-
1. The General Assembly of the United Nations, by resolution 896 (IX) of 4 December 1954,
expressed its desire that an international conference of plenipotentiaries be convened
to conclude a convention for the reduction or elimination of future statelessness
as soon as at least twenty States had communicated to the Secretary-General their
willingness to co-operate in such a conference. The Secretary-General was requested
to fix the exact time and place for the conference when that condition had been met.
The General Assembly noted that the International Law Commission had submitted to
it drafts of a Convention on the Elimination of Future Statelessness and a Convention
on the Reduction of Future Statelessness in the Report of the International Law Commission
covering its sixth session in 1954. The General Assembly requested the Governments
of States invited to participate in the conference to give early consideration to
the merits of a multilateral convention on the elimination or reduction of future
statelessness.
-
2. Upon the fulfilment of the condition envisaged in the resolution of the General Assembly,
the Secretary-General convened a United Nations Conference on the Elimination or Reduction
of Future Statelessness at the European Office of the United Nations at Geneva on
24 March 1959. The Conference met at the European Office of the United Nations from
24 March to 18 April 1959.
-
3. At the time of its adjournment on 18 April 1959 the Conference adopted the following
resolution:
-
“The Conference,
-
“Being unable to terminate the work entrusted to it within the time provided for its
work,
-
“Proposes to the competent organ of the United Nations to reconvene the Conference
at the earliest possible time in order to continue and complete its work.”
-
4. In pursuance of this resolution, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, after
ascertaining the views of the participating States, decided that the Conference should
be reconvened at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on 15 August 1961. The
Conference met at the United Nations Headquarters from 15 to 28 August 1961.
-
5. At the first part of the Conference the Governments of the following thirty-five States
were represented: Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Ceylon, Chile, China,
Denmark, Dominican Republic, Federal Republic of Germany, France, Holy See, India,
Indonesia, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway,
Pakistan, Panama, Peru, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Arab
Republic, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the United States,
Yugoslavia.
-
6. The Governments of the following States were represented by observers: Finland, Greece.
-
7. At the second part of the Conference the Governments of the following thirty States
were represented: Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Ceylon, China, Denmark,
Dominican Republic, Federal Republic of Germany, Finland, France, Holy See, Indonesia,
Israel, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, Spain, Sweden,
Switzerland, Turkey, United Arab Republic, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Northern Ireland, the United States, Yugoslavia.
-
8. The Governments of the following States were represented by observers: Greece, Iraq.
-
9. At the first part of the Conference the following inter-governmental organizations
were represented by observers:
-
10. At the second part of the Conference the following intergovernmental organization
was represented by an observer:
-
11. At both parts of the Conference the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner
for Refugees was represented by an observer.
-
12. At the first part of the Conference Mr. Knud Larsen (Denmark) was elected as President
and/ Mr. Ichiro Kawasaki (Japan) and Mr. Humberto Calamari (Panama) as Vice-Presidents.
-
13. At the second part of the Conference none of these Officers of the Conference was
present. The Conference accordingly elected Mr. Willem Riphagen (Netherlands) as President
and Mr. Gilberto Amado (Brazil) and Mr. G. P. Malalasekera (Ceylon) as Vice-Presidents.
-
14. At the first part of the Conference the following Committees were set up:
-
Committee of the Whole
-
Drafting Committee
-
Members: Representatives of the following States: Argentina, Belgium, France, Israel,
Panama, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland;
-
Chairman (first part of the Conference): Mr. Humberto Calamari (Panama);
(second part of the Conference): Mr. Enrique Ros (Argentina).
-
15. At the second part of the Conference the Committee of the Whole did not meet.
-
16. At both parts of the Conference the President and Vice-Presidents, in accordance with
rule 3 of the Rules of Procedure, examined the credentials of representatives and
reported thereon to the Conference.
-
17. At the second part of the Conference a Working Group was set up, consisting of the
President, who acted as Chairman, and representatives of Brazil, Canada, France, Israel,
Norway, Switzerland, Turkey and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland,
and of representatives of other States who desired to participate. Mr. Peter Harvey
(United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland) acted as Rapporteur of the
Working Group.
-
18. At the first part of the Conference the Secretary-General of the United Nations was
represented by Mr. Yuen-li Liang, Director of the Codification Division of the Office
of Legal Affairs of the United Nations, who was also appointed Executive Secretary.
-
19. At the second part of the Conference the Secretary-General of the United Nations was
represented by Mr. C. A. Stavropoulos, the Legal Counsel. Mr. Yuen-li Liang acted
as Executive Secretary.
-
20. At the first part of the Conference it was decided that the Conference would take
as the basis for its work the draft Convention on the Reduction of Future Statelessness,
prepared by the International Law Commission. The first part of the Conference also
had before it observations submitted by Governments on that draft Convention, a Memorandum
with a Draft Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness submitted by Denmark, and
preparatory documentation prepared by the Secretariat of the United Nations.
-
21. The second part of the Conference had before it, in addition to the documentation
referred to above, observations submitted by Governments on deprivation of nationality,
observations submitted by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees,
and further documentation prepared by the Secretariat of the United Nations.
-
22. On the basis of the deliberations, as recorded in the records of the Committee of
the Whole and of the plenary meetings, the Conference prepared a Convention on the
Reduction of Statelessness. The Convention, which is subject to ratification, was
adopted by the Conference on 28 August 1961, and opened for signature from 30 August
1961 until 31 May 1962 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. This Convention
was also opened for accession and will be deposited in the archives of the United
Nations.
-
23. In addition the Conference adopted the four resolutions which are annexed to this
Final Act.
