SECRETARY GENERAL SAYS ARBITRATION MAY BE ONE OF DIPLOMACY'S BEST-KEPT SECRETS, CALLS FOR IT TO BE USED TO FULLEST
Press Release
SG/SM/6996
SECRETARY GENERAL SAYS ARBITRATION MAY BE ONE OF DIPLOMACY'S BEST-KEPT SECRETS, CALLS FOR IT TO BE USED TO FULLEST
19990517 Following is the text of a statement made by Secretary-General Kofi Annan today in The Hague, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Permanent Court of Arbitration:I am honoured to be with you today to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the creation of the Permanent Court of Arbitration.
This centenary, which is also that of the First Hague Peace Conference, brings home to us the common ancestry of our two institutions.
The Peace Conference not only gave birth to the 1899 Hague Convention for the Pacific Settlement of International Disputes, which created this Court; it also planted the seeds that later grew into the League of Nations and, ultimately, the United Nations and the International Court of Justice.
So our two institutions have, in fact, a grandparent, or at least a great-aunt, in common. We both share a commitment to peace. We both build our work on a belief in the indispensable role of international law and international institutions. And we both see arbitration as an invaluable means for the peaceful settlement of disputes.
Arbitration, mediation, conciliation and judicial settlement: these are among the means set out in Article 33 of the United Nations Charter for the peaceful settlement of disputes. The Permanent Court of Arbitration is well equipped to administer each of those mechanisms, while others fall under the International Court of Justice.
Together, the two Courts offer the international community a range of options and thus the potential for true institutional complementarity. So we are not just family; we are a team.
The word "arbitration" summons up images of deadlocked negotiators, hanging tough to their respective positions, and unwilling to contemplate even the suggestion of compromise.
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But the practice of arbitration is very flexible, and States have made it a frequent choice for settling disputes over territory and boundaries, disagreements over the interpretation of bilateral or multilateral treaties, and for claims of violations of international law.
As the number of disputes in the world shows no sign of diminishing, this anniversary is an appropriate moment to encourage States, organizations and private parties to make greater use of the Permanent Court's services.
The United Nations has followed with interest the introduction by the Court of new sets of rules for Arbitration and Conciliation. I also applaud your decision to create a financial assistance fund to enable qualifying States to meet the expenses of turning to the Court for dispute resolution.
These are just some of the ways in which the Court has been evolving into a more modern institution, offering a wider range of services to meet the varied needs of today's highly complex international order.
At the end of this violent century, we may be tempted to think that it is ending as it began, with humanity no wiser in preventing conflict and no better at finding means to resolve it.
But such an assessment would ignore important progress in the areas of human rights and international law -- progress which gives us hope that the international community is beginning to learn the lessons from so many setbacks and tragedies.
It is progress born out of an accumulation of international law over the past 100 years. It is progress that should stand as one of the hallmarks of our century. It is progress that must continue and can light our way forward.
And so today, I am proud to join you in celebrating the courage and wisdom of the drafters of The Hague Convention 100 years ago. Let us ensure that their contribution endures as we enter a new century. Arbitration may well be one of diplomacy's best-kept secrets. Let us use it to the fullest.
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