Review of the multilateral treaty-making process.

32. RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED ON THE REPORTS OF THE SIXTH COMMITTEE*
48. Review of the multilateral treaty-making process

The General Assembly, Recalling its duty under Article 13, paragraph 1 a, of the Charter of the United Nations to initiate studies and to make recommendations for the purpose, inter alia, of encouraging the progressive development of international law and its codification, Observing that, in the period since the inception of the United Nations, many important multilateral treaties have been prepared by a number of different United Nations organs, Bearing in mind the important contribution of the International Law Commission to the preparation of multilateral treaties during the past twenty-nine years, Aware of the heavy burdens which active involvement in the process of multilateral treaty-making places upon Governments, Conscious of the desirability of assessing the efficiency and adequacy of the procedures followed by the United Nations in the formulation of the texts of multilateral treaties with a view to the improvement of such procedures, Bearing in mind the need for the United Nations to exercise economy in the use of its resources, Taking into account that in certain important and specialized areas the interested parties have developed methods of negotiation of proved and continued value, Recalling the publication by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research of a study on the wider acceptance of multilateral treaties,[1] Recalling those resolutions of the General Assembly urging the greater participation of States in multilateral conventions concluded under the auspices of the United Nations, Observing that the United Nations has not hitherto given comprehensive consideration to the techniques and procedures used in the preparation of multilateral treaties,

1. Requests the Secretary-General to prepare a report on the techniques and procedures used in the elaboration of multilateral treaties, taking also into consideration the debates in the General Assembly at the current session and the observations referred to in paragraph 2 below, with a view to its submission to the Assembly at its thirty-fourth session;

2. Invites Governments and the International Law Commission to submit by 31 July 1979, for inclusion in the report referred to above, their observations on this subject;

3. Requests those specialized agencies and other interested organizations which are active in the preparation and study of multilateral treaties, and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research, upon request, to lend any necessary assistance;

4. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its thirty-fourth session the item entitled "Review of the multilateral treaty-making process".

97th plenary meeting
8 December 1977

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[1] UNITAR/ST/2.