Fiftieth session
Agenda item 140
RESOLUTION ADOPTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY
The General Assembly,
Recalling its resolution 44/23 of 17 November 1989, by which
it declared the period 1990-1999 the United Nations Decade of
International Law,
Recalling also that the main purposes of the Decade, according
to resolution 44/23, should be, inter alia:
(a) To promote acceptance of and respect for the principles of international law;
(b) To promote means and methods for the peaceful settlement of disputes between States, including resort to and full respect for the International Court of Justice;
(c) To encourage the progressive development of international law and its codification;
(d) To encourage the teaching, study, dissemination and wider appreciation of international law,
Recalling further its resolution 49/50 of 9 December
1994, to which was annexed the programme for the activities for
the third term (1995-1996) of the Decade,
Expressing its appreciation to the Secretary-General for
his report A/50/368 and Add.1-3. submitted pursuant to resolution
49/50,
Having considered the above-mentioned report,
Recalling that at the forty-fifth session of the General
Assembly the Sixth Committee established the Working Group on
the United Nations Decade of International Law with a view to
preparing generally acceptable recommendations on the programme
of activities for the Decade,
Noting that at the forty-sixth, forty-seventh, forty-eighth,
forty-ninth and fiftieth sessions of the General Assembly the
Sixth Committee reconvened the Working Group to continue its work
in accordance with resolutions 45/40 of 28 November 1990, 46/53
of 9 December 1991, 47/32 of 25 November 1992, 48/30 of 9 December
1993 and 49/50,
Having considered the oral report of the Chairman of the
Working Group submitted to the Sixth Committee, See A/C.6/50/SR.45.
1. Expresses its appreciation for the work done on the United
Nations Decade of International Law at the current session, and
requests the Working Group of the Sixth Committee to continue
its work at the fifty- first session in accordance with its mandate
and methods of work;
2. Also expresses its appreciation to States and international
organizations and institutions that have undertaken activities
in implementation of the programme for the activities for the
third term (1995-1996) of the Decade, including sponsoring conferences
on various subjects of international law;
3. Further expresses its appreciation to the Secretary-General
for the successful organization of the United Nations Congress
on Public International Law, held from 13 to 17 March 1995, noting
with satisfaction that the Congress emphasized the importance
of all aspects of international law and focused on the four main
purposes of the Decade, as well as on new challenges and expectations
for the twenty-first century, and requests the Secretary-General,
within existing resources, to make the proceedings widely available;
4. Strongly welcomes the recent advances made by the Treaty Section
of the Office of Legal Affairs of the Secretariat in its programme
of computerization of the Multilateral Treaties Deposited with
the SecretaryGeneral and the United Nations Treaty Series and
looks forward to the early effective availability of the former
on the Internet and the latter on-line to Member States and other
users;
5. Invites all States and international organizations and institutions
referred to in the programme to provide, update or supplement
information on activities they have undertaken in implementation
of it, as appropriate, to the Secretary-General, as well as to
submit their views on possible activities for the next term of
the Decade;
6. Requests the Secretary-General to submit, on the basis of such
information as well as of new information on the activities of
the United Nations relevant to the progressive development of
international law and its codification, a report to the General
Assembly at its fifty-first session on the implementation of the
programme;
7. Encourages States to disseminate at the national level, as
appropriate, information contained in the report of the Secretary-General;
8. Appeals to States, international organizations and non-governmental
organizations working in the field of international law and to
the private sector to make financial contributions or contributions
in kind for the purpose of facilitating the implementation of
the programme;
9. Encourages the Office of Legal Affairs to continue in its efforts
to bring up to date the publication of the United Nations Treaty
Series and the United Nations Juridical Yearbook;
10. Once again requests the Secretary-General to bring to the
attention of States and international organizations and institutions
working in the field of international law the programme annexed
to resolution 49/50;
11. Invites the International Committee of the Red Cross to continue
to report on activities undertaken by the Committee and other
relevant bodies with regard to the protection of the environment
in times of armed conflict, so that the information received may
be included in the report to be prepared pursuant to paragraph
6 above;
12. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its fifty-first
session the item entitled "United Nations Decade of International
Law".
87th plenary meeting
11 December 1995 .