HELSINKI FINAL ACT |
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"Principles guiding relations between participating states in the CSCE I. Sovereign equality, respect for the rights inherent in sovereignty - respect for each State's sovereign equality and individuality - respect for all the rights inherent in its sovereignty, including the right of every State to juridical equality, to territorial integrity and to freedom and political independence - right of each State freely to choose and develop its political, social, economic and cultural systems as well as its right to determine its laws and regulations - right of each State to define and conduct as it wishes its relations with other States in accordance with international law and in the spirit of the Helsinki Declaration - possibility for States to change their frontiers in accordance with international law, by peaceful means and by agreement - right to belong or not to belong to international organizations, to be or not to be a party to bilateral or multilateral treaties including the right to be or not to be a party to treaties of alliance - right to neutrality II. Refraining from the threat or use of force - refraining from the threat or use of force - refraining from any acts constituting a threat of force or direct or indirect use of force - refraining from any manifestation of force for the purpose of inducing another participating State to renounce the full exercise of its sovereign rights - refraining from any act of reprisal by force - refraining from the threat or use of force as a means of settling disputes, or questions likely to give rise to disputes III. Inviolability of frontiers - refraining from assaulting the frontiers of participating States and all States in Europe - refraining from any demand for, or act of, seizure and usurpation of part or all of the territory of any participating State IV. Territorial integrity of States - respect for the territorial integrity of each of the participating States - refraining from any action inconsistent with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations against the territorial integrity, political independence or the unity of any participating State, and in particular from any such action constituting a threat or use of force - refraining from making each other's territory the object of military occupation or other direct or indirect measures of force in contravention of international law, or the object of acquisition by means of such measures or the threat of them V. Peaceful settlement of disputes - settlement of disputes on the basis of international law by peaceful means such as negotiation, enquiry, mediation, conciliation, arbitration, judicial settlement or other peaceful means of the participating States' choice, including any settlement procedure agreed to in advance of disputes to which they are parties - refraining from any action which might aggravate the situation to such a degree as to endanger the maintenance of international peace and security and thereby make a peaceful settlement of the dispute more difficult VI. Non-intervention in internal affairs - refraining from any intervention, direct or indirect, individual or collective, in the internal or external affairs falling within the domestic jurisdiction of another participating State, regardless of their mutual relations - refraining from any form of armed intervention or threat of such intervention against another participating State - refraining in all circumstances from any other act of military, or of political, economic or other coercion designed to subordinate to their own interest the exercise by another participating State of the rights inherent in its sovereignty and thus to secure advantages of any kind - refraining, inter alia, from direct or indirect assistance to terrorist activities, or to subversive or other activities directed towards the violent overthrow of the regime of another participating State VII. Respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief - respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief, for all without distinction as to race, sex, language or religion - encouragement for the effective exercise of civil, political, economic, social, cultural and other rights and freedoms all of which derive from the inherent dignity of the human person and are essential for his free and full development - respect for the freedom of the individual to profess and practice, alone or in community with others, religion or belief acting in accordance with the dictates of his own conscience - respect for the right of persons belonging to national minorities to equality before the law, and affording them the full opportunity for the actual enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms. - promoting jointly and separately, including in co-operation with the United Nations, universal and effective respect for rights and freedoms in their mutual relations - right of the individual to know and act upon his rights and duties in this field - action of the participating States in conformity with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international declarations and agreements in this field, including inter alia the International Covenants on Human Rights, by which they may be bound VIII. Equal rights and self-determination of peoples - respect for the equal rights of peoples and their right to self-determination, acting at all times in conformity with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and with the relevant norms of international law, including those relating to territorial integrity of States - the right of the participating States to determine, in full freedom, when and as they wish, their internal and external political status, without external interference, and to pursue as they wish their political, economic, social and cultural development - universal significance of respect for and effective exercise of equal rights and self-determination of peoples for the development of friendly relations among themselves as among all States - importance of the elimination of any form of violation of this principle IX. Cooperation among States - development of co-operation with one another and with all States in all fields in accordance with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations - endeavouring to promote mutual understanding and confidence, friendly and good-neighbourly relations among themselves, international peace, security and justice - endeavouring to improve the well-being of peoples and contribute to the fulfilment of their aspirations through, inter alia, the benefits resulting from increased mutual knowledge and from progress and achievement in the economic, scientific, technological, social, cultural and humanitarian fields - interest of all in the narrowing of differences in the levels of economic development - confirming that governments, institutions, organizations and persons have a relevant and positive role to play in contributing toward the achievement of these aims of their cooperation X. Fulfilment in good faith of obligations under international law - fulfilment of both those obligations arising from the generally recognized principles and rules of international law and those obligations arising from treaties or other agreements, in conformity with international law - exercise of sovereign rights, including the right to determine their laws and regulations, in conformity with their legal obligations under international law and with due regard to the provisions in the Final Act of the CSCE - prevalence of their obligations under the Charter in the event of a conflict between the obligations of the members of the United Nations under the Charter of the United Nations and their obligations under any treaty or other international agreement." |
Description: The Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe created the Helsinki Final Act to improve relations between communist and non-communist nations. Inquiry Questions:
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