Declarations recognizing the jurisdiction of the Court as compulsory

Australia

22 March 2002

WHEREAS on the first day of November one thousand nine hundred and forty-five Australia ratified the Charter of the United Nations, of which the Statute of the International Court of Justice is an integral part; and

WHEREAS the Government of Australia deposited for and on behalf of Australia on the first day of November one thousand nine hundred and forty-five its instrument of ratification to the Statute of the International Court of Justice done at San Francisco on the twenty-sixth day of June, one thousand nine hundred and forty-five; and

WHEREAS Australia made a declaration under paragraph 2 of Article 36 of the said Statute on the thirteenth day of March one thousand nine hundred and seventy-five effective until such time as notice may be given to withdraw that declaration;

THE GOVERNMENT OF AUSTRALIA, having considered the said declaration, hereby gives notice effective immediately of the WITHDRAWAL of that declaration and REPLACES the same with the following declaration:

The Government of Australia declares that it recognises as compulsory ipso facto and without special agreement, in relation to any other State accepting the same obligation, the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice in conformity with paragraph 2 of Article 36 of the Statute of the Court, until such time as notice may be given to the Secretary-General of the United Nations withdrawing this declaration. This declaration is effective immediately.

This declaration does not apply to:

(a) any dispute in regard to which the parties thereto have agreed or shall agree to have recourse to some other method of peaceful settlement;

(b) any dispute concerning or relating to the delimitation of maritime zones, including the territorial sea, the exclusive economic zone and the continental shelf, or arising out of, concerning, or relating to the exploitation of any disputed area of or adjacent to any such maritime zone pending its delimitation;

(c) any dispute in respect of which any other party to the dispute has accepted the compulsory jurisdiction of the Court only in relation to or for the purpose of the dispute; or where the acceptance of the Court's compulsory jurisdiction on behalf of any other party to the dispute was deposited less than 12 months prior to the filing of the application bringing the dispute before the Court.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I, ALEXANDER JOHN GOSSE DOWNER, Minister for Foreign Affairs, have hereunto set my hand and affixed my seal.

DONE at Canberra this 21st day of March, two thousand and two.

(Signed) A.J.G. DOWNER,

Minister for Foreign Affairs of Australia.