Summary of the Advisory Opinion of 1 June 1956

Summaries of Judgments, Advisory Opinions and Orders of the Internationa
l Court of Justice
Not an official document

ADMISSIBILITYOF HEARINGS OF PETITIONERS BYTHE
COMMITTEE ONSOUTH-WEST AF'RLICA

Aclvisory Opinionof 1 June 1956

The question relatingto the admissibilityof hearingsofrt. The Secretary-Generl f the United Nationstrans-
petitionersby the Committeeon SouthWestAfricaof the mittedthedocumentslikely tothrowlightuponthequestion,
GeneralAssemblyoftheUnited Nationshad beensubmitted togetherwith anintroductorynote.
to theCourtfor an advisoryopinionbytheGeneralAssem- TheCourt'sOpinicm,which wasadoptedbyeightvotesto
bly which,on December 3rd, 1955,adoptedthe following five,gaveanaffirmativeanswerto thequestionputtoit.?Lvo
Resolutionforthispurpose: MembersoftheCourt- JudgesWiniarskiandKojevnikov -
"The GeneralAssembly, while votinginfavouroftheOpinion,appendeddeclarations
"Having been requestedby theCommitteeon South thereto. JudgeSirerschLauterpacht,who also votedfor
WestAfricato decidewhetheror not theoral hearingof theOpinion,appendedtheretoa separateOpinion.Thefive
petitionerson mattersrelating to the Tenitory of Southbers of the Coart who voted against the Advisory
West Africa is admissible before that Committee Opinion-Vice-president Badawi and Judges Basdevant,
(A12913lAdd.2), Hsu Mo, Armand-Ugonand MorenoQuintana-appended
"Havinginstructedthe Committee,inGeneralAssem- totheOpinionoftheCourtajointdissentingopinion.
bly resolution749 A (VIII) of 28 Noveimber1953, to
examinepetitionssfar aspossibleinaccordancewiththe
procedureoftheformerMandatesSystem,
"Requests theInternationalCourtof Justiceto givean
advisoryopiniononthefollowingquestion:
"'Is it consistentwith the advisoryopinionof the InitsOpinion,theCourtfirstindicatesitsunderstaofing
InternationalCourt of Justiceof 11July 1950for thethe question submittedto it. It undersasnrelatingto
Committeeon SouthWestAfrica, establishedbyGen- personswhohavesubmittedwrittenpetitionstotheCommit-
eralAssembly resolution749A(VUI)of28 November tee on SouthWestA:fiica,in conformitywith its Rules of
1953,to grantoral hearingsto petitionerson mattersocedure. It alsoconsidersthatitrelatesnottotheauthority
relatingtotheerritoryofSouthWestAfiica?" ofthe Committeetogrant hearingsinitsownrightbuttothe
On receiptof the Request foran Opinion, the Court gaveestionwhetherit islegallyopen totheGeneral Assembly
an opportunityto StatesMembersof the UnitedNations to toauthorizethe Committee togranthearings.
present theirviews.TheGovernmentoftheUnitedStatesof TheGeneralAssern:blaskswhether thegrantofhearings
America and theGovernmentof the Republicof China sub- wouldbeconsistentwiththeAdvisory Opiniondeliveredby
mitted writtenstatements,and a representativeof the Gov-e Courtin 1950.Inordertoanswerthatquestion,theCourt
ernmentof theUnitedKingdomof Great BritainandNorth- musthave regard toewholeofthatOpinion anditsgeneral
em Irelandmade anoral statementat a public sittingof therportandmeaning.Ittherefore analysesthe Opin.ohe

Continued on next pageoperativepartindicatesthattheobligationsofthe1Mandatory oftheLeagueofNations.ItwasproperfortheCourt to point
continueunimpairedwith this difference, that thesupervi- out, initsOpinionof1950, thattheGeneralAssemblycould
sory functions formerly exercisedby the Couricilof the notenlargeits authorit, uttheCourtwas notcalledupon to
Leagueof Nations are now to be exercisedby the United determinewhethertheGeneralAssemblycouldorcould not
Nations.The organnowexercising these supervisory func- exercisepowerswhichthe Councilof the I~ague had pos-
tions, that is, the GeneralAssembly,is legally qualified tosessedbutfortheexerciseof whichnooccasionhadarisen.
carryoutaneffectiveandadequatesupervisionoftheadmin- Reliancehadalsobeenplacedonthe sentenceintheOpin-
istration of the Mandated Temtory. In the rea~soningon ionof 1950,to theeffectthatthedegreeofsupervision tobe
whichtheOpinion isbased, the Court madeitclear thatthe exercisedby the General Assembly should not exceedthat
obligationsof the Mandatory, includingthe obligation to whichapplied under the MandateS system,and ithad been
transmit reportsand petitionsand to submit to thesupervi- suggested that the gratf hearingswouldinvolve suchan
sion,werethosewhichobtainedundertheMandates System. excessin thedegreeof supervision.But, in the presentcir-
These obligations couldnotIn extended,and consequently cumstances,inwhichthe CommitteeonSouthWestAfrica is
the degreeof supervisionto be exercisedby the General working withoutthe assistanceof the Mandatory, hearings
Assembly shouldnot exceedthat which appliedunderthe mightenableittobeinabetterposition tojudge the meritosf
MandatesSystem.Followingi:tsfindingregarding thesubsti- petitions.That, however,is intheinterestof theMandatory
tutionoftheGeneral Assemb,ky fortheCounc:il fthe League as wellasof the proper working otfheMandatesSystem. It
ofNationsintheexerciseof s~lpervisiont,helCourtstatesthat cannot therefore be presumed that thegrant of hearings
thedegreeof supervisiorishouldconformasfaraspossible to increasestheburdenuponthe Mandatory.Nor is it possible
the procedure followedby rhe Council of the Leagueof to interpretthe sentencein theOpinionof 1950 referredto
Nations.But the necessityfor supervisioncontinutoexist: above asbeingintendedtorestricttheactivityoftheGeneral
the Charter preservesthe righof Statesanldpeoplesunder Assembly to measureswhichhad actuallybeenappliedby
existing internationalreerrents, whichimpliesthe exist- theLeagueofNations.Thecontextofthesentenceisagainst
enceof a supervisoryorgan.Fromthis analysisof the Opin- sucha construction, asis the Opinion givbythe Courtin
ionof 1950, it isclearthat its]paramotuqlosewas tosafe- 1955.
guardthesacredtrustofcivilizationthroughthemaintenance
ofeffectiveinternationasupe:rvisioni:ninterpretinganypar- The Court lastly notethat, byreasonof thelack ofcoop-
ticular sentencesin the Opinion, it is not permissibleto eration by the Mandatory, the Committee on South West
attribute to them a meaning which would notbe in con- Africahasbeenconstrainedtomakeprovisionforanalterna-
formitywith this paramounltpurpose orwith the operative tiveprocedureforthereceiptandtreatment sf petitions. The
partofthe Opinion. particular questionwhichhas been submitted tothe Court
How wasthe questionof the grantof oral hearings dealt arose outof a situationin whichthe Mandatory has main-
withduringthe dgime of theLeagueof Nations?The texts taineditsrefusaltoassistingivingeffecttothe Opiniono11
do notreferto hearingsand;nohearingswereever granted. July1950, andtoco-operatewiththeUnitedNationsbythe
Nor, however,do the texts~xferto the rightof petition,an submissionofreports,andbythe transmissionofpetitionsin
innovationwhich wasneverthelessintroducedbythe Coun- conformitywiththeprocedureofthe Mandates SystemT . his
cil of the Leagueto render its supervisory functionsmore sort of situationwas providedfor by the statementin the
effective:it wascompetent todo so, andit vaouldalsohave Court'sOpinionof 1950 thatthedegreeof supervisiontobe
beencompetent toauthorizethe Permanent Mandates Com- exercisedbythe GeneralAssembly"shouldconform as far
mission togranthearings,hadit seen fittod~so. as possibleto the procedure followein this respectby the
Inthis connexion,it hadteen contended.thattheOpinion Councilofthe LeagueofNations."
of 1950 wasintendedto expresstheviewthattheMandates In conclusion,theCourt holds thatit wouldnotbeincon-
Systemand thedegree of s;upe~isionmusit be deemed to sistent with its Opinion o11 July 1950 for the General
havebeencrystallized, sothatthe GeneralAssemblycould Assembly toauthorizeaprocedureforthegrantof oralhear-
not do anythingwhich the Councilhad not actually done, ingsby the Committeeon SouthWestAfricato petitioners
even ifithadauthoritytodo it.Thatisnottliecase.Thereis who hadalreadysubmittedwritten petitions:provided that
nothingin the Opinionof 1850 or in therelevanttextsthat the GeneralAssembly wassatisfied that sucha coursewas
can beconstruedasin anywayrestrictingtheauthorityofthe necessary for the maintenanceof effective international
GeneralAssemblyto lessthanthatconferredontheCouncil supervisionofthe administratioofthe MarldatedTemtory.