1. The United Nations Conference on Road and Motor Transport was convened by the Secretary-General of the United Nations in accordance with resolution 147 B (VII) adopted by the Economic and Social Council on 28 August 1948. This resolution read as follows:
The Economic and Social Council
Instructs the Secretary-General:
1. To convene a Conference of Governments, not later than August 1949, with the object of concluding a new world-wide Convention on Road and Motor Transport, the two world-wide Convention of 1926, namely:
(a) International Convention relating to Road Traffic,
(b) International Convention relating to Motor Traffic,
and the subsequent Convention of 1931 on the Unification of Road Signals, being obsolete. The draft text of the Inland Transport Committee of the Economic Commission for Europe, resulting from a study by this Committee, and the text of the 1943 Convention on the Regulation of Inter-American Automotive Traffic, inter alia, will serve as working-papers for the Conference;
2. To request the Economic Commission for Europe to have the draft text referred to above completed and forwarded to the Secreatry-General as soon as practicable;
3. To invite the other regional commissions to submit any reports which they may desire on this subject;
4. To circulate the above-mentioned text to all Governments invited to the Conference;
5. To draw up a provisional agenda for the Conference;
6. (a) To invite to participate in the Conference all States Members of the United Nations at the time of the convening of the Conference, and also the States not Members of the United Nations which were invited to participate in the United Nations Maritime Conference; and
(b) To request the Government of the States invited to give their delegates full powers to sign, subject to ratification, such Convention as may be concluded at the Conference;
7. To invite the specialized agencies, inter-governmental organizations and international organizations in this field, as may be appropriate, to send observers to the Conference;
Decides that the right to vote at the Conference may be exercised by all States Members of the United Nations and those States not Members which are invited under paragraph 6 (a) above, and which are parties to any of the Conventions cited in paragraph 1 above.
2. The United Nations Conference on Road and Motor Transport met at Geneva, from 23 August 1949 to 19 September 1949.
The Governments of the following States were represented at the Conference by delegations:
| Austria (TS) | Lebanon (TS) |
| Belgium (TS) | Luxembourg (TS) |
| Bulgaria | Netherlands (TS) |
| Chile | (Nicaragua) |
| Czechoslovakia (ts) | Norway (TS) |
| Denmark (TS) | Philippines (T) |
| Dominican Republic (T) | Poland |
| Egypt (TS) | Sweden (TS) |
| France (TS) | Switzerland (TS) |
| Guatemala | Thailand |
| India (Ts) | Union of South Africa (T) |
| Iran | United States of America (T) |
| Israel (TS) | United Kingdom (T) |
| Italy (TS) | Yugoslavia (TS) |
カッコ書きで表示している国は、この Final Act に署名をしていません。
末尾に (T) とある国は、Convention on Road Traffic に署名をした国、(TS) とあるのは、さらに Protocol on Road Signs and Signals にも署名した国です。大文字の T, S は会議最終日 (1949/9/19) に署名をしたという意味で、それに代えて小文字の t, s になっているのは、会議終了後に署名 (署名期限は1949/12/31) をしたという意味です。
The Governments of the following States had observers at the Conference:
| Australia | Ecuador |
| Brazil | Mexico |
| Canada | Turkey |
The following organizations were represented by observers:
A. Inter-governmental organizations:
International Labour Organization
Interim Commission of the International Trade Organization
International Institute for the Unification of Private Law
B. Non-governmental organizations:
International Chamber of Commerce
International Transport Workers' Federation
International Organization for Standardization
International Road Transport Union
Permanent International Bureau of Motor Manufacturers
Comité général de l'Alliance Internationale de tourisme et de la Fédération Internationale de l'automobile
League of Red Cross Societies
Inter-American Federation of Automobile Clubs
3. The Conference had before it and used as a basis for discussion the draft Convention prepared by the Inland Transport Committee of the Economic Commission for Europe and the 1943 Convention on the Regulation of Inter-American Automotive Traffic.
4. On the basis of its deliberations, as recorded in the summary records of the respective committees and the plenary meetings, the Conference prepared and opened for signature a Convention on Road Traffic.
5. In addition, the Conference prepared and opened for signature a Protocol on Road Signs and Signals.
6. The Conference further prepared and opened for signature a Protocol on the interpretation of chapter VII with respect to the accession to the Convention of countries or territories at present occupied.
7. In the course of its work the Conference reached certain other decisions, which are hereby placed on record:
(a) A resolution on the subject of International Tests in connexion with the Establishment of Acceptable Standards for the Illumination of Motor Car Passing Lights, the text of which is appended hereto;
(b) A resolution on Periodical Statements on Amendments to the Convention on Road Traffic, the text of which is appended hereto;
(c) A resolution on Further Problems relating to International Road Transport, the text of which is appended hereto;
(d) That there would be no objection to a reservation by the United Kingdom in respect of article 26 of the Convention on Road Traffic, in the following terms:
That cycles in international traffic admitted to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland shall, from nightfall and during the night or whenever atmospheric conditions render it necessary, show only a white light to the front, and show to the rear a red light, a red reflex reflector and a white surface in accordance with the domestic legislation of the United Kingdom;
(e) That there would be no objection to a reservation by Sweden and by Norway in respect of paragraph 5 of article 15 of the Protocol on Road Signs and Signals, to the following effect:
That the use of the Saint Andrew's Cross at level-crossings with gates shall be permitted in Sweden and in Norway.
(f) That there would be no objection to a reservation by Austria in respect of paragraph 1 of article 45 of the Protocol on Road Signs and Signals to the following effect:
That the signs for the special identification of routes in Austria may be either rectangular or circular in shape;
(g) Having in mind that the Convention on Road Traffic signed at Geneva on 19 September 1949, is, inter alia, intended to supersede the 1943 Convention on the Regulation of Inter-American Automotive Traffic, the Conference decided that the Secretary-General of the United Nations should be requested to have established an authoritative Spanish translation of the Convention on Road Traffic, and to add it to the English and French texts when transmitting certified copies thereof to the Governments in accordance with article 35 of the Convention.
(h) The Conference took into account the fact that it was not possible to reach an agreement now on a worldwide uniform system of road signs and signals which would be acceptable to all the countries concerned, and decided, therefore, to establish the Protocol mentioned under paragraph 5 above, including a set of signs and signals, for signature or accession by those countries which might desire to become party to it.
However, in view of the general desire to arrive at a later stage at the establishment of a common worldwide system of road signs and signals, the Conference was of the opinion that it would be desirable for the Economic and Social Council to entrust the Transport and Communications Commission with the task of reviewing the matter further with the assistance of such experts as might be needed, and of advising the Council on the further steps which should be taken subsequently to reach such a worldwide agreement on a uniform system.
In witness whereof the undersigned representatives have signed this Final Act.
Done at Geneva this nineteenth day of September one thousand nine hundred and forty-nine in a single copy in the English and French languages, both texts authentic. The original will be deposited with the Secretary-General of the United Nations who will send certified copies to each of the Governments invited to send representatives to the Conference.
The President of the Conference
J. J. Oyevaar
The Executive Secretary
Branko Lukac
The United Nations Conference on Road and Motor Transport,
Noting that the Working Party on Traffic Conditions of the Economic Commission for Europe when preparing, in accordance with the request of the Economic and Social Council, the draft Provisions for Insertion in a Convention on Road and Motor Transport, had invited the International Organization for Standardization to submit draft provisions for the lighting of vehicles and for passing lights in particular, a question that ISO is studying in conjunction with the International Commission on Illumination (ICI),
After taking cognizance of the letter dated 29 July 1949 from the Chairman of the Netherlands National Committee of ICI to the Secretary-General of ISO, informing him that the Netherlands National Committee was prepared to carry out as from 26 September 1949 a series of comparative tests on motor car driving lights,
Seeing that neither ICI nor ISO is in a position to defray the out of pocket expenses of these tests which are estimated at 18,000 florins,
Recognizes that it is essential that these comparative tests be carried out within the shortest possible time limit with a view to a world agreement on provisions for motor car passing lights;
And accordingly recommends that the United Nations take necessary measures to enable ICI to carry out the tests and communicate the results to the Secretary-General of the United Nations for transmission to the Governments invited to attend the United Conference on Road and Motor Transport.
The United Nations Conference on Road and Motor Transport,
Considering that the solution adopted with regard to the procedure for amending the Convention on Road Traffic and the annexes thereto may, after some years, give rise to a situation in which States parties to the Convention would be severally bound by differing texts,
With a view to keeping States accurately informed of the obligations arising for the various Contracting Parties from the adoption or rejection of a given amendment to the Convention and the annexes thereto,
Requests the Secretary-General to transmit to the Contracting States, whenever it is deemed necessary and in any case three years★ after the entry into force of the Convention, a Statement of the original and amended provisions which are applicable to the various Contracting States at the time of notification.
★タイトルに periodical statements
とあるのですから、every three years
(条約発効後3年毎に) の意味だと思います。
この決議は、なかなか面白いですね。条約改正の際その各改正条項毎に各締約国が拒否や留保をすることを認めているので、幾度かの改正を経て拒否・留保が入り組んでくると、同じ条約でありながら相手国によって条約内容が異なってしまい、「どうなっているのかわからなくなるから、国連事務局で整理したものを作って送ってね。」という決議ですね。笑えます。
このような決議があったということは、頻繁に改正がなされるであろうということを想定していたんでしょうが、現実には、(交通条約については) 一度も改正されることなく現在に至っています。
The United Nations Conference on Road and Motor Transport,
(a) Considering the work that has already been done, is in progress and may be undertaken in future under the auspices of the Economic Commission for Europe and similar bodies,
Recommends that the Transport and Communications Commission review periodically the progress of this work and any other developments concerning international road transport and on the basis of these reviews advise the Economic and Social Council on what further international action is desirable whether by Conference or otherwise, and
(b) Considering the statement made by the representative of the Comité général de l'Alliance Internationale de tourisme et de la Fédération Internationale de l'automobile about the desirability of securing a wider adherence to the draft International Customs Convention on Touring, prepared under the auspices of the Economic Commission for Europe,
Requests the Secretary-General to bring to the notice of States the additional Protocol to the Agreement providing for the Provisional Application of the Draft International Customs Conventions on Touring, on Commercial Road Vehicles and on the International Transport of Goods by Road, signed at Geneva on 16 June 1949.