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The Legal Status and Functioning of the United Nations Council for Namibia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 July 2009

Karin Arts
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Abstract

In 1966 the General Assembly of the United Nations revoked the Mandate over South West Africa (Namibia) and thus terminated South Africa's right to administer the territory. It furthermore placed Namibia under the direct responsibility of the United Nations. Administration of the territory was delegated by the General Assembly to a subsidiary organ, the UnitedNations Council for Namibia (UNCN). The author briefly describes the establishment, the structure, the functions and the powers of the Council. Special attention will be paid to questions concerning the legal status of the UNCN. Finally the major activities of the Council will be reviewed and appraised

Type
Student Contributions
Information
Leiden Journal of International Law , Volume 2 , Issue 2 , November 1989 , pp. 194 - 208
Copyright
Copyright © Foundation of the Leiden Journal of International Law 1989

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References

1. See U.N. Doc. A/43/964 S/20325 (1988) and U.N. Doc. A/43/989 S/20346, (1988).

2. In this article the territory will be referred to as Namibia. South West Africa will only be used when developments are described which took place before the UNGA decided to rename the territory Namibia (Res. 2372 (XXII) of 12 June 1968).

3. League of Nations Covenant Art. 22, para. 6; see also P.M. Anker, The Mandates System. Origin - Principles - Application, VI.A.l. Series of League of Nations Publications (1945).

4. International Status of South West Africa (Advisory Opinion), 19501.C J. Rep. 132–137.

5. See e.g. Solomon Slonim, South West Africa and the United Nations : an International Mandate in Dispute 167–184 (1973).

6. South West Africa Cases (Ethiopia v. South Africa; Liberia v. South Africa), (Preliminary Objections, Judgement), 19621.C.J. Rep. 319. This decision was taken by 8 votes to 7.

7. South West Africa Cases, 19661.C.J. Rep. 51, (Second Phase, Judgement). The decision was taken on the basis of a casting vote of the President since there existed a situation of equality of votes (Art. 55 Statute ICJ).

8. See e.g. Dissenting Opinion Judge Jessup, 1966 I.C.J. Rep. 323; B.V.A. Roling J.C.J. Advisory Opinion, 21 June 1971, Annotation, XXI Ars Aequi 380–383 (1972); Itsejuwa Sagay, The Legal Aspects of the Namibian Dispute 11–12 and 232 (1975).

9. Hereafter referred to as (UN) Council or UNCN.

10. Western proposal, submitted by Canada, Italy, US, (S–V) U.N. GAOR, A/P.V. 1503, at 2 (1967).

11. Latin American proposal, put forward by Chile and Mexico; (S-V) U.N. GAOR, A/P.V. 1503, at 2 and 6 (1967).

12. Afro-Asian proposal, introduced by Ethiopia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Senegal and the United Arab Republic; U.N. Doc. A/L.516;see also 21 U.N.Y.B. 691 (1967).

13. See e.g. statement representative of Congo (Brazzaville), (S–V) GAOR A/P.V. 1510, at 7 (1967).

14. For the voting record see (S–V) U.N. GAOR A/P.V. 1518, at 1 (1967).

15. Paragraph 4.1. will elaborate on this point.

16. Report UNCN, 24 U.N. GAOR, Supplement No.24 (A/7624/Rev.l), 3.

17. Namely Australia, Belgium, Finland and Turkey. The other members are : Algeria, Angola, Bangladesh, Botswana, Bulgaria, Burundi, Cameroon, Chile, China, Columbia, Cyprus, Egypt, Guyana, Haiti, India, Indonesia, Liberia, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Poland, Romania, Senegal, USSR, Venezuela, Yugoslavia and Zambia.

18. Report UNCN, UN Doc. A/9074,at 3. The word “rapporteur” in this context might cause some confusion. The idea was to establish a Steering Committee to carry out tasks which are in most cases fulfilled by an Executive Board or Bureau.

19. Established by G.A. Res. 2679 (XXV) (1970). See also G.A. Res. 2872 (XXVI) (1971). The Fund channels UN assistance to Namibians. A Committee on the UN Fund for Namibia performs the trustee function of the UNCN as regards the Fund.

20. The UN Institute was established in 1976 and is based in Lusaka. It provides education and training to Namibians to strengthen their struggle for freedom and to meet the need for adequately trained administrative personnel for an independent Namibia. It is also involved in research activities.

21. G.A. Res. 31/152, (1976) and Report UNCN, 28 U.N. GAOR (A/9024), at 1.

22. Legal Consequences for States of the Continued Presence of South Africa in Namibia (South West Africa) notwithstanding Security Council Resolution 276 (1970), (Advisory Opinion), I.C.J. Rep., 50 and 56 (1971).

23. U.N. SC Res. 276 (1970).

24. See paragraph 1.

25. Leland M. Goodrich, Edvard Hambro, Charter of the United Nations - Commentary and Documents, 2nd ed. at 193 (1949); Jean Pierre Cot et Allain Pellet, La Charte des Nations Unies at 428–431 (1985).

26. Arts. 10–14 UN Charter.

27. H.G. Schemers, Namibische Grondstoffen, 34 N.J.B. 1087–1088 (1985); see also H.G. Schemers, Inleiding tot net Internationale Institutionele Recht, at 185–189 (2d ed. 1985).

28. See Separate Opinion Judge Ammoun to the ICJ Advisory Opinion of 21 June 1971, supra note 22, at 70.

29. Report UN Council for South West Africa, U.N. Doc. A/7088 (1968), paragraphs 34, 35, 60–72; see also Note by the Acting Commissioner on the Question of Travel Documents, UN Doc. A/AC. 131/4 (1967) at 1–3.

30. United Nations Transition Assistance Group; based in Namibia to assist the UN Special Representative for Namibia (Mr. M. Athisaari) in ensuring independence of Namibia through free and fair elections.

31. U.N. GA Res. 3295, Section V (1974); Res. 31/149 (1976); Res. 32/9 E (1977); Res. 34/92 C (1979).47. See U.N. Doc. A/AC.131/223 (1986).

32. An exception was the admission procedure to the ILO, see Ralph Zacklin, The Problem of Namibia in International Law, II R.d.C. 313–318 (1981).

33. Karl Zemanek, International Organizations. Treaty-Making Power, 5 Encyclopedia of Public International Law 168–171 (1983); Branimir M. Jancovic, Public International Law 282–286 (1984). See also Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties between States and International Organizations or between International Organizations, U.N. GAOR A/CONF.129/15 (1986).

34. Reparation for Injuries Suffered in the Service of the United Nations, (Advisory Opinion), I.C J . Rep. 182 (1949).

35. Press release UNCN, 526th meeting (PM), NAM/1069,28 March 1989 (For information media – not an official record).

36. Decree No.l, U.N. Doc. A/9624/Add.l.

37. Id.

38. Report UNCN, 40 U.N. GAOR, Supplement No.24 (A/40/24), 35,76–77.

39. Writ of summons, Nauta van Haersolte, No. VM/1 w 3720817.

40. For more details on the URENCO case, see Schrijver, Nico J., The UN Council vs. Urenco, UCNand the State of the Netherlands, 1 LJ1L 25–47 (1988).Google Scholar

41. Art. 104 UN Charter; Art. I, section I(c) of the 1946 Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations, 1 UNTS 16 et seq.

42. see supra, note 34, at 178–179.

43. Id., 182.

44. France and the U.K.; See U.N. Doc. A/AC.131/194 (1985).

45. The Contact Group was formed by the Western powers then members of the Security Council (U.S.A., U.K., France, Canada and West Germany). It operated from 1977 until mid 1982 and tried to bring about Namibian independence through increasing diplomatic pressure on South Africa. Their efforts failed. See Karns, Margaret P., Ad Hoc multilateral diplomacy : the United States, the Contact Group, and Namibia, 41 International Organization 93–123 (1987).CrossRefGoogle Scholar

46. See e.g. UN. Doc. A/AC.131/L.341 (1986.

47. See U.N. Doc. A/AC.131/223 (1986).

48. Special Agreements have been signed to this end. See : U.N. Doc. A/AC.131/L.275 (1983); U.N. Doc. A/AC. 131/26 (1972); U.N. Doc. A/AC.131/29 (1973).

49. See e.g. report UNCN, U.N. Doc. A/8724, Vol. I, at 23–24 (1972).

50. Press release 28 March 1989, supra note 35, at 3.