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THE MARINE MAMMAL COMMISSION COMPENDIUM

MULTILATERAL / MARINE POLLUTION
Volume(s) 1-3; pages 1659-1660


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Amendments to the Convention on the Intergovernmental Maritime Consultative Organization, London, 1979


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Done at London 15 November 1979


Entered into force 10 November 1984


Primary source citation: TIAS 11094


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INTER-GOVERNMENTAL MARITIME CONSULTATIVE ORGANIZATION

IMCO RESOLUTION A.450(XI) adopted on 15 November 1979 AMENDMENTS TO THE CONVENTION ON THE INTER-GOVERNMENTAL MARITIME CONSULTATIVE ORGANIZATION

THE ASSEMBLY,

RECALLING resolution 4.401(X) adopted at its tenth session by which it decided to convene in 1979 an ad hoc working group open to all Member Governments to study and submit to the Assembly at its eleventh session proposals for amending the Convention on the Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organization, having regard to the submissions presented to the Assembly at its tenth session by the Governments of France, Italy and Nigeria, and other proposals which might bs submitted by Member Governments,

HAVING CONSIDERED the report of the Ad Hoc Working Group including the Working Group's recommendations on proposed amendments to the IMCO Convention,

CONSIDERING that the adoption of the amendments proposed will complete the process of amending the IMCO Convention which was begun at the fifth extraordinary session of the Assembly in 1974,

NOTING WITH SATISFACTION that the needed revisions in the IMCO Convention have all been initiated within the Organization and have been considered in a spirit of goodwill and mutual accommodation and adopted with the general agreement of Members,

1. ADOPTS amendments to Articles 17, 18, 20 and 51 of the Convention on the Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organization, the texts of which are contained in the Annex to the present resolution;

2. REQUESTS the Secretary-General of the Organization to deposit the adopted amendments with the Secretary-General of the United Nations in accordance with Article 52 of the IMCO Convention and to receive instruments of acceptance and declarations as provided for in Article 53 of the Convention;

3. URGES Members, in view of the special importance of these amendments, to take the necessary steps to accept them at the earliest possible date after receiving copies thereof, by communicating the appropriate instruments of acceptance to the Secretary-General in accordance with Article 53 of the Convention.

ANNEX AMENDMENTS TO THE CONVENTION ON THE INTER-GOVERNMENTAL MARITIME CONSULTATIVE ORGANIZATION

The existing text of Article 17 (renumbered as Article 16 under the 1977 amendments) is replaced by the following:

The Council shall be composed of thirty-two Members elected by the Assembly.

The existing text of Article 16 (renumbered as Article 17 under the 1977 amendments) is replaced by the following:

In selecting the Members of the Council, the Assembly shall observe the following criteria:

(a) Eight shall be States with the largest interest in providing international shipping services;

(b) Eight shall be other States with the largest interest in international seaborne trade;

(c) Sixteen shall be States not elected under (a) or (b) above which have special interests in maritime transport or navigation, and whose election to the Council will ensure the representation of all major geographic areas of the world.

The existing text of Article 20 (renumbered as Article 19 under the 1977 amendments) is replaced by the following:

(a) The Council shall elect its Chairman and adopt its own Rules of Procedure except as otherwise provided in the Convention.

(b) Twenty-one Members of the Council shall constitute a quorum.

(c) The Council shall meet upon one month's notice as often as may be necessary for the efficient discharge of its duties upon the summons of its Chairman or upon request by not less than four of its Members. It shall meet at such places as may be convenient.

The existing text of Article 51 (renumbered as Article 66 under the 1977 amendments) is replaced by the following:

Texts of proposed amendments to the Convention shall be communicated by the Secretary-General to Members at least six months in advance of their consideration by the Assembly. Amendments shall be adopted by a two-thirds majority vote of the Assembly. Twelve months after its acceptance by two thirds of the Members of the Organization, other than Associate Members, each amendment shall come into force for all Members. If within the first 60 days of this period of twelve months a Member gives notification of withdrawal from the Organization on account of an amendment the withdrawal shall, notwithstanding the provisions of Article 58 of the Convention, take effect on the date on which such amendment comes into force.