INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW, INTERNATIONAL
CRIMINAL COURT AND ANTI-PERSONNEL MINES
Resolution adopted without a vote by the Inter-Parliamentary
Council at its 163rd session (Moscow, 12 September 1998)
The Inter-Parliamentary Council,
Having noted the third report of the Committee to Promote
Respect for International Humanitarian Law setting out the results
of the inquiry on parliamentary action to ensure respect for international
humanitarian law and the elimination of anti-personnel mines,
conducted at the Council's requests among all member parliaments
of the Union (CL/163/12(h)-R.1. and CL/163/12(h)-R.1.Add.1 and
Add.2)
A. Questions concerning the inquiry
The Inter-Parliamentary Council,
- Notes that in the space of nearly three years, only
67 of the 137 parliaments represented in the Inter-Parliamentary
Union have responded to the Committee's requests for information;
- Notes with great interest the information already supplied
by parliaments, and expresses its gratitude to all those
who contributed to gathering these important data;
- Considers that the results of the inquiry can only
be regarded as partial and that it is important to continue gathering
information in order to obtain a broader, fuller and more accurate
view of the status of the question in national parliaments;
- To that end decides to extend for four years the mandate
of the Committee to Promote Respect for International Humanitarian
Law to enable it to complete the information and its analysis.
B. Questions concerning international humanitarian law
The Inter-Parliamentary Council,
- Notes that the results of the inquiry so far show relatively
little information and action on the part of parliaments as regards
questions concerning international humanitarian law;
- Requests the Committee to Promote Respect for International
Humanitarian Law to prepare in consultation with the International
Committee of the Red Cross and the United Nations a handbook for
parliaments and their members to help them in their legislative
and other activities to promote the rules of international humanitarian
law and to submit such a document to the Council at its 164th
session, in Brussels (10-16 April 1999);
C. Questions concerning the International Criminal Court
The Inter-Parliamentary Council,
Recalling that, right from the outset, the Inter-Parliamentary
Union has supported the efforts undertaken in particular by the
United Nations for the establishment of an International Criminal
Court,
- Welcomes the adoption on 17 July 1998 in Rome of the
Statute of the International Criminal Court by the United Nations
Diplomatic Conference, which marks the international community's
determination to take steps to ensure that the crime of genocide,
crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression
do not go unpunished and that justice is done;
- Invites all parliaments and their members to take action
to secure the universal ratification of the Statute of the Court
at the earliest possible date and to do everything in their power
to ensure that this new international tribunal is indeed set up
without delay and provided with the means to operate efficiently.
D. Questions concerning anti-personnel mines
The Inter-Parliamentary Council,
Recalling that the Convention on the Prohibition of
the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-personnel
Mines and on their Destruction was adopted in Ottawa on 4
December 1997,
- Notes with satisfaction that since then 37 States have
ratified this new and important legal instrument and that 130
States have signed it;
- Also notes that the Convention will enter into force
once it has been ratified by forty States, and once again encourages
the Parliaments of signatory States to speed up the ratification
procedure so that the Convention may take full effect without
delay;
- Urges all governments and parliaments to take the necessary
steps for the adoption of enabling laws and regulations which
will ensure full compliance with the Convention;
- Reiterates its earlier calls to all States and other
parties to armed conflict to contribute on an ongoing basis to
international landmine clearance efforts, and once again encourages
States to fund the United Nations Voluntary Trustee Fund for Mine
Clearance;
- Also reiterates its call to the governments and parliaments
of the countries concerned to take further action to promote mine-awareness
programmes (including gender- and age-appropriate programmes),
thereby reducing the number and alleviating the plight of civilian
victims;
- Likewise reiterates its call to the governments and
parliaments of the countries concerned to release appropriate
resources for the treatment and rehabilitation of landmine victims;
- Requests the Secretary General of the Union to explore
the possibility of developing a database on parliamentary action
with regard to anti-personnel mines.
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