CHAPTER XVIII

PENAL MATTERS4Supplementary Convention on the Abolition of Slavery, the Slave Trade, and Institutions and Practices Similar to SlaveryGeneva, 7 September 1956Entry into force30 April 1957, in accordance with article 13.Registration30 April 1957, No. 3822StatusSignatories35Parties124TextUnited Nations, <i>Treaty Series </i>, vol. 266, p. 3.The Convention was adopted by the United Nations Conference of Plenipotentiaries on a Supplementary Convention on the Abolition of Slavery, the Slave Trade, and Institutions and Practices Similar to Slavery. The Conference was convened pursuant to resolution <a href="/doc/source/docs/E_RES_608_XXI-E.pdf" target="_blank">608 (XXI)</a><superscript>1</superscript> of 30 April 1956 of the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations, and met at the European Office of the United Nations in Geneva from 13 August to 4 September 1956. In addition to the Convention, the Conference adopted the Final Act and two resolutions for the texts of which, see United Nations, <i>Treaty Series </i>, vol. 226, p. 3.

Participant<superscript>2,3,4,5</superscript>SignatureAccession(a), Succession(d), RatificationAfghanistan16 Nov 1966 aAlbania 6 Nov 1958 aAlgeria31 Oct 1963 aAntigua and Barbuda25 Oct 1988 dArgentina13 Aug 1964 aAustralia 7 Sep 1956 6 Jan 1958 Austria 7 Oct 1963 aAzerbaijan16 Aug 1996 aBahamas10 Jun 1976 dBahrain27 Mar 1990 aBangladesh 5 Feb 1985 aBarbados 9 Aug 1972 dBelarus 7 Sep 1956 5 Jun 1957 Belgium 7 Sep 1956 13 Dec 1962 Bolivia (Plurinational State of) 6 Oct 1983 aBosnia and Herzegovina<superscript>6</superscript> 1 Sep 1993 dBrazil 6 Jan 1966 aBulgaria26 Jun 1957 21 Aug 1958 Cambodia12 Jun 1957 aCameroon27 Jun 1984 aCanada 7 Sep 1956 10 Jan 1963 Central African Republic30 Dec 1970 aChile20 Jun 1995 aCongo25 Aug 1977 aCôte d'Ivoire10 Dec 1970 aCroatia<superscript>6</superscript>12 Oct 1992 dCuba10 Jan 1957 21 Aug 1963 Cyprus11 May 1962 dCzech Republic<superscript>7</superscript>22 Feb 1993 dDemocratic Republic of the Congo28 Feb 1975 aDenmark27 Jun 1957 24 Apr 1958 Djibouti21 Mar 1979 aDominica17 Aug 1994 dDominican Republic31 Oct 1962 aEcuador29 Mar 1960 aEgypt17 Apr 1958 aEl Salvador 7 Sep 1956 Ethiopia21 Jan 1969 aFiji12 Jun 1972 dFinland 1 Apr 1959 aFrance 7 Sep 1956 26 May 1964 Germany<superscript>8,9</superscript> 7 Sep 1956 14 Jan 1959 Ghana 3 May 1963 aGreece 7 Sep 1956 13 Dec 1972 Guatemala 7 Sep 1956 11 Nov 1983 Guinea14 Mar 1977 aHaiti 7 Sep 1956 12 Feb 1958 Hungary 7 Sep 1956 26 Feb 1958 Iceland17 Nov 1965 aIndia 7 Sep 1956 23 Jun 1960 Iran (Islamic Republic of)30 Dec 1959 aIraq 7 Sep 1956 30 Sep 1963 Ireland18 Sep 1961 aIsrael 7 Sep 1956 23 Oct 1957 Italy 7 Sep 1956 12 Feb 1958 Jamaica30 Jul 1964 dJordan27 Sep 1957 aKazakhstan 1 May 2008 aKuwait18 Jan 1963 aKyrgyzstan 5 Sep 1997 aLao People's Democratic Republic 9 Sep 1957 aLatvia14 Apr 1992 aLesotho 4 Nov 1974 dLiberia 7 Sep 1956 Libya16 May 1989 aLuxembourg 7 Sep 1956 1 May 1967 Madagascar29 Feb 1972 aMalawi 2 Aug 1965 aMalaysia18 Nov 1957 aMali 2 Feb 1973 aMalta 3 Jan 1966 dMauritania 6 Jun 1986 aMauritius18 Jul 1969 dMexico 7 Sep 1956 30 Jun 1959 Mongolia20 Dec 1968 aMontenegro<superscript>10</superscript>23 Oct 2006 dMorocco11 May 1959 aNepal 7 Jan 1963 aNetherlands (Kingdom of the)<superscript>11</superscript> 7 Sep 1956 3 Dec 1957 New Zealand<superscript>12</superscript>26 Apr 1962 aNicaragua14 Jan 1986 aNiger22 Jul 1963 aNigeria26 Jun 1961 dNorth Macedonia<superscript>6</superscript>18 Jan 1994 dNorway 7 Sep 1956 3 May 1960 Pakistan 7 Sep 1956 20 Mar 1958 Paraguay27 Sep 2007 aPeru 7 Sep 1956 Philippines17 Nov 1964 aPoland 7 Sep 1956 10 Jan 1963 Portugal<superscript>3</superscript> 7 Sep 1956 10 Aug 1959 Romania 7 Sep 1956 13 Nov 1957 Russian Federation 7 Sep 1956 12 Apr 1957 Rwanda 4 Oct 2006 aSan Marino 7 Sep 1956 29 Aug 1967 Saudi Arabia 5 Jul 1973 aSenegal19 Jul 1979 aSerbia<superscript>6</superscript>12 Mar 2001 dSeychelles 5 May 1992 aSierra Leone13 Mar 1962 dSingapore28 Mar 1972 dSlovakia<superscript>7</superscript>28 May 1993 dSlovenia<superscript>6</superscript> 6 Jul 1992 dSolomon Islands 3 Sep 1981 dSpain21 Nov 1967 aSri Lanka 5 Jun 1957 21 Mar 1958 St. Lucia14 Feb 1990 dSt. Vincent and the Grenadines 9 Nov 1981 aState of Palestine22 Mar 2018 aSudan 7 Sep 1956 9 Sep 1957 Suriname12 Oct 1979 dSweden28 Oct 1959 aSwitzerland28 Jul 1964 aSyrian Arab Republic<superscript>13</superscript>17 Apr 1958 aTogo 8 Jul 1980 aTrinidad and Tobago11 Apr 1966 dTunisia15 Jul 1966 aTürkiye28 Jun 1957 17 Jul 1964 Turkmenistan 1 May 1997 aUganda12 Aug 1964 aUkraine 7 Sep 1956 3 Dec 1958 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland<superscript>4</superscript> 7 Sep 1956 30 Apr 1957 United Republic of Tanzania28 Nov 1962 aUnited States of America 6 Dec 1967 aUruguay 7 Jun 2001 aZambia26 Mar 1973 dZimbabwe 1 Dec 1998 dBahrain<superscript>14</superscript><center> <i>[See in chapter XVIII.2.] </i> </center>

ParticipantDate of receipt of the notificationTerritories

Australia 6 Jan 1958All the non-self governing, trust and other non-metropolitan territories for the international relations of which Australia is responsibleFrance26 May 1964All the territories of the Republic (Metropolitan France, overseas departments and territories)Italy12 Feb 1958Somaliland under Italian AdministrationNetherlands (Kingdom of the) 3 Dec 1957Netherlands Antilles, Netherlands New Guinea and SurinameNew Zealand26 Apr 1962Cook Islands, Niue and Tokelau IslandsUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland<superscript>4,15,16</superscript>30 Apr 1957Channel Islands and Isle of ManUnited States of America 6 Dec 1967All territories for the international relations of which the United States of America is responsible23United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland6 Sep 1957Aden, Bahamas, Barbados, Basutoland, Bechuanaland, Bermuda, British Guiana, British Honduras, Brunei, Cyprus, Falkland Islands (Malvinas), Fiji, Gambia, Gibraltar, Hong Kong, Jamaica, Kenya, Antigua, Montserrat, St. Kitts-Nevis, Virgin Islands, Malta, Mauritius, North Borneo, St. Helena, Sarawak, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Somaliland Protectorate, Swaziland, Tanganyika, Gilbert and Ellice Islands, Solomon Islands Protectorate, Grenada, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Zanzibar, Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, Bahrain, Qatar, The Trucial States (Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras al Khaimah, Sharjah and Ummal Qaiwain)United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland18 Oct 1957Dominica and TongaUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland21 Oct 1957KuwaitUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland30 Oct 1957UgandaUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland14 Nov 1957Trinidad and TobagoUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland1 July 1957The Federation of Nigeria1<i> Official Records of the Economic and Social Council, Twenty-first Session, Supplement No. 1 </i> (E/2889), p. 7.2The Convention had been signed on behalf of the Republic of Viet-Nam on 7 September 1956. See also note 1 under “Viet Nam” in the “Historical Information” section in the front matter of this volume.3On 27 April 1999, the Government of Portugal informed the Secretary-General that the Convention would apply to Macao. On that same date and subsquently on 3 December 1999, the Secretary-General received communications concerning the status of Macao from Portugal and the China (see also note 3 under “China” and note 1 under “Portugal” regarding Macao in the “Historical Information” section in the front matter of this volume). Upon resuming the exercise of sovereignty over Macao, China notified the Secretary-General that the Convention will also apply to the Macao Special Administrative Region.4The Secretary-General received, on 10 June 1999, communications concerning the status of Hong Kong from China and the United Kingdom (see also note 2 under “China” and note 2 under “United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland” regarding Hong Kong in the “Historical Information” section in the front matter of this volume). Upon resuming the exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong, China notified the Secretary-General that the Convention will also apply to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.In addition, the communication by the Government of China also contained the following declaration:The Government of the People's Republic of China also declares that the signature and ratification by the Taiwan authorities in the name of China on 23 May 1957 and 28 May 1959 respectively of the [said Convention] are all illegal and therefore null and void.5Signed and ratified on behalf of the Republic of China on 23 May 1957 and 28 May 1959, respectively (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 Missions to the United Nations of Czechoslovakia, Denmark, India, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Yugoslavia stated that, since their Governments did not recognize the Nationalist Chinese authorities as the Government of China, they could not regard the said signature or ratification as valid. The Permanent Missions of Czechoslovakia and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics further stated that the sole authorities entitled to act for China and the Chinese people in the United Nations and in international relations, and to sign, ratify, accede or denounce treaties, conventions and agreements on behalf of China, were the Government of the People's Republic of China and its duly appointed representatives.In a note addressed to the Secretary-General, the Permanent Mission of China to the United Nations stated that the Government of the Republic of China was the only legal Government which represented China and the Chinese people in international relations and that, therefore, the allegations made in the above-mentioned communica tions as to the lack of validity of the signature or ratification in question had no legal foundation whatever.6The former Yugoslavia had signed and ratified the Convention on 7 September 1956 and 20 May 1958, 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.7Czechoslovakia had signed and ratified the Convention on 7 September 1956 and 13 June 1958, respectively. See also note 1 under “Czech Republic” and note 1 under “Slovakia” in the “Historical Information” section in the front matter of this volume.8See note 1 under “Germany” regarding Berlin (West) in the “Historical Information” section in the front matter of this volume.9The German Democratic Republic had acceded to the Convention on 16 July 1974. See also note 2 under “Germany” in the “Historical Information” section in the front matter of this volume.10See note 1 under "Montenegro" in the "Historical Information" section in the front matter of this volume.11See note 1 under “Netherlands” regarding Aruba/Netherlands Antilles in the “Historical Information” section in the front matter of this volume.12See note 1 under “New Zealand” regarding Tokelau in the “Historical Information” section in the front matter of this volume.13Accession by the United Arab Republic. See note 1 under “United Arab Republic (Egypt/Syria)” in the “Historical Information” section in the front matter of this volume.14On 8 July 2021, the Government of Bahrain notified the Secretary-General of its withdrawal of the following reservation made upon accession: “The accession by the State of Bahrain to the said Convention shall in no way constitute recognition of Israel or be a cause for the establishment of any relations of any kind therewith.” 15On 3 October 1983, the Secretary-General received from the Government of Argentina the following objection: [The Government of Argentina makes a] formal objection to the [declaration] of territorial extension issued by the United Kingdom with regard to the Malvinas Islands (and dependencies), which that country is illegally occupying and refers to as the "Falkland Islands". The Argentine Republic rejects and considers null and void the [said declaration] of territorial extension. With reference to the above-mentioned objection, the Secretary-General received, on 28 February 1985, from the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland the following declaration: "The Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland have no doubt as to their right, by notification to the Depositary under the relevant provisions of the above-mentioned Convention, to extend the application of the Convention in question to the Falkland Islands or to the Falkland Islands Dependencies, as the case may be. For this reason alone, the Government of the United Kingdom are unable to regard the Argentine [communication] under reference as having any legal effect."16See note 1 under “United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland” in the “Historical Information” section in the front matter of this volume.