Verdrag tot beperking der staatloosheid

Convention on the reduction of statelessness

The Contracting States,

Acting in pursuance of resolution 896 (IX), adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 4 December 1954,

Considering it desirable to reduce statelessness by international agreement,

Have agreed as follows:

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1

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2

A foundling found in the territory of a Contracting State shall, in the absence of proof to the contrary, be considered to have been born within that territory of parents possessing the nationality of that State.

Article

3

For the purpose of determining the obligations of Contracting States under this Convention, birth on a ship or in an aircraft shall be deemed to have taken place in the territory of the State whose flag the ship flies or in the territory of the State in which the aircraft is registered, as the case may be.

Article

4

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5

Article

6

If the law of a Contracting State provides for loss of its nationality by a person's spouse or children as a consequence of that person losing or being deprived of that nationality, such loss shall be conditional upon their possession or acquisition of another nationality.

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7

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8

Article

9

A Contracting State may not deprive any person or group of persons of their nationality on racial, ethnic, religious or political grounds.

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10

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11

The Contracting States shall promote the establishment within the framework of the United Nations, as soon as may be after the deposit of the sixth instrument of ratification or accession, of a body to which a person claiming the benefit of this Convention may apply for the examination of his claim and for assistance in presenting it to the appropriate authority.

Article

12

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13

This Convention shall not be construed as affecting any provisions more conducive to the reduction of statelessness which may be contained in the law of any Contracting State now or hereafter in force, or may be contained in any other convention, treaty or agreement now or hereafter in force between two or more Contracting States.

Article

14

Any dispute between Contracting States concerning the interpretation or application of this Convention which cannot be settled by other means shall be submitted to the International Court of Justice at the request of any one of the parties to the dispute.

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15

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16

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This Convention shall be registered by the Secretary-General of the United Nations on the date of its entry into force.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned Plenipotentiaries have signed this Convention.

DONE at New York, this thirtieth day of August, one thousand nine hundred and sixty-one, in a single copy, of which the Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish texts are equally authentic and which shall be deposited in the archives of the United Nations, and certified copies of which shall be delivered by the Secretary-General of the United Nations to all Members of the United Nations and to the non-member States referred to in Article 16 of this Convention.

Final Act of the United Nations Conference on the Elimination or Reduction of Future Statelessness

  • 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:

    • Council of Europe

    • Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration

    • International Institute for the Unification of Private Law

    • League of Arab States

  • 10.

    At the second part of the Conference the following intergovernmental organization was represented by an observer:

    • League of Arab States

  • 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

      • Chairman: The President of the first part of the Conference;

        Vice-Chairman: The Vice-Presidents of the first part of the Conference;

    • 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.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF the representatives have signed this Final Act.

DONE AT NEW YORK this thirtieth day of August, one thousand nine hundred and sixty-one, in a single copy of which the Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish texts are equally authentic and which shall be deposited in the archives of the United Nations, and certified copies of which shall be delivered by the Secretary-General of the United Nations to all Members of the United Nations and all non-member States invited to the Conference.

Resolutions

I

The Conference

Recommends that persons who are stateless de facto should as far as possible be treated as stateless de jure to enable them to acquire an effective nationality.

II

The Conference

Resolves that for the purposes of paragraph 4 of Article 7 of the Convention the term “naturalized person” shall be interpreted as referring only to a person who has acquired nationality upon an application which the Contracting State concerned may in its discretion refuse.

Ill

The Conference

Recommends Contracting States making the retention of nationality by their nationals abroad subject to a declaration or registration to take all possible steps to ensure that such persons are informed in time of the formalities and time-limits to be observed if they are to retain their nationality.

IV

The Conference

Resolves that for the purposes of the Convention the term “convicted” shall mean “convicted by a final judgement of a court of competent jurisdiction”.

Verdrag tot beperking der staatloosheid

De Verdragsluitende Staten,

Handelende overeenkomstig resolutie 896 (IX), aangenomen door de op 4 december 1954 gehouden Algemene Vergadering van de Verenigde Naties,

Overwegende dat het wenselijk is de staatloosheid door een internationaal akkoord te beperken,

Zijn het volgende overeengekomen:

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Het kind, gevonden op het grondgebied van een Verdragsluitende Staat wordt, totdat het tegendeel is bewezen, geacht te zijn geboren op dat grondgebied uit ouders die de nationaliteit van die Staat bezitten.

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3

Ter vaststelling van de verplichtingen der Verdragsluitende Staten binnen het kader van dit Verdrag wordt een geboorte aan boord van een schip of van een luchtvaartuig geacht te hebben plaats gehad op het grondgebied van de Staat welks vlag het schip voert of waarin het luchtvaartuig staat ingeschreven.

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Indien de wetgeving van een Verdragsluitende Staat bepaalt dat, doordat iemand de nationaliteit van die Staat verliest of deze hem wordt ontnomen ook de echtgenoot of de kinderen deze verliezen, wordt dit verlies afhankelijk gesteld van het bezit of het verkrijgen door dezen van de nationaliteit van een andere Staat.

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Geen Verdragsluitende Staat mag een persoon of een groep personen hun nationaliteit op grond van overwegingen ingegeven door hun ras, etnologische afkomst, godsdienst of politieke overtuiging ontnemen.

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De Verdragsluitende Staten bevorderen dat binnen het raam van de Organisatie van de Verenigde Naties, zo spoedig mogelijk na de nederlegging van de zesde akte van bekrachtiging of toetreding een orgaan wordt ingesteld, waartoe iemand die zich op dit Verdrag wenst te beroepen zich, zowel voor onderzoek van zijn beroep als voor bijstand bij het voorleggen van zijn zaak aan het bevoegde gezag, kan wenden.

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Dit Verdrag laat eventuele bepalingen, die in nog sterkere mate de beperking der staatloosheid bevorderen en thans zijn of later mochten worden opgenomen, hetzij in de wetgeving van een der Verdragsluitende Staten, hetzij in een Verdrag, overeenkomst of regeling tussen twee of meer Verdragsluitende Staten, onverlet.

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Elk tussen Verdragsluitende Staten gerezen geschil de uitlegging of toepassing van dit Verdrag betreffende, dat niet langs andere weg kan worden beslecht, wordt op verzoek van een der partijen bij het geschil voorgelegd aan het Internationale Gerechtshof.

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Dit Verdrag wordt door de Secretaris-Generaal van de Organisatie van de Verenigde Naties geregistreerd op de dag waarop het in werking treedt.

TEN BLIJKE WAARVAN de ondertekenende gevolmachtigden dit Verdrag hebben ondertekend.

GEDAAN te New York, de 30ste augustus 1961, in één exemplaar, zijnde de Chinese, de Engelse, de Franse, de Russische en de Spaanse teksten gelijkelijk authentiek, dat zal worden nedergelegd in het archief van de Organisatie van de Verenigde Naties en waarvan de Secretaris-Generaal van de Verenigde Naties voor eensluidend gewaarmerkte afschriften zal doen toekomen aan alle leden van de Verenigde Naties en aan de in artikel 16 van dit Verdrag bedoelde Staten die geen lid zijn van deze Organisatie.