United Nations Treaty Collection
[As of 5 February 2002]


3. Slavery Convention

Geneva, 25 September 1926



 
Entry into force:  7 July 1955 the date on which the amendments, set forth in the annex to the Protocol of 7 December 1953, entered into force in accordance with article III of the Protocol.
Registration:  7 July 1955, No. 2861.
Status:  Parties: 95.
Text:  United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 212, p. 17. 

 

PARTICIPANTS


Participant1 Definitive signature or participation in the Convention and the Protocol  Ratification of the Convention as amended, Accession to the Convention as amended (a), Succession to the Convention as amended (d) 
Afghanistan  16 Aug 1954   
Albania    2 Jul 1957 a 
Algeria    20 Nov 1963 a 
Australia  9 Dec 1953   
Austria  16 Jul 1954   
Azerbaijan  16 Aug 1996   
Bahamas  10 Jun 1976   
Bahrain    27 Mar 1990 a 
Bangladesh  7 Jan 1985   
Barbados  22 Jul 1976   
Belarus    13 Sep 1956 a 
Belgium  13 Dec 1962   
Bolivia  6 Oct 1983   
Bosnia and Herzegovina2   1 Sep 1993 d 
Brazil    6 Jan 1966 a 
Cameroon  27 Jun 1984   
Canada  17 Dec 1953   
Chile  20 Jun 1995   
China3    
Croatia2   12 Oct 1992 d 
Cuba  28 Jun 1954   
Cyprus    21 Apr 1986 d 
Denmark  3 Mar 1954   
Dominica  17 Aug 1994   
Ecuador  17 Aug 1955   
Egypt  29 Sep 1954   
Ethiopia    21 Jan 1969 
Fiji  12 Jun 1972   
Finland  19 Mar 1954   
France  14 Feb 1963   
Germany4,5 29 May 1973   
Greece  12 Dec 1955   
Guatemala  11 Nov 1983   
Guinea  12 Jul 1963   
Hungary  26 Feb 1958   
India  12 Mar 1954   
Iraq  23 May 1955   
Ireland  31 Aug 1961   
Israel  12 Sep 1955   
Italy  4 Feb 1954  
Jamaica    30 Jul 1964 d 
Jordan    5 May 1959 a 
Kuwait    28 May 1963 a 
Kyrgyzstan    5 Sep 1997 a 
Lesotho    4 Nov 1974 d 
Liberia  7 Dec 1953   
Libyan Arab Jamahiriya    14 Feb 1957 a 
Madagascar    12 Feb 1964 a 
Malawi    2 Aug 1965 a 
Mali  2 Feb 1973   
Malta    3 Jan 1966 d 
Mauritania  6 Jun 1986   
Mauritius    18 Jul 1969 d 
Mexico  3 Feb 1954   
Monaco  12 Nov 1954   
Mongolia    20 Dec 1968 a 
Morocco  11 May 1959   
Myanmar  29 Apr 1957   
Nepal    7 Jan 1963 a 
Netherlands  7 Jul 1955   
New Zealand  16 Dec 1953   
Nicaragua  14 Jan 1986  
Niger  7 Dec 1964   
Nigeria    26 Jun 1961 d 
Norway  11 Apr 1957   
Pakistan    30 Sep 1955 a 
Papua New Guinea    27 Jan 1982 a 
Philippines    12 Jul 1955 a 
Romania  13 Nov 1957   
Russian Federation5   8 Aug 1956 a 
Saint Lucia  14 Feb 1990   
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines    9 Nov 1981 
Saudi Arabia    5 Jul 1973 a 
Sierra Leone    13 Mar 1962 d 
Solomon Islands  3 Sep 1981   
South Africa  29 Dec 1953   
Spain  10 Nov 1976   
Sri Lanka    21 Mar 1958 a 
Sudan    9 Sep 1957 d 
Sweden  17 Aug 1954   
Switzerland  7 Dec 1953   
Syrian Arab Republic  4 Aug 1954   
Trinidad and Tobago    11 Apr 1966 d 
Tunisia    15 Jul 1966 a 
Turkey  14 Jan 1955   
Turkmenistan  1 May 1997   
Uganda    12 Aug 1964 a 
Ukraine    27 Jan 1959 a 
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland  7 Dec 1953   
United Republic of Tanzania    28 Nov 1962 a 
United States of America  7 Mar 1956   
Uruguay    7 Jun 2001 a 
Viet Nam    14 Aug 1956 a 
Yemen6   9 Feb 1987 a 
Yugoslavia2   12 Mar 2001 d 
Zambia    26 Mar 1973 d 

 

DECLARATIONS


Declarations and Reservations

(Unless otherwise indicated, the declarations and reservations were made

upon ratification, accession or succession.)

Bahrain7,

Reservation:

"The accession by the State of Bahrain to the said Convention shall in no way constitute recognition of Israel or be a cause for the establishment of any relations of any kind therewith."
 

 

NOTES


1. The Republic of Viet Nam had acceded to the Convention on 14 August 1956. See also note 34 in chapter I.2 and note 1 in chapter III.6.


2. The former Yugoslavia had accepted the Protocol on 21 March 1955 and, as such, participated in the Convention, as amended by the Protocol. See also notes 1 regarding "Bosnia and Herzegovina", "Croatia", "former Yugoslavia", "Slovenia", "The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" and "Yugoslavia" in the "Historical Information" section in the front matter of this volume.


3. Signed on behalf of the Republic of China on 14 December 1955. See note concerning signatures, ratifications, accessions, etc. on behalf of China (note 5 in chapter I.1).


4. A notification of reapplication of the Convention of 25 September 1926 was received on 16 July 1974 from the Government of the German Democratic Republic. As an instrument of acceptance of the amending Protocol of 7 December 1953 was deposited with the Secretary-General on the same date on behalf of the Government of the German Democratic Republic, the latter has been applying the Convention as amended since 16 July 1974 (see also note 12 in chapter XVIII.3). See also note 15 in chapter I.2.


5. By a communication received on 25 March 1959, the Government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics notified the Secretary-General that it confirms the accession of the Soviet Union to the Convention as amended, of which the Permanent Mission of the USSR to the United Nations advised the Secretary-General of the United Nations in its note of 8 August 1956 is thus the date on which the aforesaid Convention became formally applicable by the Soviet Union in its relations with other States.)


6. The formality was effected by Democratic Yemen. See also note 35 in chapter I.2.


7. On 25 June 1990, the Secretary-General received from the Government of Israel the following objection concerning the reservation:

"The Government of the State of Israel has noted that the instruments of accession of Bahrain [to the Slavery Convention signed on 25 September 1926 and amended by the Protocol of 7 December 1953 and to the Supplementary Convention on the abolition of Slavery, the Slave Trade, and Institutions and Practices Similar to Slavery of 7 September 1956] contain a declaration in respect of Israel.

"In the view of the Government of the State of Israel such declaration, which is explicitly of a political character is incompatible with the purposes and objectives of these Conventions and cannot in any way affect whatever obligations are binding upon Bahrain under general International Law or under particular Conventions.

"The Government of the State of Israel will, in so far as concerns the substance of the matter, adopt towards Bahrain an attitude of complete reciprocity."