International criminal jurisdiction

VII. RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED ON THE REPORTS OF THE SIXTH COMMITTEE
687. International criminal jurisdiction

The General Assembly, Bearing in mind that, by resolution 489 (V) of 12 December 1950, the General Assembly established a Committee on International Criminal Jurisdiction, consisting of representatives of seventeen Member States, charged with the task of preparing one or more preliminary draft conventions and proposals relating to the establishment of an international criminal court, Recalling that, by the same resolution, the General Assembly requested the Secretary-General to communicate the report of the Committee to the governments of Member States so that their observations could be submitted not later than 1 June 1952, and to place the question on the agenda of the seventh session of the General Assembly, Noting that the Committee, meeting in August 1951, has prepared a report[1] containing a draft statute for an international criminal court and that the Secretary-General, by a letter of 13 November 1951, has transmitted the Committee's report to the governments of Member States requesting their observations thereon, Considering, however, that the number of States which have given their comments and suggestions is very small, Considering that there is need for further study of problems relating to an international criminal jurisdiction,

1. Expresses to the Committee on International Criminal Jurisdiction its appreciation for its valuable work on the draft statute;

2. Urges the Member States which have not yet done so to make their comments and suggestions on the draft statute, in particular if they are of the opinion that further action should be taken by the General Assembly with a view to the establishing of an international criminal court;

3. Decides to appoint a Committee composed of one representative each of seventeen Member States, which States shall be designated by the President of the General Assembly in consultation with the Chairman of the Sixth Committee, and directs that this Committee shall meet at the Headquarters of the United Nations in 1953, the exact date to be determined by the Secretary-General, with the following terms of reference:

(a) In the light of the comments[2] and suggestions on the draft statute submitted by governments, as well as of those made during the debates in the Sixth Committee,

(i) To explore the implications and consequences of establishing an international criminal court and of the various methods by which this might be done;

(ji) To study the relationship between such a court and the United Nations and its organs;

(iii) To re-examine the draft statute;

(b) To submit a report to be considered by the General Assembly at its ninth session;

4. Requests the Secretary-General to provide all the necessary services and facilities for the meetings of the Committee.

400th plenary meeting,
5 December 1952.
In accordance with the terms of resolution 687 (VII) above, the President of the General Assembly announced, at the 407th plenary meeting on 19 December 1952, that, in consultation with the Chairman of the Sixth Committee, he had designated the following Member States as members of the Committee: ARGENTINA, AUSTRALIA, BELGIUM, CHINA, DENMARK, EGYPT, FRANCE, ISRAEL, THE NETHERLANDS, PAKISTAN, PANAMA, PERU, THE PHILIPPINES, THE UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND, THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, VENEZUELA AND YUGOSLAVIA.

[1] See document A/AC.48/4, annex 1. [2] See document A/2186 and Add.1.
Disclaimer:

This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.