Home Page

1See League of Nations,  Treaty Series , vol. 8, p. 187.

2The Protocol (Protocol amending the Agreements, Conventions and Protocols on Narcotic Drugs, concluded at The Hague on 23 January 1912, at Geneva on 11 February 1925 and 19 February 1925, and 13 July 1931, at Bangkok on 27 November 1931 and at Geneva on 26 June 1936. Lake Success, New York, 11 December 1946) does not contain any formal amendment in respect of the Convention of 23 January 1912.  However, its article III provides as follows:

"The functions conferred upon the Netherlands Government under articles 21 and 25 of the International Opium Convention signed at The Hague on 23 January 1912, and entrusted to the Secretary-General of the League of Nations with the consent of the Netherlands Government, by a resolution of the League of Nations Assembly dated 15 December 1920, shall henceforward be exercised by the Secretary-General of the United Nations."

The Convention of 23 January 1912 (which, consequently, was amended in effect by the Protocol of 11 December 1946) has been included in the present chapter.

3This Schedule which appeared in the Annexes to the Supplementary Report on the Work of the League is reproduced here for purposes of information.

4The Convention came into force initially on 11 February 1915, in accordance with the provisions of the Protocol respecting the putting into force of the Convention.

5Subject to adherence or denunciation as regards the Belgian Congo.

6See note 1 under “Myanmar” in the “Historical Information” section in the front matter of this volume.

7See note concerning signatures, ratifications, accessions, etc., on behalf of China (see note 1 under “China” in the “Historical Information” section in the front matter of this volume).

8Subject to approval of the Colombian Parliament.

9See note 1 under “Czech Republic” and note 1 under “Slovakia” in the “Historical Information” section in the front matter of this volume.

10The signature of the Protocol of Signature of the Powers not represented at the Conference as well as its ratification were given by Denmark for Iceland and the Danish Antilles: the signature of the Protocol respecting the putting into force of the Convention was given by Denmark and Iceland.

11With the reservation that a separate and special ratification or denunciation may subsequently be obtained for the French Protectorates. France and Great Britain signed the Convention for the New Hebrides, August 21st, 1924.

12Subject to the following declaration:
The articles of the present Convention, if ratified by His Britannic Majesty's Government, Ceylon, the Straits Settlements, Hong-Kong, and Wei-Hai-Wei in every respect in the same way as they shall apply to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland: but His Britannic Majesty's Government reserve the right of signing or denouncing separately the said Convention in the name of any Dominion, Colony, Dependency, or Protectorate of His Majesty other than those which have been specified.
In virtue of the above-mentioned reservation, Great Britain signed the Convention for the following Dominions, Colonies, Dependencies, and Protectorates: on December 17th, 1912, for Canada, Newfound- land, New Zealand, Brunei, Cyprus, the East Africa Protectorate, Falkland Islands, Malay Protectorates, Gambia, Gibraltar, Gold Coast, Jamaica, Johore, Kedah, Kelantan Perlis, Trengganu, Malta, Northern Nigeria, Northern Borneo, Nyasaland, St. Helena, Sarawak, Seychelles, Somaliland, Southern Nigeria, Trinidad, Uganda; on February 27th, 1913, for the Colony of Fiji; on April 22nd, 1913, for the Colony of Sierra Leone, the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Protectorate and the Solomon Islands Protectorate; on June 25th, 1913, for the Government of the Commonwealth of Australia; on November 14th, 1913, for the Bahama Islands and for the three Colonies of the Windward Islands, that is to say, Grenada, St. Lucia and St. Vincent; on January 30th, 1914, for the Leeward Islands; on February 11th, 1914, for British Guiana as well as for British Honduras; on March 28th, 1914, for the Government of the Union of South Africa; on March 28th, 1914, for Zanzibar, Southern and Northern Rhodesia, Basutoland, the Bechuanaland Protectorate and Swaziland;on April 4th, 1914, for the Colony of Barbados; on April 8th, 1914, for Mauritius and its dependencies; on July 11th, 1914, for the Bermuda Islands; on August 21st, 1924, for Palestine and together with France for the Newbrides; on October 20th, 1914, for Iraq.

13With the reservation of articles 15, 16, 17, 18 and 19 (Iran having no treaty with China) and paragraph (a) of article 3.

14The Netherlands Minister for Foreign Affairs, by a letter dated October 14th, 1936, transmitted to the Secretariat, at the request of the Swiss Legation at The Hague, the following declaration:
"Under the terms of the arrangements concluded between the Government of the Principality of Liechtenstein and the Swiss Government in 1929 and 1935, in application of the Customs Union Treaty concluded between these two countries on March 29th, 1923, the Swiss legislation on narcotic drugs, including all the measures taken by the Federal authorities to give effect to the different interna tional Conventions on dangerous drugs, will be applicable to the territory of the Principality in the same way as to the territory of the Confederation, as long as the said Treaty remains in force. The Principality of Liechtenstein will accordingly participate, so long as the said Treaty remains in force, in the international Conventions which have been or may hereafter be concluded in the matter of narcotic drugs, it being neither necessary nor advisable for that country to accede to them separately."

15Subject to the following declaration:
"Opium not being manufactured in Sweden, the Swedish Government will for the moment confine themselves to prohibiting the importation of prepared opium, but they declare at the same time that they are ready to take the measures indicated in Article 8 of the Convention if experience proves their expediency."

16Subject to ratification and with the declaration that the Swiss Government will be unable to issue the necessary legal enactments within the terms fixed by the Convention.

17With the reservation of articles 15, 16, 17, 18 and 19 (Thailand having no treaty with China).

18See 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.

19By joint notifications received from the Governments of France and Viet-Nam on 11 August 1950; from the Governments of France and Laos, on 7 October 1950; and from the Governments of France and Cambodia on 3 October 1951, notice was given of the transfer of functions by the French Government to the Government of the Republic of Viet-Nam, Laos and Cambodia of the duties and obligations arising from the application of the Convention in these countries.  It should be noted that the Republic of Viet-Nam succeeded to the Convention on 11 August 1950.  See also note 1 under “Viet Nam” in the “Historical Information” section in the front matter of this volume.

20In a notification received on 21 February 1974, the Government of the German Democratic Republic stated that the German Democratic Republic had declared the reapplication of the Convention as from 16 December 1957.

In this connexion, the Secretary-General received on 16 March 1976 the following communication from the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany:

With reference to the communication by the German Democratic Republic of 7 February 1974 concerning the application, as from 16 December 1957, of the International Opium Convention of 23 January 1912, the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany declares that in the relations between the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic this declaration has no retroactive effect beyond 21 June 1973.

Subsequently, in a communication received on 17 June 1976, the Government of the German Democratic Republic declared:

"The Government of the German Democratic Republic takes the view that in accordance with the applicable rules of international law and the international practice of States the regulations on the reapplication of agreements concluded under international law are an internal affair of the successor State concerned. Accordingly, the German Democratic Republic was entitled to determine the date of reapplication of the International Opium Convention, January 23rd, 1912, to which it established its status as a party by way of succession."

See also note 2 under “Germany” in the “Historical Information” section in the front matter of this volume.