CHAPTER III
PRIVILEGES AND IMMUNITIES, DIPLOMATIC AND CONSULAR RELATIONS, ETC5Optional Protocol to the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, concerning the Compulsory Settlement of DisputesVienna, 18 April 196124 April 1964, in accordance with article VIII.24 June 1964, No. 7312Signatories28Parties70United Nations, <i>Treaty Series </i>, vol. 500, p. 241.See <i>"Note:" </i> in chapter III.3.
Participant<superscript>1</superscript>SignatureAccession(a), Succession(d), RatificationAustralia26 Jan 1968 aAustria18 Apr 1961 28 Apr 1966 Bahamas17 Mar 1977 aBelgium23 Oct 1961 2 May 1968 Bosnia and Herzegovina<superscript>2</superscript> 1 Sep 1993 dBotswana11 Apr 1969 aBulgaria 6 Jun 1989 aCambodia31 Aug 1965 aCentral African Republic28 Mar 1962 19 Mar 1973 Colombia18 Apr 1961 Costa Rica 9 Nov 1964 aDemocratic Republic of the Congo19 Jul 1965 aDenmark18 Apr 1961 2 Oct 1968 Dominica24 Mar 2006 aDominican Republic30 Mar 1962 13 Feb 1964 Ecuador18 Apr 1961 21 Sep 1964 Equatorial Guinea 4 Nov 2014 aEstonia21 Oct 1991 aFiji21 Jun 1971 dFinland20 Oct 1961 9 Dec 1969 France30 Mar 1962 31 Dec 1970 Gabon 2 Apr 1964 aGermany<superscript>3,4</superscript>18 Apr 1961 11 Nov 1964 Ghana18 Apr 1961 Guinea10 Jan 1968 aHungary 8 Dec 1989 aIceland18 May 1971 aIndia15 Oct 1965 aIran (Islamic Republic of)27 May 1961 3 Feb 1965 Iraq20 Feb 1962 15 Oct 1963 Ireland18 Apr 1961 Israel18 Apr 1961 Italy13 Mar 1962 25 Jun 1969 Japan26 Mar 1962 8 Jun 1964 Kenya 1 Jul 1965 aKuwait21 Feb 1991 aLao People's Democratic Republic 3 Dec 1962 aLebanon18 Apr 1961 Liberia16 Sep 2005 aLiechtenstein18 Apr 1961 8 May 1964 Lithuania26 Sep 2012 aLuxembourg 2 Feb 1962 17 Aug 1966 Madagascar31 Jul 1963 aMalawi29 Apr 1980 aMalaysia 9 Nov 1965 aMalta<superscript>5</superscript> 7 Mar 1967 dMauritius18 Jul 1969 dMontenegro<superscript>6</superscript>23 Oct 2006 dNauru14 Dec 2012 aNepal28 Sep 1965 aNetherlands (Kingdom of the)<superscript>7</superscript> 7 Sep 1984 aNew Zealand<superscript>8</superscript>28 Mar 1962 23 Sep 1970 Nicaragua 9 Jan 1990 aNiger26 Apr 1966 aNorth Macedonia<superscript>2,9</superscript>18 Aug 1993 dNorway18 Apr 1961 24 Oct 1967 Oman31 May 1974 aPakistan29 Mar 1976 aPanama 4 Dec 1963 aParaguay23 Dec 1969 aPhilippines20 Oct 1961 15 Nov 1965 Republic of Korea30 Mar 1962 25 Jan 1977 Romania19 Sep 2007 aSerbia<superscript>2</superscript>12 Mar 2001 dSeychelles29 May 1979 aSlovakia27 Apr 1999 aSlovenia<superscript>2</superscript> 6 Jul 1992 dSpain21 Sep 2011 aSri Lanka31 Jul 1978 aState of Palestine22 Mar 2018 aSuriname28 Oct 1992 aSweden18 Apr 1961 21 Mar 1967 Switzerland18 Apr 1961 22 Nov 1963 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland11 Dec 1961 1 Sep 1964 United Republic of Tanzania27 Feb 1962 5 Nov 1962 United States of America<superscript>10</superscript>[29 Jun 1961 ][13 Nov 1972 ]
1Signed on behalf of the Republic of China on 18 April 1961. See also note 1 under "China" in the "Historical Information" section in the front matter of this volume. In communications addressed to the Secretary-General with reference to the above-mentioned signature and/or ratification, the Permanent Representatives of the Permanent Missions to the United  of Bulgaria, the Byelorussian SSR, Mongolia, Pakistan, Poland, Romania, the Ukrainian SSR and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics stated that their Governments considered the said signature and/or ratification as null and void, since the so-called "Government of China" had no right to speak or assume obligations on behalf of China, there being only one Chinese State, the People's Republic of China, and one Government entitled to represent it, the Government of the People's Republic of China. In letters addressed to the Secretary-General in regard to the above-mentioned communications, the Permanent Representative of China to the United Nations stated that the Republic of China, a sovereign State and Member of the United Nations, had attended the 1961 Conference on Diplomatic Intercourse and Immunities, contributed to the formulation of the Convention concerned, signed the Convention and duly deposited the instrument of ratification thereof, and that "any statements and reservations relating to the above-mentioned Convention that are incompatible with or derogatory to the legitimate position of the Government of the Republic of China shall in no way affect the rights and obligations of the Republic of China under this Convention". The instrument of accession deposited on behalf of the Government of China on 25 November 1975 contained the following declaration: The "signature" on and "ratification" of this Convention by the Chiang Kai-shek clique usurping the name of China are illegal and null and void.2The former Yugoslavia had signed and ratified the Optional Protocol on 18 April 1961 and 1 April 1963, respectively. See also note 1 under "Bosnia and Herzegovina", "Croatia", "former Yugoslavia", "Slovenia", "The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" and "Yugoslavia" in the "Historical Information" section in the front matter of this volume.3See note 2 under “Germany” in the “Historical Information” section in the front matter of this volume.4In a communication received on 22 March 1965, the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany informed the Secretary-General of the following: "The Federal Republic of Germany is not a Party to the Statute of the International Court of Justice. In order to meet her obligations under article I of the Optional Protocol on the Compulsory Settlement of Disputes, and in accordance with Security Council resolution of 15 October 1946 on the conditions under which the International Court of Justice shall be open to States not Parties to that Statute [resolution 9 (1946) adopted by the Security Council at its 76th meeting], the Federal Republic has issued a declaration accepting the competence of the International Court of Justice for the disputes named in article I of the Optional Protocol on the Compulsory Settlement of Disputes. This declaration also applies to the disputes named in article IV of the Optional Protocol on the Compulsory Settlement of Disputes which arise from the interpretation or application of the Optional Protocol on the Acquisition of Nationality." The declaration referred to above was deposited by the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany on 29 January 1965 with the Registrar of the International Court of Justice who transmitted certified true copies thereof to all States parties to the Statute of the International Court of Justice, in accordance with paragraph 3 of the Security Council resolution referred to above. In the same communication, the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany has notified the Secretary-General, in accordance with article IV of the Optional Protocol concerning the Compulsory Settlement of Disputes, done at Vienna on 18 April 1961, that it will extend the provisions of the said Protocol to disputes arising outof the interpretation or application of the Optional Protocol concerning the Acquisition of Nationality, done at Vienna on 18 April 1961. See also note 1 under “Germany” regarding Berlin (West) iHistorical Information” section in the front matter of this volume.5In its notification of succession the Government of Malta indicated that it considers itself bound by the Convention as from 1 October 1964 [the date of entry into force of the Convention for the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland].6See note 1 under “Montenegro” in the “Historical Information” section in the front matter of this volume.7For the Kingdom in Europe and the Netherlands Antilles. See also notes 1 and 2 under “Netherlands” regarding Aruba/Netherlands Antilles in the “Historical Information” section in the front matter of this volume.8See note 1 under "New Zealand" regarding Tokelau in the "Historical Information" section in the front matter of this volume.9Upon depositing the notification of succession, the Government of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia declared that "... the stipulation contained in this Protocol also apply to differences that arose from the interpretation or implementation of the Protocol with facultative signing relating to the acquisition of citizenship".10On 12 October 2018, the Secretary-General received from the Government of the United States of America a communication notifying its withdrawal from the Optional Protocol. The communication reads as follows: “... the Government of the United States of America [refers] to the Optional Protocol to the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations Concerning the Compulsory Settlement of Disputes, done at Vienna on April 18, 1961. This letter constitutes notification by the United States of America that it hereby withdraws from the aforesaid Protocol. As a consequence of this withdrawal, the United States will no longer recognize the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice reflected in that Protocol."