On 26 September 1928, in Geneva, the League of Nations Assembly adopts the General Act for the Pacific Settlement of International Disputes — the multilateral convention unifying conciliation, arbitration and referral to the Permanent Court of International Justice.

Chapter I regulates conciliation commissions; Chapter II submission of legal disputes to the PCIJ; Chapter III the arbitral tribunal. States may make reservations (Art. 39). Entry into force: 16 August 1929; registered in LNTS vol. 93 (No. 2123).

The Act was ratified by 22 states; Spain later denounced it. In 1949 the UN adopted a Revised General Act; it also inspired the 1957 European Convention.

Unlike the 1924 Geneva Protocol, it lacks automatic collective-security mechanisms.

For interwar pacific settlement law, 26 September 1928 marks the Geneva adoption.

The text is available in LNTS and the UN Treaty Collection.

The General Act of 26 September 1928 remains the League of Nations pacific-settlement milestone.

Image: Geneva / League of Nations; Wikimedia Commons. Cropped to 16:9.

Source consulted: General Act for Pacific Settlement of Disputes. Treaty text: UN Treaty Collection — General Act 1928.