Draft Optional Protocol Two on the Status of the Courier and the Bag of International Organizations of a Universal Character [*]

Date enacted: 1989-07-20

In force: -

The States Parties to the present Protocol and to the articles on the status of the diplomatic courier and the diplomatic bag not accompanied by diplomatic courier, hereinafter referred to as “the articles”,

Have agreed as follows:

Article I

The articles also apply to a courier and a bag employed for the official communications of an international organization of a universal character:

a.

with its missions and offices, wherever situated, and for the official communications of those missions and offices with each other;

b.

with other international organizations of a universal character.

Article II

For the purposes of the articles:

a.

“diplomatic courier” also means a person duly authorized by the international organization as a courier who is entrusted with the custody, transportation and delivery of the bag and is employed for the official communications referred to in article I of the present Protocol;

b.

“diplomatic bag” also means the packages containing official correspondence, and documents or articles intended exclusively for official use, whether accompanied by a courier or not, which are used for the official communications referred to in article I of the present Protocol and which bear visible external marks of their character as a bag of an international organization.

Article III

1.

The present Protocol shall, as between Parties to it and to the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations of 13 February 1946 or the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the Specialized Agencies of 21 November 1947, supplement the rules on the status of the diplomatic courier and the diplomatic bag contained in those Conventions.

2.

The provisions of the present Protocol are without prejudice to other international agreements in force as between parties to them.

3.

Nothing in the present Protocol shall preclude the Parties thereto from concluding international agreements relating to the status of the diplomatic courier and the diplomatic bag not accompanied by diplomatic courier, provided that such new agreements are not incompatible with the object and purpose of the articles and do not affect the enjoyment by the other Parties to the articles of their rights or the performance of their obligations under the articles.


[*]

No instruments have been concluded under the auspices of the United Nations on the basis these Draft Articles. See General Assembly decision 50/416 of 1995-12-11.