumstances' in paragraph 2 (a) of article 10 to permit the
imprisonment of an accused person with convicted persons where
appropriate in light of an individual's overall dangerousness, and to
permit accused persons to waive their right to segregation from
convicted persons. The United States further understands that
paragraph 3 of article 10 does not diminish the goals of punishment,
deterrence, and incapacitation as additional legitimate purposes for
a penitentiary system.
"(4) That the United States understands that subparagraphs 3(b) and
(d) of article 14 do not require the provision of a criminal
defendant's counsel of choice when the defendant is provided with
court-appointed counsel on grounds of indigence, when the defendant
is finally able to retain alternative counsel, or when imprisonment is
not imposed. The United States further understands that paragraph 3
(e) does not prohibit a requirement that the defendant make a
showing that any witness whose attendance he seeks to compel is
necessary for his defense. The United States understands the
prohibition upon double jeopardy in paragraph 7 to apply only when
the judgement of acquittal has been rendered by a court of the same
government unit, whether the Federal Government or a constituent
unit, as is seeking a new trial for the same cause.
"(5) That the United States understands that this Covenant shall be
implemented by the Federal Government to the extent that it
exercises legislative and judicial jurisdiction over the matters covered
therein, and otherwise by the state and local governments; to the
extent that state and local governments exercise jurisdiction over such
matters, the Federal Government shall take measures appropriate to
the Federal system to the end that the competent authorities of the
state or local governments may take appropriate measures for the
fulfilment of the Covenant."
Declarations:
"(1) That the United States declares that the provisions of articles 1
through 27 of the Covenant are not self-executing.
"(2) That it is the view of the United States that States Party to the
Covenant should wherever possible refrain from imposing any
restrictions or limitations on the exercise of the rights recognized and
protected by the Covenant, even when such restrictions and
limitations are permissible under the terms of the Covenant. For the
United States, article 5, paragraph 2, which provides that
fundamental human rights existing in any State Party may not be
diminished on the pretext that the Covenant recognizes them to a
lesser extent, has particular relevance to article 19, paragraph 3
which would permit certain restrictions on the freedom of expression.
The United States declares that it will continue to adhere to the
requirements and constraints of its Constitution in respect to all such
restrictions and limitations.
"(3) That the United States declares that the right referred to in
article 47 may be exercised only in accordance with international
law."
Editor's note: objections to specific reservations, understandings and declarations made by the United States, were raised by Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden. In general, these note derogation by the United States from articles 6 and 7.
Footnote4
Current North American status:
CANADA
29 October 1979: "The Government of Canada declares, under article
41 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, that
it recognizes the competence of the Human Rights Committee
referred to in article 28 of the said Covenant to receive and consider
communications submitted by another State Party, provided that such
State Party has, not less than twelve months prior to the submission
by it of a communication relating to Canada, made a declaration
under article 41 recognizing the competence of the Committee to
receive and consider communications relating to itself."
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
"The United States declares that it accepts the competence of the
Human Rights Committee to receive and consider communications
under article 41 in which a State Party claims that another State Party
is not fulfilling its obligations under the Covenant."
The Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights was adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on December 16, 1966, became effective March 23, 1976. 26 countries signed the First Option Protocol. As of March 18, 1996, 87 countries are currently parties through signing and ratification, or accession or succession.Participants:
Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Canada, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, Finland, France, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Guinea, Guyana, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kyrgyzstan, Jamaica, Latvia, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malta, Mauritius, Mongolia, Namibia, Netherlands, Nepal, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russian Federation, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, San Marino, Senegal, Seychelles, Slovakia, Slovenia, Somalia, Spain, Suriname, Sweden, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Trinidad and Tobago, Togo, Uganda, Ukraine, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Yugoslavia, Zaire, Zambia.OPTIONAL PROTOCOL TO THE INTERNATIONAL COVENANT ON CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS
THE STATES PARTIES TO THE PRESENT PROTOCOL,
CONSIDERING that in order further to achieve the purposes of the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (hereinafter referred to as the Covenant) and the implementation of its provisions it would be appropriate to enable the Human Rights Committee set up in Part IV of the Covenant (hereinafter referred to as the Committee) to receive and consider, as provided in the present Protocol, communications from individuals claiming to be victims of violations of any of the rights set forth in the Covenant,
HAVE AGREED as follows:
Article 1
A State Party to the Covenant that becomes a party to the present Protocol recognizes the competence of the Committee to receive and consider communications from individuals subject to its jurisdiction who claim to be victims of a violation by that State Party of any of the rights set forth in the Covenant. No communication shall be received by the Committee if it concerns a State Party to the Covenant which is not a party to the present Protocol.
Article 2
Subject to the provisions of article 1, individuals who claim that any of their rights enumerated in the Covenant have been violated and who have exhausted all available domestic remedies may submit a written communication to the Committee for consideration.
Article 3
The Committee shall consider inadmissible any communication under the present Protocol which is anonymous, or which it considers to be an abuse of the rights of submissions of such communications or to be incompatible with the provisions of the Covenant.
Article 4
1.Subject to the provisions of article 3, the Committee shall bring any communications submitted to it under the present Protocol to the attention of the State Party to the present Protocol alleged to be violating any provisions of the Covenant.
2.Within six months, the receiving State shall submit to the Committee written explanations or statements clarifying the matter and the remedy, if any, that may have been taken by that State.
Article 5
1.The Committee shall consider communications received under the present Protocol in the light of all written information made available to it by the individual and by the State Party concerned.
2.The Committee shall not consider any communication from an individual unless it has ascertained that:
a. The same matter is not being examined under another procedure of international investigation or settlement; b. The individual has exhausted all available domestic remedies. This shall not be the rule where the application of the remedies is unreasonably prolonged.
3.The Committee shall hold closed meetings when examining communications under the present Protocol.
4.The Committee shall forward its views to the State Party concerned and to the individual.
Article 6
The Committee shall include in its annual report under article 45 of the Covenant a summary of its activities under the present Protocol.
Article 7
Pending the achievement of the objectives of resolution 1514 (XV) adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 14 December 1960 concerning the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, the provisions of the present Protocol shall in no way limit the right of petition granted to these peoples by the Charter of the United Nations and other international conventions and instruments under the United Nations and its specialized agencies.
Article 8
1.The present Protocol is open for signature by any State which has signed the Covenant.
2.The present Protocol is subject to ratification by any State which has ratified or acceded to the Covenant. Instruments of ratification shall be deposited with the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
3.The present Protocol shall be open to accession by any state which has ratified or acceded to the Covenant.
4.Accession shall be effected by the deposit of an instrument of accession with the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
5.The Secretary-General of the United Nations shall inform all States which have signed the present Protocol or acceded to it of the deposit of each instrument of ratification or accession.
Article 9
1.Subject to the entry into force of the Covenant, the present Protocol shall enter into force three months after the date of the deposit with the Secretary-General of the United Nations of the tenth instrument of ratification or instrument of accession.
2.For each State ratifying the present Protocol or acceding to it after the deposit of the tenth instrument of ratification or instrument of accession, the present Protocol shall enter into force three months after the date of the deposit of its own instrument of ratification or instrument of accession.
Article 10
The provisions of the present Protocol shall extend to all parts of federal States without any limitations or exceptions.
Article 11
1.Any State Party to the present Protocol may propose an amendment and file it with the Secretary-General of the United Nations. The Secretary-General shall thereupon communicate any proposed amendments to the States Parties to the present Protocol with a request that they notify him whether they favour a conference of States Parties for the purpose of considering and voting upon the proposal. In the event that at least one third of the States Parties favours such a conference, the Secretary-General shall convene the conference under the auspices of the United Nations. Any amendment adopted by a majority of the States Parties present and voting at the conference shall be submitted to the General Assembly of the United Nations for approval.
2.Amendments shall come into force when they have been approved by the General Assembly of the United Nations and accepted by a two-thirds majority of the States Parties to the present Protocol in accordance with their respective constitutional processes.
3.When amendments come into force, they shall be binding on those States Parties which have accepted them, other States Parties still being bound by the provisions of the present Protocol and any earlier amendment which they have accepted.
Article 12
1.Any State Party may denounce the present Protocol at any time by written notification addressed to the Secretary-General of the United Nations. Denunciation shall take effect three months after the date of receipt of the notification by the Secretary-General.
2.Denunciation shall be without prejudice to the continued application of the provisions of the present Protocol to any communication submitted under article 2 before the effective date of denunciation.
Article 13
Irrespective of the notifications made under article 8, paragraph 5, of the present Protocol, the Secretary-General of the United Nations shall inform all States referred to in article 48, paragraph 1, of the Covenant of the following particulars:
a. Signatures, ratifications and accessions under article 8;
b. The date of the entry into force of any amendments under article 11;
c. Denunciations under article 12.Article 14
1.The present Protocol, of which the Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish texts are equally authentic, shall be deposited in the archives of the United Nations.
2.The Secretary-General of the United Nations shall transmit certified copies of the present Protocol to all States referred to in article 48 of the Covenant.
Editor's note:
Declarations and Reservations5 concerning various articles were made
by Austria, Chile, Croatia, Denmark, El Salvador, France, Germany,
Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Poland, Romania,
Russian Federation, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Uganda, Venezuela.
Footnote5
Current North American Status: Canada, accession 19 May 1976.
The Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Aiming at the Abolition of the Death Penalty, was adopted by resolution 44/128, 15 December 1989, of the United Nations General Assembly, the Protocol is currently open for signature. 21 countries have signed the Second Optional Protocol. As of March 18, 1996, 29 countries are currently parties through signing and ratification, or accession.Participants:
Australia, Austria, Belgium, Costa Rica, Croatia, Denmark, Ecuador, Finland, Germany, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Mozambique, Namibia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Portugal, Romania, Seychelles, Slovania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the former Yugoslavia Republic of Macedonia, Uruguay, Venezuela.SECOND OPTIONAL PROTOCOL TO THE INTERNATIONAL COVENANT ON CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS, AIMING AT THE ABOLITION OF THE DEATH PENALTY
THE STATES PARTIES TO THE PRESENT PROTOCOL,
BELIEVING that abolition of the death penalty contributes to enhancement of human dignity and progressive development of human rights,
RECALLING article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted on 10 December 1948 and article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights adopted on 16 December 1966,
NOTING that article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights refers to abolition of the death penalty in terms that strongly suggest that abolition is desirable,
CONVINCED that all measures of abolition of the death penalty should be considered as progress in the enjoyment of the right to life,
DESIROUS to undertake hereby an international commitment to abolish the death penalty,
HAVE AGREED as follows:
Article 1
1.No one within the jurisdiction of a State Party to the present Protocol shall be executed.
2.Each State Party shall take all necessary measures to abolish the death penalty within its jurisdiction.
Article 2
1.No reservation is admissible to the present Protocol, except for a reservation made at the time of ratification or accession that provides for the application of the death penalty in time of war pursuant to a conviction for a most serious crime of military nature committed during wartime.
2.The State Party making such a reservation shall at the time of ratification or accession communicate to the Secretary-General of the United Nations the relevant provisions of its national legislation applicable during wartime.
3.The State Party having made such a reservation shall notify the Secretary-General of the United Nations of any beginning or ending of a state of war applicable to its territory.
Article 3
The States Parties to the present Protocol shall include in the reports they submit to the Human Rights Committee, in accordance with article 40 of the Covenant, information on the measures that they have adopted to give effect to the present Protocol.
Article 4
With respect to the States Parties to the Covenant that have made a declaration under article 41, the competence of the Human Rights Committee to receive and consider communications when a State Party claims that another State Party is not fulfilling its obligations shall extend to the provisions of the present Protocol, unless the State Party concerned has made a statement to the contrary at the moment of ratification or accession.
Article 5
With respect to the State Parties to the first Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights adopted on 16 December 1966, the competence of the Human Rights Committee to receive and consider communications from individuals subject to its jurisdiction shall extend to the provisions of the present Protocol, unless the State Party concerned has made a statement to the contrary at the moment of ratification or accession.
Article 6
1.The provisions of the present Protocol shall apply as additional provisions to the Covenant.
2.Without prejudice to the possibility of a reservation under article 2 of the present Protocol, the right guaranteed in article 1, paragraph 1, of the present Protocol shall not be subject to any derogation under article 4 of the Covenant.
Article 7
1.The present Protocol is open for signature by any State that has signed the Covenant.
2.The present Protocol is subject to ratification by any State that has ratified the Covenant or acceded to it. Instruments of ratification shall be deposited with the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
3.The present Protocol shall be open to accession by any State that has ratified the Covenant or acceded to it.
4.Accession shall be effected by the deposit of an instrument of accession with the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
5.The Secretary-General of the United Nations shall inform all States that have signed the present Protocol or acceded to it of the deposit of each instrument of ratification or accession.
Article 8
1.The present Protocol shall enter into force three months after the date of the deposit with the Secretary-General of the United Nations of the tenth instrument of ratification or accession.
2.For each State ratifying the present Protocol or acceding to it after the deposit of the tenth instrument of ratification or accession, the present Protocol shall enter into force three months after the date of the deposit of its own instrument of ratification or accession.
Article 9
The provisions of the present Protocol shall extend to all parts of federal States without any limitations or exceptions.
Article 10
The Secretary-General of the United Nations shall inform all States referred to in article 48, paragraph 1, of the Covenant of the following particulars:
a. Reservations, communications and notifications under article 2 of the present Protocol;
b. Statements made under articles 4 or 5 of the present Protocol;
c. Signatures, ratifications and accessions under article 7 of the present Protocol;
d. The date of the entry into force of the present Protocol under article 8 thereof.Article 11
1.The present Protocol, of which the Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish texts are equally authentic, shall be deposited in the archives of the United Nations.
2.The Secretary-General of the United Nations shall transmit certified copies of the present Protocol to all States referred to in article 48 of the Covenant.
Editor's note:
Reservations were made by Spain and Malta, to article 2, in times of
war.
The Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees was adopted by the United Nations Conference of Plenipotentiaries on the Status of Refugees and Stateless Persons, and signed at Geneva on July 28, 1951, this Convention was registered and entered into force April 22, 1954. 20 countries originally signed the Convention. As of March 18, 1996, 127 countries are participants through signing and ratification, or accession or succession.Participants:
Albania, Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Holy See, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Monaco, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sudan, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, Tuvalu, Uganda, United Kingdom, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Yemen, Yugoslavia, Zaire, Zambia, Zimbabwe.CONVENTION RELATING TO THE STATUS OF REFUGEES
PREAMBLE
THE HIGH CONTRACTING PARTIES,
CONSIDERING that the Charter of the United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human rights approved on 10 December 1948 by the General Assembly have affirmed the principle that human beings shall enjoy fundamental rights and freedoms without discrimination,
CONSIDERING that the United Nations has, on various occasions, manifested its profound concern for refugees and endeavoured to assure refugees the widest possible exercise of these fundamental rights and freedoms,
CONSIDERING that it is desirable to revise and consolidate previous international agreements relating to the status of refugees and to extend the scope of and the protection accorded by such instruments by means of a new agreement,
CONSIDERING that the grant of asylum may place unduly heavy burdens on certain countries, and that a satisfactory solution of a problem of which the United Nations has recognized the international scope and nature cannot therefore be achieved without international cooperation,
EXPRESSING the wish that all States, recognizing the social and humanitarian nature of the problem of refugees, will do everything within their power to prevent this problem from becoming a cause of tension between States,
NOTING that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is charged with the task of supervising international conventions providing for the protection of refugees, and recognizing that the effective coordination of measures taken to deal with this problem will depend upon the cooperation of States with the High commission,
HAVE AGREED AS FOLLOWS:
CHAPTER I
GENERAL PROVISIONSArticle 1. Definition of the term "refugee"
A. For the purposes of the present Convention, the term "refugee" shall apply to any person who:
(1) Has been considered a refugee under the Arrangements of 12 May 1926 and 30 June 1928 or under the Conventions of 28 October 1933 and 10 February 1938, the Protocol of 14 September 1939 or the Constitution of the International Refugee Organization;
Decisions of non-eligibility taken by the International Refugee Organization during the period of its activities shall not prevent the status of refugee being accorded to persons who fulfil the conditions of paragraph 2 of this section;
(2) As a result of events occurring before 1 January 1951 andowing to well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable, or owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country; or who, not having a nationality and being outside the country of his former habitual residence as a result of such events, is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to return to it.
In the case of a person who has more than one nationality, the term "the country of his nationality" shall mean each of the countries of which he is a national, and a person shall not be deemed to be lacking the protection of the country of his nationality if, without any valid reason based on well-founded fear, he has not availed himself of the protection of one of the countries of which he is a national.
B.(1) For the purposes of this Convention, the words "events occurring before 1 January 1951" in Article 1, section a., shall be understood to mean either (a) "events occurring in Europe before 1 January 1951"; or (b) "events occurring in Europe or elsewhere before 1 January 1951"; and each Contracting State shall make a declaration at the time of signature, ratification or accession, specifying which of these meanings it applies for the purpose of its obligations under this Convention.
2. Any Contracting State which has adopted alternative (a) may at any time extend its obligations by adopting alternative (b) by means of a notification addressed to the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
C. This Convention shall cease to apply to any person falling under the terms of section a. if:
1. He has voluntarily re-availed himself of the protection of the country of his nationality; or
2. Having lost his nationality, he has voluntarily reacquired it; or
3. He has acquired a new nationality, and enjoys the protection of the country of his new nationality; or
4. He has voluntarily re-established himself in the country which he left or outside which he remained owing to fear of persecution; or
5. He can no longer, because the circumstances in connection with which he has been recognized as a refugee have ceased to exist, continue to refuse to avail himself of the protection of the country of his nationality;
Provided that this paragraph shall not apply to a refugee falling under section a.I of this article who is able to invoke compelling reasons arising out of previous persecution for refusing to avail himself of the protection of the country of nationality;
6. Being a person who has no nationality he is, because the circumstances in connection with which he has been recognized as a refugee have ceased to exist, able to return to the country of his former habitual residence;
Provided that this paragraph shall not apply to a refugee falling under section a.I of this article who is able to invoke compelling reasons arising out of previous persecution for refusing to return to the country of his former habitual residence.
D. This Convention shall not apply to persons who are at present receiving from organs or agencies of the United Nations other than the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees protection or assistance.
When such protection or assistance has ceased for any reason, without the position of such persons being definitively settled in accordance with the relevant resolutions adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations, these persons shall ipso facto be entitled to the benefits of this Convention.
E. This Convention shall not apply to a person who is recognized by the competent authorities of the country in which he has taken residence as having the rights and obligations which are attached to the possession of the nationality of that country.
F. The provisions of this Convention shall not apply to any person with respect to whom there are serious reasons for considering that:
a. He has committed a crime against peace, a war crime, or a crime against humanity, as defined in the international instruments drawn up to make provision in respect of such crimes;
b. He has committed a serious non-political crime outside the country of refuge prior to his admission to that country as a refugee;
c. He has been guilty of acts contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.Article 2. General obligations
Every refugee has duties to the country in which he finds himself, which require in particular that he conform to its laws and regulations as well as to measures taken for the maintenance of public order.
Article 3. Non-discrimination
The Contracting States shall apply the provisions of this Convention to refugees without discrimination as to race, religion or country of origin.
Article 4. Religion
The Contracting States shall accord to refugees within their territories treatment at least as favourable as that accorded to their nationals with respect to freedom to practise their religion and freedom as regards the religious education of their children.
Article 5. Rights granted apart from this Convention
Nothing in this Convention shall be deemed to impair any rights and benefits granted by a Contracting State to refugees apart from this Convention.
Article 6. The term "in the same circumstances"
For the purposes of this Convention, the term "in the same circumstances" implies that any requirements (including requirements as to length and conditions of sojourn or residence) which the particular individual would have to fulfil for the enjoyment of the right in question, if he were not a refugee, must be fulfilled by him, with the exception of requirements which by their nature a refugee is incapable of fulfilling.
Article 7. Exemption from reciprocity
1.Except where this Convention contains more favourable provisions, a Contracting State shall accord to refugees the same treatment as it accorded to aliens generally.
2.After a period of three years' residence, all refugees shall enjoy exemption from legislative reciprocity in the territory of the Contracting States.
3.Each Contracting State shall continue to accord to refugees the rights and benefits to which they were already entitled, in the absence of reciprocity, at the date of entry into force of this Convention for that State.
4.The Contracting States shall consider favourably the possibility of according to refugees, in the absence of reciprocity, rights and benefits beyond those to which they are entitled according to paragraphs 2 and 3, and to extending exemption from reciprocity to refugees who do not fulfil the conditions provided for in paragraphs 2 and 3.
5.The provisions of paragraphs 2 and 3 apply both to the rights and benefits referred to in articles 13, 18, 19, 21 and 22 of this Convention and to rights and benefits for which this Convention does not provide.
Article 8. Exemption from exceptional measures
With regard to exceptional measures which may be taken against the person, property or interests of nationals of a foreign State, the Contracting States shall not apply such measures to a refugee who is formally a national of the said State solely on account of such nationality. Contracting States which, under their legislation, are prevented from applying the general principle expressed in this article, shall, in appropriate cases, grant exemptions in favour of such refugees.
Article 9. Provisional measures
Nothing in this Convention shall prevent a Contracting State, in time of war or other grave and exceptional circumstances, from taking provisionally measures which it considers to be essential to the national security in the case of a particular person, pending a determination by the Contracting State that that person is in fact a refugee and that the continuance of such measures is necessary in his case in the interests of national security.
Article 10. Continuity of residence
1.Where a refugee has been forcibly displaced during the Second World War and removed to the territory of a Contracting State, and is resident there, the period of such enforced sojourn shall be considered to have been lawful residence within that territory.
2.Where a refugee has been forcibly displaced during the Second World War from the territory of a Contracting State and has, prior to the date of entry into force of this Convention, returned there for the purpose of taking up residence, the period of residence before and after such enforced displacement shall be regarded as one uninterrupted period for any purposes for which uninterrupted residence is required.
Article 11. Refugee seamen
In the case of refugees regularly serving as crew members on board a ship flying the flag of a Contracting State, that State shall give sympathetic consideration to their establishment on its territory and the issue of travel documents to them or their temporary admission to its territory particularly with a view to facilitating their establishment in another country.
CHAPTER II
JURIDICAL STATUSArticle 12. Personal status
1.The personal status of a refugee shall be governed by the law of the country of his domicile or, if he has no domicile, by the law of the country of his residence.
2.Rights previously acquired by a refugee and dependent on personal status, more particularly rights attaching to marriage, shall be respected by a Contracting State, subject to compliance, if this be necessary, with the formalities required by the law of that State, provided that the right in question is one which would have been recognized by the law of that State had he not become a refugee.
Article 13. Movable and immovable property
The Contracting States shall accord to a refugee treatment as favourable as possible and, in any event, not less favourable than that accorded to aliens generally in the same circumstances, as regards the acquisition of movable and immovable property and other rights pertaining thereto, and to leases and other contracts relating to movable and immovable property.
Article 14. Artistic rights and industrial property
In respect of the protection of industrial property, such as inventions, designs or models, trade marks, trade names, and of rights in literary, artistic and scientific works, a refugee shall be accorded in the country in which he has his habitual residence the same protection as is accorded to nationals of that country. In the territory of any other Contracting States, he shall be accorded the same protection as is accorded in that territory to nationals of the country in which he has his habitual residence.
Article 15. Right of association
As regards non-political and non-profit-making associations and trade unions the Contracting States shall accord to refugees lawfully staying in their territory the most favourable treatment accorded to nations of a foreign country, in the same circumstances.
Article 16. Access to courts
1.A refugee shall have free access to the courts of law on the territory of all Contracting States.
2.A refugee shall enjoy in the Contracting State in which he has his habitual residence the same treatment as a national in matters pertaining to access to the courts, including legal assistance and exemption from cautio judicatum solvi.
3.A refugee shall be accorded in the matters referred to in paragraph 2 in countries other than that in which he has his habitual residence the treatment granted to a national of the country of his habitual residence.
CHAPTER III
GAINFUL EMPLOYMENTArticle 17. Wage-earning employment
1.The Contracting States shall accord to refugees lawfully staying in their territory the most favourable treatment accorded to nationals of a foreign country in the same circumstances, as regards the right to engage in wage-earning employment.
2.In any case, restrictive measures imposed on aliens or the employment of aliens for the protection of the national labour market shall not be applied to a refugee who was already exempt from them at the date of entry into force of this Convention for the Contracting State concerned, or who fulfils one of the following conditions:
a. He has completed three years' residence in the country;
b. He has a spouse possessing the nationality of the country of residence. A refugee may not invoke the benefit of this provision if he has abandoned his spouse.
c. He has one or more children possessing the nationality of the country of residence.3.The Contracting States shall give sympathetic consideration to assimilating the rights of all refugees with regard to wage-earning employment to those of nationals, and in particular of those refugees who have entered their territory pursuant to programmes of labour recruitment or under immigration schemes.
Article 18. Self-employment
The Contracting States shall accord to a refugee lawfully in their territory treatment as favourable as possible and, in any event, not less favourable than that accorded to aliens generally in the same circumstances, as regards the right to engage on his own account in agriculture, industry, handicrafts and commerce and to establish commercial and industrial companies.
Article 19. Liberal professions
1.Each contracting State shall accord to refugees lawfully staying in their territory who hold diplomas recognized by the competent authorities of that State, and who are desirous of practising a liberal profession, treatment as favourable as possible and in any event, not less favourable than that accorded to aliens generally in the same circumstances.
2.The Contracting States shall use their best endeavours consistently with their laws and constitutions to secure the settlement of such refugees in the territories, other than the metropolitan territory, for whose international relations they are responsible.
CHAPTER IV
WELFAREArticle 20. Rationing
Where a rationing system exists, which applies to the population at large and regulates the general distribution of products in short supply, refugees shall be accorded the same treatment as nationals.
Article 21. Housing
As regards housing, the Contracting States, in so far as the matter is regulated by laws or regulations or is subject to the control of public authorities, shall accord to refugees lawfully staying in their territory treatment as favourable as possible and, in any event, not less favourable than that accorded to aliens generally in the same circumstances.
Article 22. Public education
1.The Contracting States shall accord to refugees the same treatment as is accorded to nationals with respect to elementary education.
2.The Contracting States shall accord to refugees treatment as favourable as possible, and, in any event, not less favourable than that accorded to aliens generally in the same circumstances, with respect to education other than elementary education and, in particular, as regards access to studies, the recognition of foreign school certificates, diplomas and degrees, the remission of fees and charges and the award of scholarships.
Article 23. Public relief
The Contracting States shall accord to refugees lawfully staying in their territory the same treatment with respect to public relief and assistance as is accorded to their nationals.
Article 24. Labour legislation and social security
1.The Contracting States shall accord to refugees lawfully staying in their territory the same treatment as is accorded to nationals in respect of the following matters:
a. In so far as such matters are governed by laws or regulations or are subject to the control of administrative authorities: remuneration, including family allowances where these form part of remuneration, hours of work, overtime arrangements, holidays with pay, restrictions on home work, minimum age of employment, apprenticeship and training, women's work and the work of young persons, and the enjoyment of the benefits of collective bargaining;
b. Social security (legal provisions in respect of employment injury, occupational diseases, maternity, sickness, disability, oldage, death, unemployment, family responsibilities and any other contingency which, according to national laws or regulations, is covered by a social security scheme), subject to the following limitations:
(i) There may be appropriate arrangements for the maintenance of acquired rights and rights in course of acquisition;
(ii) National laws or regulations of the country of residence may prescribe special arrangements concerning benefits or portions of benefits which are payable wholly out of public funds, and concerning allowances paid to persons who do not fulfil the contribution conditions prescribed for the award of a normal pension.2.The right to compensation for the death of a refugee resulting from employment injury or from occupational disease shall not be affected by the fact that the residence of the beneficiary is outside the territory of the Contracting State.
3.The Contracting States shall extend to refugees the benefits of agreements concluded between them, or which may be concluded between them in the future, concerning the maintenance of acquired rights and rights in the process of acquisition in regard to social security, subject only to the conditions which apply to nationals of the States signatory to the agreements in question.
4.The Contracting States will give sympathetic consideration to extending to refugees so far as possible the benefits of similar agreements which may at any time be in force between such Contracting States and non-contracting States.
CHAPTER V
ADMINISTRATIVE MEASURESArticle 25. Administrative assistance
1.When the exercise of a right by a refugee would normally require the assistance of authorities of a foreign country to whom he cannot have recourse, the Contracting States in whose territory he is residing shall arrange that such assistance be afforded to him by their own authorities or by an international authority.
2.The authority or authorities mentioned in paragraph 1 shall deliver or cause to be delivered under their supervision to refugees such documents or certifications as would normally be delivered to aliens by or through their national authorities.
3.Documents or certificates so delivered shall stand in the stead of the official instruments delivered to aliens by or through their national authorities, and shall be given credence in the absence of proof to the contrary.
4.Subject to such exceptional treatment as may be granted to indigent persons, fees may be charged for the services mentioned herein, but such fees shall be moderate and commensurate with those charged to nationals for similar services.
5.The provisions of this article shall be without prejudice to articles 27 and 28.
Article 26. Freedom of movement
Each Contracting State shall accord to refugees lawfully in its territory the right to choose their place of residence and to move freely within its territory subject to any regulations applicable to aliens generally in the same circumstances.
Article 27. Identity papers
The Contracting States shall issue identity papers to any refugee in their territory who does not possess a valid travel document.
Article 28. Travel documents
1.The Contracting States shall issue to refugees lawfully staying in their territory travel documents for the purpose of travel outside their territory, unless compelling reasons of national security or public order otherwise require, and the provisions of the Schedule to this Convention shall apply with respect to such documents. The Contracting States may issue such a travel document to any other refugee in their territory; they shall in particular give sympathetic consideration to the issue of such a travel document to refugees in their territory who are unable to obtain a travel document from the country of their lawful residence.
2.Travel documents issued to refugees under previous international agreements by Parties thereto shall be recognized and treated by the Contracting States in the same way as if they had been issued pursuant to this article.
Article 29. Fiscal charges
1.The Contracting States shall not impose upon refugees duties, charges or taxes, of any description whatsoever, other or higher than those which are or may be levied on their nationals in similar situations.
2.Nothing in the above paragraph shall prevent the application to refugees of the laws and regulations concerning charges in respect of the issue to aliens of administrative documents including identity papers.
Article 30. Transfer of assets
1.A Contracting State shall, in conformity with its laws and regulations, permit refugees to transfer assets which they have brought into its territory, to another country where they have been admitted for the purposes of resettlement.
2.A Contracting State shall give sympathetic consideration to the application of refugees for permission to transfer assets wherever they may be and which are necessary for their resettlement in another country to which they have been admitted.
Article 31. Refugees unlawfully in the country of refuge
1.The Contracting States shall not impose penalties, on account of their illegal entry or presence, on refugees who, coming directly from a territory where their life or freedom was threatened in the sense of article 1, enter or are present in their territory without authorization, provided they present themselves without delay to the authorities and show good cause for their illegal entry or presence.
2.The Contracting States shall not apply to the movements of such refugees restrictions other than those which are necessary and such restrictions shall only be applied until their status in the country is regularized or they obtain admission into another country. The Contracting States shall allow such refugees a reasonable period and all the necessary facilities to obtain admission into another country.
Article 32. Expulsion
1.The Contracting States shall not expel a refugee lawfully in their territory save on grounds of national security or public order.
2.The expulsion of such a refugee shall be only in pursuance of a decision reached in accordance with due process of law. Except where compelling reasons of national security otherwise require, the refugee shall be allowed to submit evidence to clear himself, and to appeal to and be represented for the purpose before competent authority or a person or persons specially designated by the competent authority.
3.The Contracting States shall allow such a refugee a reasonable period within which to seek legal admission into another country. The Contracting States reserve the right to apply during that period such internal measures as they may deem necessary.
Article 33. Prohibition of expulsion or return ("refoulement")
1.No Contracting State shall expel or return ("refouler") a refugee in any manner whatsoever to the frontiers of territories where his life or freedom would be threatened on account of his race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion.
2.The benefit of the present provision may not, however, be claimed by a refugee whom there are reasonable grounds for regarding as a danger to the security of the country in which he is, or who, having been convicted by a final judgement of a particularly serious crime, constitutes a danger to the community of that country.
Article 34, Naturalization
The Contracting States shall as far as possible facilitate the assimilation and naturalization of refugees. They shall in particular make every effort to expedite naturalization proceedings and to reduce as far as possible the charges and costs of such proceedings.
CHAPTER VI
EXECUTORY AND TRANSITORY PROVISIONSArticle 35. Cooperation of the national authorities with the United Nations
1.The Contracting States undertake to cooperate with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, or any other agency of the United Nations which may succeed it, in the exercise of its functions, and shall in particular facilitate its duty of supervising the application of the provisions of this Convention.
2.In order to enable the Office of the High Commissioner or any other agency of the United Nations which may succeed it, to make reports to the competent organs of the United Nations, the Contracting States undertake to provide them in the appropriate form with information and statistical data requested concerning:
a. The condition of refugees;
b. The implementation of this Convention;
c. Laws, regulations and decrees which are, or may hereafter be, in force relating to refugees.Article 36. Information on national legislation
The Contracting States shall communicate to the Secretary-General of the United Nations the laws and regulations which they may adopt to ensure the application of this Convention.
Article 37. Relation to previous conventions
Without prejudice to article 28, paragraph 2, of this Convention, this Convention replaces, as between Parties to it, the Arrangements of 5 July 1922, 31 May 1924, 12 May 1926, 30 June 1928 and 30 July 1935, the Conventions of 28 October 1933 and 10 February 1938, the Protocol of 14 September 1939 and the Agreement of 15 October 1946.
CHAPTER VII
FINAL CLAUSESArticle 38. Settlement of disputes and accession
Any dispute between Parties to this Convention relating to its interpretation or application, which cannot be settled by other means, shall be referred to the International Court of Justice at the request of any one of the parties to the dispute.
Article 39. Signature, ratification and accession
1.This Convention shall be opened for signature at Geneva on 28 July 1951 and shall thereafter be deposited with the Secretary-General of the United Nations. It shall be open for signature at the European Office of the United Nations from 28 July to 31 August 1951 and shall be re-opened for signature at the Headquarters of the United Nations from 17 September 1951 to 31 December 1952.
2.This Convention shall be open for signature on behalf of all States Members of the United Nations, and also on behalf of any other State invited to attend the Conference of Plenipotentiaries on the Status of Refugees and Stateless Persons or to which an invitation to sign will have been addressed by the General Assembly. It shall be ratified and the instruments of ratification shall be deposited with the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
3.This Convention shall be open from 28 July 1951 for accession by the States referred to in paragraph 2 of this article. Accession shall be effected by the deposit of an instrument of accession with the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
Article 40. Territorial application clause
1.Any State may, at the time of signature, ratification or accession, declare that this Convention shall extend to all or any of the territories for the international relations of which it is responsible. Such a declaration shall take effect when the Convention enters into force for the State concerned.
2.At any time thereafter any such extension shall be made by notification addressed to the Secretary-General of the United Nations and shall take effect as from the ninetieth day after the day of receipt by the Secretary-General of the United Nations of this notification, or as from the date of entry into force of the Convention for the State concerned, whichever is the later.
3.With respect to those territories to which this Convention is not extended at the time of signature, ratification or accession, each State concerned shall consider the possibility of taking the necessary steps in order to extend the application of this Convention to such territories, subject, where necessary for constitutional reasons, to the consent of the Governments of such territories.
Article 41. Federal clause
In the case of a Federal or non-military State, the following provisions shall apply:
a. With respect to those articles of this Convention that come within the legislative jurisdiction of the federal legislative authority, the obligations of the Federal Government shall to this extent be the same as those of parties which are not Federal States;
b. With respect to those articles of this Convention that come within the legislative jurisdiction of constituent States, provinces or cantons which are not, under the constitutional system of the Federation, bound to take legislative action, the Federal Government shall bring such articles with a favourable recommendation to the notice of the appropriate authorities of States, provinces or cantons at the earliest possible moment;
c. A Federal State Party to this Convention shall, at the request of any other Contracting State transmitted through the Secretary-General of the United Nations, supply a statement of the law and practice of the Federation and its constituent units in regard to any particular provision of the Convention showing the extent to which effect has been give to that provision by legislative or other action.Article 42. Reservations
1.At the time of signature, ratification or accession, any State may make reservations to articles of the Convention other than to articles 1, 3, 4, 16(1), 33, 36-46 inclusive.
2.Any State making a reservation in accordance with paragraph 1 of this article may at any time withdraw the reservation by a communication to that effect addressed to the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
Article 43. Entry into force
1.This Convention shall come into force on the ninetieth day following the day of deposit of the sixth instrument of ratification or accession.
2.For each State ratifying or acceding to the Convention after the deposit of the sixth instrument of ratification or accession, the Convention shall enter into force on the ninetieth day following the date of deposit by such State of its instrument of ratification or accession.
Article 44. Denunciation
1.Any Contracting State may denounce this Convention at any time by a notification addressed to the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
2.Such denunciation shall take effect for the Contracting State concerned one year from the date upon which it is received by the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
3.Any State which has made a declaration or notification under article 40 may, at any time thereafter, by a notification to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, declare that the Convention shall cease to extend to such territory one year after the date of receipt of the notification by the Secretary-General.
Article 45. Revision
1.Any Contracting State may request revision of this Convention at any time by a notification addressed to the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
2.The General Assembly of the United Nations shall recommend the steps, if any, to be taken in respect of such request.
Article 46. Notifications by the Secretary-General of the United Nations
The Secretary-General of the United Nations shall inform all Members of the United Nations and non-member States referred to in article 39:
a. Of declarations and notifications in accordance with section B of article 1;
b. Of signatures, ratifications and accessions in accordance with article 39;
c. Of declarations and notifications in accordance with article 40;
d. Of reservations and withdrawals in accordance with article 42;
e. Of the date on which this Convention will come into force in accordance with article 43;
f. Of denunciations and notifications in accordance with article 44;
g. Of requests for revision in accordance with article 45.In faith whereof the undersigned, duly authorized, have signed this Convention on behalf of their respective Governments.
Done at Geneva, this twenty-eighth day of July, one thousand nine hundred and fifty-one, in a single copy, of which the English and French texts are equally authentic and which shall remain deposited in the archives of the United Nations, and certified true copies of which shall be delivered to all Members of the United Nations and to the non-member States referred to in article 39.
Editor's note:
Declarations under Section B of article I of the Convention
(a) "Events occurring in Europe before 1 January 1951"
were made by Albania, Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda,
Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas,
Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana,
Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Canada, Central
African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cote
d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti,
Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Germany,
Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Holy See,
Honduras, Iceland, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Ireland, Israel, Italy,
Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg,
Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia,
Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway,
Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland,
Portugal, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda,
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe,
Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon
Islands, Somalia, Spain, Sudan, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland,
Tajikistan, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Togo, Tunisia,
Tuvalu, Uganda, United Kingdom, United Republic of Tanzania,
Uruguay, Yemen, Yugoslavia, Zaire, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Declarations other than those made under Section B of article 1 and Reservations6 were made by Angola, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Belgium, Botswana, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Cyprus, Denmark, Ecuador, Egypt, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gambia, Greece, Guatemala, Holy See, Honduras, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malta, Monaco, Mozambique, Namibia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Papua New Guinea, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Spain, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Uganda, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Footnote6
Current North American status: Canada, accession
4 Jun 1969.
Declarations "other than those made under section B of article 1"
and Reservations
CANADA
Reservations to articles 23 and 24:
"Canada interprets the phrase 'lawfully staying' as referring only
to refugees admitted for permanent residence: refugees admitted for
temporary residence will be accorded the same treatment with respect
to the matters dealt with in articles 23 and 24 as is accorded visitors
generally."
Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees: Done at New York on 31 January 1967 As of March 18, 1996: 127 countries are parties to the Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees through accession and succession. Participants: Albania, Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Holy See, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malawi, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, Tuvalu, Uganda, United Kingdom, United Republic of Tanzania, United States of America, Uruguay, Venezuela, Yemen, Yugoslavia, Zaire, Zambia, Zimbabwe.1967 PROTOCOL RELATING TO THE STATUS OF REFUGEES
The Protocol was taken note of with approval by the Economic and Social Council in resolution 1186 (XLI) of 18 November 1966 and was taken note of by the General Assembly in resolution 2198 (XXI) of 16 December 1966. In the same resolution the General Assembly requested the Secretary-General to transmit the text of the Protocol to the States mentioned in article V thereof, with a view to enabling them to accede to the Protocol
ENTRY INTO FORCE: 4 October 1967, in accordance with article VIII
THE STATES PARTIES to the present Protocol,
CONSIDERING that the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees done at Geneva on 28 July 1951 (hereinafter referred to as the Convention) covers only those persons who have become refugees as a result of events occurring before 1 January 1951,
CONSIDERING that new refugee situations have arisen since the Convention was adopted and that the refugees concerned may therefore not fall within the scope of the Convention,
CONSIDERING that it is desirable that equal status should be enjoyed by all refugees covered by the definition in the Convention irrespective of the dateline 1 January 1951,
HAVE AGREED as follows:
Article 1. General provision
1.The States Parties to the present Protocol undertake to apply articles 2 to 34 inclusive of the Convention to refugees as hereinafter defined.
2.For the purpose of the present Protocol, the term "refugee" shall, except as regards the application of paragraph 3 of this article, mean any person within the definition of article 1 of the Convention as if the words "As a result of events occurring before 1 January 1951 and..." and the words "...as a result of such events", in article 1 A (2) were omitted.
3.The present Protocol shall be applied by the States Parties hereto without any geographical limitation, save that existing declarations made by States already Parties to the Convention in accordance with article 1 B (1) (a) of the Convention, shall, unless extended under article 1 B (2) thereof, apply also under the present Protocol.
Article II. Cooperation of the national authorities with the United Nations
1.The States Parties to the present Protocol undertake to cooperate with the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, or any other agency of the United Nations which may succeed it, in the exercise of its functions, and shall in particular facilitate its duty of supervising the application of the provisions of the present Protocol.
2.In order to enable the Office of the High Commissioner or any other agency of the United Nations which may succeed it, to make reports to the competent organs of the United Nations, the States Parties to the present Protocol undertake to provide them with the information and statistical data requested, in the appropriate form, concerning:
a. The condition of refugees;
b. The implementation of the present Protocol;
c. Laws, regulations and decrees which are, or may hereafter be, in force relating to refugees.Article III. Information on national legislation
The States Parties to the present Protocol shall communicate to the Secretary-General of the United Nations the laws and regulations which they may adopt to ensure the application of the present Protocol.
Article IV. Settlement of disputes
Any dispute between States Parties to the present Protocol which relates to its interpretation or application and which cannot be settled by other means shall be referred to the International Court of Justice at the request of any one of the parties to the dispute.
Article V. Accession
The present Protocol shall be open for accession on behalf of all States Parties to the Convention and of any other State Member of the United Nations or member of any of the specialized agencies or to which an invitation to accede may have been addressed by the General Assembly of the United Nations. Accession shall be effected by the deposit of an instrument of accession with the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
Article VI. Federal Clause
In the case of a Federal or non-unitary State, the following provisions shall apply:
a. With respect to those articles of the Convention to be applied in accordance with article I, paragraph 1, of the present Protocol that come within the legislative jurisdiction of the federal legislative authority, the obligations of the Federal Government shall to this extent be the same as those of States Parties which are not Federal States;
b. With respect to those articles of the Convention to be applied in accordance with article I, paragraph 1, of the present Protocol that come within the legislative jurisdiction of constituent States, provinces or cantons which are not, under the constitutional system of the Federation, bound to take legislative action, the Federal Government shall bring such articles with a favourable recommendation to the notice of the appropriate authorities of States, provinces or cantons at the earliest possible moment;
c. A Federal State Party to the present Protocol shall, at the request of any other State Party hereto transmitted through the Secretary-General of the United Nations supply a statement of the law and practice of the Federation and its constituent units in regard to any particular provision of the Convention to be applied in accordance with article I, paragraph 1, of the present Protocol, showing the extent to which effect has been given to that provision by legislative or other action.Article VII. Reservations and declarations
1.At the time of accession, any State may make reservations in respect of article IV of the present Protocol and in respect of the application in accordance with article I of the present Protocol of any provisions of the Convention other than those contained in articles 1, 3, 4, 16 (1) and 33 thereof, provided that in the case of a State Party to the Convention reservations made under this article shall not extend to refugees in respect of whom the Convention applies.
2.Reservations made by States Parties to the Convention in accordance with article 42 thereof shall, unless withdrawn, be applicable in relation to their obligations under the present Protocol.
3.Any State making a reservation in accordance with paragraph 1 of this article may at any time withdraw such reservation by a communication to that effect addressed to the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
4.Declarations made under article 40, paragraphs 1 and 2, of the Convention by a State Party thereto which accedes to the present Protocol shall be deemed to apply in respect of the present Protocol, unless upon accession a notification to the contrary is addressed by the State Party concerned to the Secretary-General of the United Nations. The provisions of article 40, paragraphs 2 and 3, and of article 44, paragraph 3, of the Convention shall be deemed to apply mutatis mutandis to the present Protocol.
Article VIII. Entry into force
1.The present Protocol shall come into force on the day of deposit of the sixth instrument of accession.
2.For each State acceding to the Protocol after the deposit of the sixth instrument of accession, the Protocol shall come into force on the date of deposit by such State of its instrument of accession.
Article IX. Denunciation
1.Any State Party hereto may denounce this Protocol at any time by a notification addressed to the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
2.Such denunciation shall take effect for the State Party concerned one year from the date on which it is received by the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
Article X. Notifications by the Secretary-General of the United Nations
The Secretary-General of the United Nations shall inform the States referred to in article V above of the date of entry into force, accessions, reservations and withdrawals of reservations to and denunciations of the present Protocol, and of declarations and notifications relating hereto.
Article XI. Deposit in the archives of the Secretariat of the United Nations
A copy of the present Protocol, of which the Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish texts are equally authentic, signed by the President of the General Assembly and by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, shall be deposited in the archives of the Secretariat of the United Nations. The Secretary-General will transmit certified copies thereof to all State Members of the United Nations and to the other States referred to in article V above.
Editor's note:
Declarations and Reservations7 were made by Angola, Botswana,
Burundi, Cape Verde, Chile, China, Congo, El Salvador, Ethiopia,
Finland, Ghana, Guatemala, Honduras, Israel, Jamaica, Luxembourg,
Malawi, Malta, Netherlands, Peru, Portugal, Republic of Korea,
Rwanda, Somalia, Swaziland, Turkey, Uganda, United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Northern Ireland, United Republic of Tanzania,
United States of America, Venezuela.
Footnote7
Current North American status: Canada, accession 4 Jun 1969;
United States of America, accession 1 Nov 1968.
Declarations and Reservations
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
"With the following reservations in respect of the application, in
accordance with article I of the Protocol, of the Convention relating
to the Status of Refugees, done at New York on 28 July 1951:
"The United States of America construes Article 29 of the
Convention as applying only to refugees who are resident in the
United States and reserves the right to tax refugees who are not
residents of the United States in accordance with its general rules
relating to non-resident aliens,
"The United States of America accepts the obligations of
paragraph 1(b) of Article 24 of the Convention except insofar as that
paragraph may conflict in certain instances with any provisions of
title II (old age, survivors' and disability insurance) or title XVIII
(hospital and medical insurance for the aged) of the Social Security
Act. As to any such provision, the United States will accord to
refugees lawfully staying in its territory treatment no less favourable
than is accorded aliens generally in the same circumstances."
A note on this text:
Update: as of 2015 Gerald and Maas became a joint venture in Quebec, and continues without government or United Nations funding.
Suppressed news relevant to the prevention of genocide
"The Crime of Genocide: a United Nations Convention Aimed at Preventing Destruction of Groups and at Punishing those Responsible,"
OPI/489, The United Nations Office of Public Information, 1973. The 1973 edition uses the plural, religious "groups" rather than religious "group" which is the current and accepted text as found in "The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide," United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner," at
https://www.ohchr.org/en/professionalinterest/pages/crimeofgenocide.aspx. The text here is corrected to comply with the foregoing and
the certified true copy of the "Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide," Paris, 9 December 1948
[access:< https://treaties.un.org/doc/Treaties/1951/01/19510112%2008-12%20PM/Ch_IV_1p.pdf >]. Return to text
Gerald and Maas is an unincorporated partnership without government or United Nations funding, and
maintains this online reprint of its 1996 publication, Common Rights & Expectations, as a public service.
For updates concerning the Convention against Genocide see night's lantern "genocide warnings".
