In Vienna, on 8 April 1983, the UN Conference on Succession of States opens for signature the Vienna Convention on Succession of States in Respect of State Property, Archives and Debts, adopted the day before. The depositary is the UN Secretary-General; the languages are Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish. It remains open until 30 June 1984.

The Convention responds to the transformation of the international community through decolonisation and aims to codify rules on the transfer of state property, archives and debts to the successor. Most rules are residual, privileging agreement among the states concerned.

The exception: for newly independent States, agreements cannot override permanent sovereignty over natural resources — favourable treatment that led many industrialised States to reject the Convention.

Entry into force requires 15 ratifications. At documentation only seven States are parties (ratifications/accessions), plus non-ratifying signatories; the instrument has not entered into force.

Parties include Croatia, Estonia, Georgia, Liberia, North Macedonia, Slovenia and Ukraine. Non-ratifying signatories include Algeria, Argentina, Egypt and Peru.

The Vienna Convention of 8 April 1983 remains the UN codification text on succession to property, archives and debts — still short of the fifteen-ratification threshold.

Image: Vienna; Wikimedia Commons. Cropped to 16:9.

Source consulted: Vienna Convention on Succession of States in Respect of State Property, Archives and Debts. Treaty text: Vienna Convention on Succession of States in Respect of State Property, Archives and Debts (UNTC III-12).