League of Nations Codification Conference, 1930
Encyclopedia
The League of Nations Codification Conference was a conference that was held in the Hague from March 13 to April 12, 1930, for the purpose of formulating accepted rules in international law to subjects that until then were not addressed thoroughly. The conference's main achievement was the conclusion of the first international convention on the conflict of nationality laws.
passed a resolution providing for the establishment of a 17 member committee for formulating a comprehensive system of international law on all outstanding issues. The Committee's work led to the convening of the conference in 1930.
Due to disagreements on most issues on the agenda, only the Convention on Certain Questions Relating to the Conflict of Nationality Laws could be agreed upon by the states that took part in the conference.
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The failure of the 1930 conference served the members of the new commission as a reminder to proceed cautiously with the codification of international law through a longer process and more gradual process.
Background
On September 22, 1924, the General Assembly of the League of NationsLeague of Nations
The League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace...
passed a resolution providing for the establishment of a 17 member committee for formulating a comprehensive system of international law on all outstanding issues. The Committee's work led to the convening of the conference in 1930.
Work done by the conference
The conference dealt eventually with three main issues on its agenda:- Nationality laws of various states.
- Territorial waters.
- Responsibility of States for damage done in their territory to the person or property of foreigners.
Due to disagreements on most issues on the agenda, only the Convention on Certain Questions Relating to the Conflict of Nationality Laws could be agreed upon by the states that took part in the conference.
Legacy of the codification conference
The legal interest of bringing about the codification of international law continued after the 1930 conference. The failure of that conference motivated the founders of the United Nations Organization to strive for a permanent commission to that end, which led to the establishment of the International Law CommissionInternational Law Commission
The International Law Commission was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948 for the "promotion of the progressive development of international law and its codification."It holds an annual session at the United Nations Office at Geneva....
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The failure of the 1930 conference served the members of the new commission as a reminder to proceed cautiously with the codification of international law through a longer process and more gradual process.
External links
- A UN study elaborating on the codification of international law
- Harvard University draft on the convention on nationality laws, prepared for the conference, 1929
- 1st report of the preparatory committee for the codification conference, March 13, 1930
- Text of the Convention on Certain Questions Relating to the Conflict of Nationality Laws, April 12, 1930
- UN memorandum from 1953 analyzing the effects of the 1930 convention on nationality laws
- Study on codification of international law