Security of missions accredited to the United Nations and safety of their personnel and establishment of the Committee on Relations with the Host Country

XXVI. RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED ON THE REPORTS OF THE SIXTH COMMITTEE
2819. Security of missions accredited to the United Nations and safety of their personnel and establishment of the Committee on Relations with the Host Country

The General Assembly, Having considered the item entitled "Security of missions accredited to the United Nations and safety Of their personnel" and the report of the Secretary-General on the work of the Informal Joint Committee on Host Country Relations,[1] Drawing attention to its resolution 2747 (XXV) of 17 December 1970, in which it urges the Government of the host country to make certain that the measures taken to ensure the protection and security of diplomatic missions and their diplomatic personnel are adequate to enable permanent missions to the United Nations to perform properly the functions entrusted to them by their Governments, Expressing its gratitude to the Secretary-General for his valuable contribution to the work of the Informal Joint Committee on Host Country Relations, Noting with extreme concern the illegal acts of individuals or groups against the inviolability of various missions accredited to the United Nations involving the commission and the repetition of violent and other criminal acts, including in some cases the use of bombs or firearms, against their premises and the residences of their personnel and also the assaults, the uttering of threats and insults against such personnel, and picketing accompanied by violence, Expressing its deep sympathy with the missions and their personnel that have become the victims of such acts, Recalling the responsibilities of the Government of the host country with respect to the United Nations and missions accredited to it and their personnel under the Agreement between the United Nations and the United States of America regarding the Headquarters of the United Nations, the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations and general international law, Taking into account the profound concern expressed by representatives of States at the twenty-sixth session of the General Assembly over the perpetration and repetition of violent and increasingly dangerous attacks against the premises of certain missions accredited to the United Nations, and also over the repeated threats and the hostile and intimidating acts against the personnel of these missions, which indicates a deterioration in the security of missions and the safety of their personnel, Considering that the problems related to the privileges and immunities of the United Nations and to the status of the diplomatic missions accredited to it are of mutual concern to Member States, including the host country, as well as to the Secretary-General,

1. Strongly condemns the acts of violence and other criminal acts against the premises of certain missions accredited to the United Nations and against their personnel as being flagrantly incompatible with their status under international law;

2. Urges that the Government of the United States of America, the host country of the United Nations, should take all requisite measures to ensure, in conformity with its international obligations, the protection and security of the United Nations Headquarters, of the missions accredited to it and of their personnel, thereby ensuring normal conditions for the performance of their functions;

3. Calls upon the Government of the United States of America, in consultation with the Secretary-General, to take all possible measures, including the use of information and publicity, to ensure a favourable atmosphere for the normal functioning of the United Nations and the missions accredited to it;

4. Notes with appreciation the assurances given by the representative of the host country that it will intensify in a diligent and energetic manner its efforts to strengthen the protection and safety of the missions accredited to the United Nations and their personnel;

5. Decides to establish a Committee on Relations with the Host Country, composed of the host country and fourteen Member States to be chosen by the President of the General Assembly in consultation with regional groups and taking into consideration equitable geographic representation thereon;

6. Requests the Secretary-General to participate actively in the work of the Committee on Relations with the Host Country with a view to ensuring the representation of the interests concerned;

7. Instructs the Committee on Relations with the Host Country to deal with the question of the security of missions and the safety of their personnel, as well as all the categories of issues previously considered by the Informal Joint Committee on Host Country Relations; the Committee is authorized to study the Convention on the Privileges and immunities of the United Nations and shall consider, and advise the host country on, issues arising in connexion with the implementation of the Agreement between the United Nations and the United States of America regarding the Headquarters of the United Nations;

8. Authorizes the Committee on Relations with the Host Country to have summary records of its meetings and to convene on a periodic basis and whenever it is convoked by its Chairman at the request of any State Member of the United Nations or the Secretary-General;

9. Requests the Secretary-General to solicit the views of Member States with respect to the measures needed to ensure the future security of missions and the safety of their personnel and to transmit such replies to the Committee on Relations with the Host Country;

10. Requests the Secretary-General to bring to the attention of the Committee on Relations with the Host Country, if so requested by missions accredited to the United Nations, cases involving infringements of their status;

11. Requests the Secretary-General to furnish all appropriate assistance to the Committee on Relations with the Host Country and to bring to its attention issues of mutual concern relating to the implementation of the Agreement between the United Nations and the United States of America regarding the Headquarters of the United Nations and the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations;

12. Requests the Committee on Relations with the Host Country to submit to the General Assembly at its twenty-seventh session a report on the progress of its work and to make, if -it deems it necessary, appropriate recommendations;

13. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its twenty-seventh session an item entitled "Report of the Committee on Relations with the Host Country".

2019th plenary meeting,
15 December 1971. At the 2029th plenary meeting, on 21 December 1971, the President of the General Assembly announced that, in pursuance of paragraph 5 of the above resolution, he had appointed fourteen members of the Committee on Relations with the Host Country. As a result, the Committee on Relations with the Host Country is composed of the following Member States: ARGENTINA, BULGARIA, CANADA, CHINA, CYPRUS, FRANCE, GUYANA, IRAQ, IVORY COAST, MALI, SPAIN, UNION OF SOVIET SOCIALIST REPUBLICS, UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND, UNITED REPUBLIC OF TANZANIA and UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

---

[1] A/8474.