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At t h e end of his t e r m o f office, t h e l a t e S e c r e t a r y - G e n e r a l UT h a n t l a m e n t e d " t h e g r e a t h u m a n i t a r i a n emergencies w h i c h t h e U n i t e d N a t i o n s is s t i l l not e q u i p p e d to m e e t " a n d u n d e r l i n e d t h e p r i n c i p l e t h a t " t h e S e c r e t a r y - G e n e r a l ' s obligations u n d e r t h e C h a r t e r m u s t i n c l u d e a n y h u m a n i t a r i a n a c t i o n t h a t he can take to save t h e lives o f l a r g e n u m b e r s o f h u m a n b e i n g s . " 1S i m i l a r l y , i n his first a n n u a l r e p o r t to t h e G e n e r a l Assembly, i n 1 9 7 2 , S e c r e t a r y - G e n e r a l W a l d h e i m a s s e r t e d t h a t " t h e u n w r i t t e n m o r a l r e s p o n s i b i l i t y w h i c h every Secr e t a r y - G e n e r a l b e a r s does n o t a l l o w h i m t o t u r n ab l i n d eye w h e n i n n o c e n t civilian lives a r e p l a c e d i n j e o p a r d y on al a r g e s c a l e . " 2H e a m p l i f i e d t h i s p r i n - ciple i n his a n n u a l r e p o r t o f 1980, w h e r e h e s t a t e d t h a t " I h a v e a l w a y s r e g a r d e d i t as my duty to exercise my good offices i n h u m a n r i g h t s m a t t e r s a n d Is h a l l c o n t i n u e to assist in a n y way Ic a n . " 3 O n e o f t h e m a j o r weaknesses i n t h e a r r a n g e m e n t s o f t h e U n i t e d N a t i o n s for promoting a n d p r o t e c t i n g h u m a n r i g h t s is t h e l a c k o f a d e q u a t e m e t h o d s for dealing w i t h u r g e n t s i t u a t i o n s o f violations o f h u m a n r i g h t s . C o n s e q u e n t l y , t h e i n t e r n a t i o n a l c o m m u n i t y i n v a r i a b l y looks to t h e S e c r e t a r y - G e n e r a l o f t h e U n i t e d N a t i o n s to fill t h e b r e a c h by i n t e r c e d i n g d i s c r e e t l y o n ah u m a n i t a r i a n basis. O f t e n , s u c h intercession b y t h e S e c r e t a r y - G e n e r a l is t h e o n l y f o r m o f r e s p o n s e available and acceptable. I n customary i n t e r n a t i o n a l l a w , " h u m a n i t a r i a n i n t e r c e s s i o n " i n d i c a t e d a friendly i n t e r p o s i t i o n b y ag o v e r n m e n t o r o t h e r i n t e r n a t i o n a l a c t o r aimed a t inducing a n o t h e r g o v e r n m e n t o r a u t h o r i t y t o t r e a t p e r s o n s u n d e r i t s j u r i s d i c t i o n w i t h respect for t h e p r i n c i p l e s o f h u m a n i t y . As o p p o s e d to " d i p l o m a t i c i n - tercession o f ah u m a n i t a r i a n n a t u r e o n b e h a l f o f c e r t a i n f o r e i g n n a t i o n a l s , " Sohn and l:iuergenthal d i s t i n g u i s h " f o r c i b l e i n t e r v ' e n t i o n by S t a t e s to p r o t e c t t h e i r own n a t i o n a l s " a n d " f o r c i b l e i n t e r v e n t i o n t o p r o t e c t t h e n a t i o n a l s o f t h e S t a t e a g a i n s t w h i c h t h e i n t e r v e n t i o n has b e e n l a u n c h e d . " S t a t e p r a c t i c e shows t h a t h u m a n i t a r i a n i n t e r c e s s i o n a n d good offices w e r e i n t e r t w i n e d . T h u s , S o h n a n d B u e r g e n t h a l cite as evidence o f t h e p r a c t i c e o f h u m a n i t a r i a n intercession U . S . d i p l o m a t i c c o r r e s p o n d e n c e involving r e q u e s t s to t h e P r e s i d e n t o f t h e U n i t e d States " t o exercise his good offices i n b e h a l f o f t h e o p p r e s s e d p e o p l e o f A r m e n i a . ' , . I n c o n t e m p o r a r y p r a c t i c e t h e t e r m " g o o d offices" is u s u a l l y e m p l o y e d to r e f e r
to h u m a n i t a r i a n i n t e r c e s s i o n s b y t h e S e c r e t a r y - G e n e r a l . B u t good offices t r a - d i t i o n a l l y developed i n t h e a r e a o f t h e s e t t l e m e n t o f i n t e r n a t i o n a l d i s p u t e s , a n d t h e extension o f t h e t e r m to t h e h u m a n i t a r i a n field h a s n o t b e e n w i t h o u t c h a l - lenge. T h u s , a t t h e 3 5 t h session o f t h e U n i t e d N a t i o n s G e n e r a l Assembly, i n 1 9 8 0 , w h e n aw i d e - r a n g i n g d e b a t e took p l a c e o n good offices i n t h e field o f h u m a n r i g h t s , i t w a s c o n t e n d e d t h a t good offices w e r e p r o p e r l y u s e d by t h e S e c r e t a r y - G e n e r a l " o n l y w h e n h i s a c t i o n h a d ab e a r i n g o n i n t e r n a t i o n a l peace a n d s e c u r i t y " a n d t h a t " g o o d offices c o n s t i t u t e d am e a n s for t h e s e t t l e m e n t o f d i s p u t e s a n d p r e s u p p o s e d a t l e a s t t w o p a r t i e s a g r e e i n g t o t h e i r u s e . " O n t h e o t h e r h a n d , i t w a s p o i n t e d o u t t h a t i n t h e field o f h u m a n r i g h t s t h e
good offices r o l e o f t h e S e c r e t a r y - G e n e r a l h a d g e n e r a l l y been r e c o g n i z e d for alongtime, a n d r e f e r e n c e w a s m a d e to aU N p r e s s r e l e a s e i s s u e d o n A p r i l 2 9 , 1967 a n n o u n c i n g t h a t t h e P e r m a n e n t R e p r e s e n t a t i v e s o f P o l a n d a n d Czechoslov a k i a , o n b e h a l f o f ag r o u p o f socialist c o u n t r i e s , h a d r e q u e s t e d t h a t t h e Secr e t a r y - G e n e r a l use h i s " g o o d offices" w i t h aview t o e n d i n g p e r s e c u t i o n s i n G r e e c e a n d to p r e v e n t i n g t h e possible e x e c u t i o n o f p o l i t i c a l l e a d e r s w h o h a d b e e n d e t a i n e d . 5T h i s d e b a t e took p l a c e o v e r ad r a f t r e s o l u t i o n s u b m i t t e d by t h e d e l e g a t i o n o f C a n a d a , w h i c h w a s a i m e d a t d e v e l o p i n g t h e full p o t e n t i a l o f t h e good offices role o f t h e S e c r e t a r y - G e n e r a l t o e n a b l e t h e U n i t e d N a t i o n s system to cope m o r e a d e q u a t e l y w i t h s i t u a t i o n s o f mass a n d f l a g r a n t v i o l a t i o n s o f h u m a n r i g h t s . 6E v e n t u a l l y , t h e T h i r d C o m m i t t e e o f t h e G e n e r a l Assembly decided, on ap r o c e d u r a l m o t i o n , n o t t o vote o n t h e d r a f t r e s o l u t i o n . T h e g e n e r a l view i n t h e committee w a s t h a t t h e S e c r e t a r y - G e n e r a l s h o u l d b e l e f t free t o decide o n t h e m a n n e r a n d m o d a l i t i e s o f t h e e x e r c i s e o f good offices i n t h e field of h u m a n r i g h t s a n d t h a t t h e f u n c t i o n s h o u l d n o t b e r e s t r i c t e d o r r e g u l a t e d i n a n y way. 7 I n view o f t h i s r e l u c t a n c e o f some s t a t e s to " l e g i s l a t e " o n t h e s u b j e c t , i t
follows necessarily t h a t t h e n a t u r e a n d c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s o f t h e c o n c e p t o f good offices i n t h e field o f h u m a n r i g h t s m u s t b e d e t e r m i n e d b y r e f e r e n c e t o t h e r e l e v a n t i n t e r n a t i o n a l p r a c t i c e a n d to s u c h r u l e s o r p r i n c i p l e s o f i n t e r n a t i o n a l c u s t o m a r y l a w as m a y h a v e e m e r g e d f r o m t h a t p r a c t i c e . A n e x a m i n a t i o n o f t h e r e l e v a n t r u l e s a n d p r a c t i c e w i l l b e a t t e m p t e d i n t h e f o l l o w i n g p a g e s . I t w i l l be s u b m i t t e d t h a t t h e e x e r c i s e by t h e S e c r e t a r y - G e n e r a l o f good offices i n t h e field o f h u m a n r i g h t s h a s become p a r t o f i n t e r n a t i o n a l c u s t o m a r y l a w .
