The General Assembly,
Recalling its resolutions 1815 (XVII) of 18 December 1962, 1966 (XVIII) of 16
December 1963, 2103 (XX) of 20 December 1965, 2181 (XXI) of 12 December 1966,
2327 (XXII) of 18 December 1967, 2463 (XXIII) of 20 December 1968 and 2533
(XXIV) of 8 December 1969, in which it affirmed the importance of the
progressive development and codification of the principles of international law
concerning friendly relations and co-operation among States,
Having considered the report of the Special Committee on Principles of
International Law concerning Friendly Relations and Co-operation among States,
which met in Geneva from 31 March to 1 May 1970,
Emphasizing the paramount importance of the
Charter of the United Nations for the maintenance of international peace and
security and for the development of Friendly relations and Co-operation among
States,
Deeply convinced that the adoption of the Declaration on Principles of
International Law concerning Friendly Relations and Co-operation among States in
accordance with the Charter of the United Nations on the occasion of the
twenty-fifth anniversary of the United Nations would contribute to the
strengthening of world peace and constitute a landmark in the development of
international law and of relations among States, in promoting the rule of law
among nations and particularly the universal application of the principles
embodied in the Charter,
Considering the desirability of the wide dissemination of the text of the
Declaration,
1. Approves the Declaration on Principles of International Law concerning
Friendly Relations and Co-operation among States in accordance with the Charter
of the United Nations, the text of which is annexed to the present resolution;
2. Expresses its appreciation to the Special Committee on Principles of
International Law concerning Friendly Relations and Co-operation among States
for its work resulting in the elaboration of the Declaration;
3. Recommends that all efforts be made so that the Declaration becomes generally
known.
1883rd plenary meeting, 24 October 1970
ANNEX [25 UN GAOR, Supp. (No. 28), UN Dec. A/5217
(1970), at 121]
DECLARATION ON PRINCIPLES OF INTERNATIONAL LAW CONCERNING FRIENDLY RELATIONS AND
CO-OPERATION AMONG STATES IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CHARTER OF THE UNITED NATIONS
The General Assembly,
PREAMBLE
Reaffirming in the terms of the Charter of the United Nations that the
maintenance of international peace and security and the development of friendly
relations and co-operation between nations are among the fundamental purposes of
the United Nations,
Recalling that the peoples of the United Nations are determined to
practise tolerance and live together in peace with one another as good
neighbours,
Bearing in mind the importance of maintaining and strengthening
international peace founded upon freedom, equality, justice and respect for
fundamental human rights and of developing friendly relations among nations
irrespective of their political, economic and social systems or the levels of
their development,
Bearing in mind also the paramount importance of the Charter of the
United Nations in the promotion of the rule of law among nations,
Considering that the faithful observance of the principles of
international law concerning friendly relations and co-operation among States
and the fulfilment in good faith of the obligations assumed by States, in
accordance with the Charter, is of the greatest importance for the maintenance
of international peace and security and for the implementation of the other
purposes of the United Nations,
Noting that the great political, economic and social changes and
scientific progress which have taken place in the world since the adoption of
the Charter give increased importance to these principles and to the need for
their more effective application in the conduct of States wherever carried on,
Recalling the established principle that outer space, including the
Moon and other celestial bodies, is not subject to national appropriation by
claim of sovereignty, by means of use or occupation, or by any other means, and
mindful of the fact that consideration is being given in the United Nations to
the question of establishing other appropriate provisions similarly inspired,
Convinced that the strict observance by States of the obligation not
to intervene in the affairs of any other State is an essential condition to
ensure that nations live together in peace with one another, since the practice
of any form of intervention not only violates the spirit and letter of the
Charter, but also leads to the creation of situations which threaten
international peace and security,
Recalling the duty of States to refrain in their international
relations from military, political, economic or any other form of coercion aimed
against the political independence or territorial integrity of any State,
Considering it essential that all States shall refrain in their
international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial
integrity or political independence of any State, or in any other manner
inconsistent with the purpose of the United Nations,
Considering it equally essential that all States shall settle their
international disputes by peaceful means in accordance with the Charter,
Reaffirming, in accordance with the Charter, the basic importance of
sovereign equality and stressing that the purposes of the United Nations can be
implemented only if States enjoy sovereign equality and comply fully with the
requirements of this principle in their international relations,
Convinced that the subjection of peoples to alien subjugation,
domination and exploitation constitutes a major obstacle to the promotion of
international peace and security,
Convinced that the principle of equal rights and self-determination of
peoples constitutes a significant contribution to contemporary international
law, and that its effective application is of paramount importance for the
promotion of friendly relations among States, based on respect for the principle
of sovereign equality,
Convinced in consequence that any attempt aimed at the partial or
total disruption of the national unity and territorial integrity of a State or
country or at its political independence is incompatible with the purposes and
principles of the Charter,
Considering the provisions of the Charter as a whole and taking into
account the role of relevant resolutions adopted by the competent organs of the
United Nations relating to the content of the principles,
Considering that the progressive development and codification of the
following principles:
(a) The principle that States shall refrain in their international relations
from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political
independence of any State, or in any other manner inconsistent with the purpose
of the United Nations,
(b) The principle that States shall settle their international disputes by
peaceful means in such a manner that international peace and security and
justice are not endangered,
(c) The duty not to intervene in matters within the domestic jurisdiction of
any State, in accordance with the Charter,
(d) The duty of States to co-operate with one another in accordance with the
Charter,
(e) The principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples,
(f) The principle of sovereign equality of States,
(g) The principle that States shall fulfil in good faith the obligations
assumed by them in accordance with the Charter,
so as to secure their more effective application within the international
community, would promote the realization of the purposes of the United Nations,
Having considered the principles of international law relating to
friendly relations and co-operation among States,
1. Solemnly proclaims the following principles:
The principle that States shall refrain in their international relations
from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political
independence of any State, or in any other manner inconsistent with the purpose
of the United Nations
Every State has the duty to refrain in its international relations from the
threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political
independence of any State, or in any other manner inconsistent with the purposes
of the United Nations. Such a threat or use of force constitutes a violation of
international law and the Charter of the United Nations and shall never be
employed as a means of settling international issues.
A war of aggression constitutes a crime against the peace, for which there is
responsibility under international law.
In accordance with the purposes and principles of the United Nations, States
have the duty to refrain from propaganda for wars of aggression.
Every State has the duty to refrain from the threat or use of force to
violate the existing international boundaries of another State or as a means of
solving international disputes, including territorial disputes and problems
concerning frontiers of States.
Every State likewise has the duty to refrain from the threat or use of
force to violate international lines of demarcation, such as armistice lines,
established by or pursuant to an international agreement to which it is a party
or which it is otherwise bound to respect. Nothing in the foregoing shall be
construed as prejudicing the positions of the parties concerned with regard to
the status and effects of such lines under their special regimes or as affecting
their temporary character.
States have a duty to refrain from acts of reprisal involving the use of
force.
Every State has the duty to refrain from any forcible action which deprives
peoples referred to in the elaboration of the principle of equal rights and
self-determination of their right to self-determination and freedom and
independence.
Every State has the duty to refrain from organizing or encouraging the
organization of irregular forces or armed bands, including mercenaries, for
incursion into the territory of another State.
Every State has the duty to refrain from organizing, instigating, assisting
or participating in acts of civil strife or terrorist acts in another State or
acquiescing in organized activities within its territory directed towards the
commission of such acts, when the acts referred to in the present paragraph
involve a threat or use of force.
The territory of a State shall not be the object of military occupation
resulting from the use of force in contravention of the provisions of the
Charter. The territory of a State shall not be the object of acquisition by
another State resulting from the threat or use of force. No territorial
acquisition resulting from the threat or use of force shall be recognized as
legal. Nothing in the foregoing shall be construed as affecting:
(a) Provisions of the Charter or any international agreement prior to the
Charter regime and valid under international law; or
(b) The powers of the Security Council under the Charter.
All States shall pursue in good faith negotiations for the early conclusion
of a universal treaty on general and complete disarmament under effective
international control and strive to adopt appropriate measures to reduce
international tensions and strengthen confidence among States.
All States shall comply in good faith with their obligations under the
generally recognized principles and rules of international law with respect to
the maintenance of international peace and security, and shall endeavour to make
the United Nations security system based on the Charter more effective.
Nothing in the foregoing paragraphs shall be construed as enlarging or
diminishing in any way the scope of the provisions of the Charter concerning
cases in which the use of force is lawful.
The principle that States shall settle their international disputes by
peaceful means in such a manner that international peace and security and
justice are not endangered
Every State shall settle its international disputes with other States by
peaceful means in such a manner that international peace and security and
justice are not endangered.
States shall accordingly seek early and just settlement of their
international disputes by negotiation, inquiry, mediation, conciliation,
arbitration, judicial settlement, resort to regional agencies or arrangements or
other peaceful means of their choice. In seeking such a settlement the parties
shall agree upon such peaceful means as may be appropriate to the circumstances
and nature of the dispute.
The parties to a dispute have the duty, in the event of failure to reach a
solution by any one of the above peaceful means, to continue to seek a
settlement of the dispute by other peaceful means agreed upon by them.
States parties to an international dispute, as well as other States, shall
refrain from any action which may aggravate the situation so as to endanger the
maintenance of international peace and security, and shall act in accordance
with the purposes and principles of the United Nations.
International disputes shall be settled on the basis of the sovereign
equality of States and in accordance with the principle of free choice of means.
Recourse to, or acceptance of, a settlement procedure freely agreed to by States
with regard to existing or future disputes to which they are parties shall not
be regarded as incompatible with sovereign equality.
Nothing in the foregoing paragraphs prejudices or derogates from the
applicable provisions of the Charter, in particular those relating to the
pacific settlement of international disputes.
The principle concerning the duty not to intervene in matters within the
domestic jurisdiction of any State, in accordance with the Charter
No State or group of States has the right to intervene, directly or
indirectly, for any reason whatever, in the internal or external affairs of any
other State. Consequently, armed intervention and all other forms of
interference or attempted threats against the personality of the State or
against its political, economic and cultural elements, are in violation of
international law.
No State may use or encourage the use of economic, political or any other
type of measures to coerce another State in order to obtain from it the
subordination of the exercise of its sovereign rights and to secure from it
advantages of any kind. Also, no State shall organize, assist, foment, finance,
incite or tolerate subversive, terrorist or armed activities directed towards
the violent overthrow of the regime of another State, or interfere in civil
strife in another State.
The use of force to deprive peoples of their national identity constitutes a
violation of their inalienable rights and of the principle of non-intervention.
Every State has an inalienable right to choose its political, economic,
social and cultural systems, without interference in any form by another State.
Nothing in the foregoing paragraphs shall be construed as affecting the
relevant provisions of the Charter relating to the maintenance of international
peace and security.
The duty of States to co-operate with one another in accordance with the
Charter
States have the duty to co-operate with one another, irrespective of the
differences in their political, economic and social systems, in the various
spheres of international relations, in order to maintain international peace and
security and to promote international economic stability and progress, the
general welfare of nations and international co-operation free from
discrimination based on such differences.
To this end:
(a) States shall co-operate with other States in the maintenance of
international peace and security;
(b) States shall co-operate in the promotion of universal respect for, and
observance of, human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, and in the
elimination of all forms of racial discrimination and all forms of religious
intolerance;
(c) States shall conduct their international relations in the economic,
social, cultural, technical and trade fields in accordance with the principles
of sovereign equality and non-intervention;
(d) States Members of the United Nations have the duty to take joint and
separate action in co-operation with the United Nations in accordance with the
relevant provisions of the Charter.
States should co-operate in the economic, social and cultural fields as well
as in the field of science and technology and for the promotion of international
cultural and educational progress. States should co-operate in the promotion of
economic growth throughout the world, especially that of the developing
countries.
The principle of equal rights and
self-determination of peoples
By virtue of the principle of equal rights and
self-determination of peoples
enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, all peoples have the right
freely to determine, without external interference, their political status and
to pursue their economic, social and cultural development, and every State has
the duty to respect this right in accordance with the provisions of the Charter.
Every State has the duty to promote, through joint and separate action,
realization of the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples,
in accordance with the provisions of the Charter, and to render assistance to
the United Nations in carrying out the responsibilities entrusted to it by the
Charter regarding the implementation of the principle, in order:
(a) To promote friendly relations and co-operation among States; and
(b) To bring a speedy end to colonialism, having due regard to the freely
expressed will of the peoples concerned;
and bearing in mind that the subjection of peoples to alien subjugation,
domination and exploitation constitutes a violation of the principle, as well as
a denial of fundamental human rights, and is contrary to the Charter.
Every State has the duty to promote through joint and separate action
universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms in
accordance with the Charter.
The establishment of a sovereign and independent State, the free association
or integration with an independent State or the emergence into any other
political status freely determined by a people constitute modes of implementing
the right of self determination by that people.
Every State has the duty to refrain from any forcible action which deprives
peoples referred to above in the elaboration of the present principle of their
right to self-determination and freedom and independence. In their actions
against, and resistance to, such forcible action in pursuit of the exercise of
their right to self-determination, such peoples are entitled to seek and to
receive support in accordance with the purposes and principles of the Charter.
The territory of a colony or other Non-Self-Governing Territory has, under
the Charter, a status separate and distinct from the territory of the State
administering it; and such separate and distinct status under the Charter shall
exist until the people of the colony or Non-Self-Governing Territory have
exercised their right of self-determination in accordance with the Charter, and
particularly its purposes and principles.
Nothing in the
foregoing paragraphs shall be construed as authorizing or encouraging any action
which would dismember or impair, totally or in part, the territorial integrity
or political unity of sovereign and independent States conducting themselves in
compliance with the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples
as described above and thus possessed of a government representing the whole
people belonging to the territory without distinction as to race, creed, or
colour.
Every State shall refrain from any action aimed at the partial or total
disruption of the national unity and territorial integrity of any other State or
country.
The principle of sovereign equality of States
All States enjoy sovereign equality. They have equal rights and duties and
are equal members of the international community, notwithstanding differences of
an economic, social, political or other nature.
In particular, sovereign equality includes the following elements:
(a) States are juridically equal;
(b) Each State enjoys the rights inherent in full sovereignty;
(c) Each State has the duty to respect the personality of other States;
(d) The territorial integrity and political independence of the State are
inviolable;
(e) Each State has the right freely to choose and develop its political,
social, economic and cultural systems;
(f) Each State has the duty to comply fully and in good faith with its
international obligations and to live in peace with other States.
The principle that States shall fulfil in good faith the obligations
assumed by them in accordance with the Charter
Every State has the duty to fulfil in good faith the obligations assumed by
it in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations.
Every State has the duty to fulfil in good faith its obligations under the
generally recognized principles and rules of international law.
Every State has the duty to fulfil in good faith its obligations under
international agreements valid under the generally recognized principles and
rules of international law.
Where obligations arising under international agreements are in conflict with
the obligations of Members of the United Nations under the Charter of the United
Nations, the obligations under the Charter shall prevail.
GENERAL PART
2. Declares that:
In their interpretation and application the above principles are interrelated
and each principle should be construed in the context of the other principles.
Nothing in this Declaration shall be construed as prejudicing in any manner
the provisions of the Charter or the rights and duties of Members States under
the Charter or the rights of peoples under the Charter, taking into account the
elaboration of these rights in this Declaration.
3. Declares further that:
The principles of the Charter which are embodied in this Declaration
constitute basic principles of international law, and consequently appeals to
all States to be guided by these principles in their international conduct and
to develop their mutual relations on the basis of the strict observance of these
principles.
