UN RESOLUTION - 1997
52/154 Action to be taken dedicated to the 1999 centennial of the
first International Peace Conference and to the closing of the United
Nations Decade of International Law
Date: 15 December 1997
Meeting: 72
Adopted without a vote
Report: A/52/647
The General Assembly,
Reaffirming once again the commitment of the United Nations and its
Member States, as well as the States parties to the Statute of the
International Court of Justice, to the goals of the United Nations
Decade of International Law, expressed by the General Assembly in
resolutions under that item of its agenda,(12)
Mindful of the long and well-established tradition of progressive
development and codification of international law, marked by the first
and the second International Peace Conferences, held at The Hague in
1899 and 1907 respectively,
Recalling that the third International Peace Conference, scheduled to
be held at The Hague in 1915, was not held because of the outbreak of
the First World War the previous year,
Recalling also the proposal by the Russian Federation for a third
international peace conference with a view to considering
international law and order in the post-cold-war world at the
threshold of the twenty-first century, referred to in General Assembly
resolution 51/159 of 16 December 1996, and the initiatives undertaken
by the Kingdom of the Netherlands with regard to the commemoration of
the first International Peace Conference,
Recalling further that in the same resolution the General Assembly
invited the Governments of the Russian Federation and the Netherlands
to arrange, as a matter of urgency, a preliminary discussion with
other interested Member States on the substantive content of action to
be taken in 1999 and to seek, in that respect, the cooperation of the
International Court of Justice, the Permanent Court of Arbitration,
relevant intergovernmental organizations, as well as other relevant
organizations,
Noting, in this respect, that a meeting of the "Friends of 1999" was
held on 22 April 1997 at the Peace Palace, The Hague, to which
representatives of 20 States from all regions of the world, the
International Court of Justice, the Permanent Court of Arbitration,
the International Committee of the Red Cross and the coalition of
non-governmental organizations Hague Appeal for Peace were invited for
consultations on proposals for a draft programme of action for the
centennial of the first International Peace Conference,
Noting with satisfaction that the realization of all those proposals
in the Programme of Action dedicated to the centennial of the first
International Peace Conference, presented by the Netherlands and the
Russian Federation,(13) is consistent with the goals of the United
Nations Decade of International Law,
Noting also that the Programme of Action, inter alia, calls for the
presentation of the results of the centennial discussions to the
General Assembly at its fifty-fourth session, at the closing of the
United Nations Decade of International Law,
Noting further that the Programme of Action does not entail budgetary
implications for the United Nations,
1. Welcomes the Programme of Action dedicated to the centennial of the
first International Peace Conference, presented by the Governments of
the Netherlands and the Russian Federation, which aims at contributing
to the further development of the themes of the first and the second
International Peace Conferences and could be regarded as a third
international peace conference;
2. Encourages:
(a) The Governments of the Netherlands and the Russian Federation to
proceed with the implementation of the Programme of Action;
(b) All States to participate in the activities set out in the
Programme of Action, as well as to initiate such activities and to
coordinate their efforts in this respect at the global level, as well
as at the regional and national levels;
(c) All States to take appropriate measures to ensure universal
participation in the activities pursuant to the Programme of Action,
with special consideration for the participation of representatives of
the least developed countries;
3. Encourages the competent United Nations organs, subsidiary organs,
programmes and specialized agencies, including the International Court
of Justice, the International Law Commission and the Secretariat,
within their respective mandates, competencies and budgets, as well as
other international organizations:
(a) To cooperate in the implementation of the Programme of Action and
to coordinate their efforts in this respect;
(b) To consider participation in the activities envisaged in the
Programme of Action;
4. Requests the Secretary-General to ensure consistency of the
Organization's activities relating to the closing of the Decade of
International Law with the Programme of Action and to direct his
efforts accordingly;
5. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its fifty-third
session, under the item entitled "United Nations Decade of
International Law", a sub-item entitled "Progress in the action
dedicated to the 1999 centennial of the first International Peace
Conference and to the closing of the United Nations Decade of
International Law".
12. Notably resolutions 44/23 and 51/157. 13. A/C.6/52/3.
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