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PAVEL ŠTURMA
CYIL 4 ȍ2013Ȏ
This draft article gave rise to a large debate. Some members of the Commission were
in favour of limitation of the list of State officials to only the Heads of State. Other
members supported the view that other high-ranking officials should be included
in Draft Article 3. In the end the Commission decided that under the current
draft articles other high-ranking officials than the so-called troika should not enjoy
immunity
ratione personae
but that this was without prejudice to the rules pertaining
to immunity
ratione materiae
.
24
The most complex provision seems to be in Draft Article 4, which deals with the
scope of immunity
ratione personae
from both the temporal and material standpoint.
Paragraph 1 addresses the temporal aspect: “Heads of State, Heads of Government
and Ministers for Foreign Affairs enjoy immunity
ratione personae
only during their
term of office.” According to paragraph 2 such immunity
ratione personae
covers
all the acts performed, whether in a private or official capacity, by Heads of State,
Heads of Government and Ministers for Foreign Affairs during or prior to their term
of office. Although it may appear so, there is no contradiction between these two
rules. The first rule sets the period of time when the above officials enjoy immunity.
The second rule deals with the material scope of immunity, which extends to all
acts (both official and private) performed during or prior to their term of office. It
implies that acts committed after the end of office are not covered by this immunity.
However, as pointed out in para. 3, the cessation of immunity
ratione personae
is
without prejudice to the application of the rules of international law concerning
immunity
ratione materiae
.
25
3.3 Protection of persons in the event of disasters
This topic belongs to the old ones on the agenda of the ILC. The Commission
had before it the sixth report of the Special Rapporteur E. Valencia-Ospina, dealing
with aspects of prevention in the context of the protection of persons in the event of
disasters.
26
The Commission decided to refer two draft articles, as proposed by the
Special Rapporteur, to the Drafting Committee. At this session, the ILC provisionally
adopted seven draft articles with commentaries, namely Draft Articles 5
bis
and 12 to
15, which it had taken note of at its sixty-fourth session (2012), dealing with forms
of cooperation, offers of assistance, conditions on the provision of external assistance,
facilitation of external assistance. It also adopted new draft articles, 5
ter
and 16.
27
According to Draft Article 5
ter
, cooperation shall extend to the taking of
measures intended to reduce the risk of disasters. While Draft Article 5
bis
deals with
the response to a disaster, Draft Article 5
ter
also covers the pre-disaster phase and
addresses the reduction of disaster risk.
28
In a sense, this provision has just completed
Draft Article 5 and its final placement will be decided later.
24
See doc. A/CN.4/L.820/Add.3, pp. 7-10, § 8, 10-12.
25
See doc. A/CN.4/L.820/Add.1, p. 2.
26
See doc. A/CN.4/661 (2013).
27
See doc. A/CN.4/L.821, p. 3.
28
See doc. A/CN.4/L.821/Add.2, p. 2.