United Nations (Privileges and Immunities) Act, 1948

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THE UNITED NATIONS (PRIVILEGES AND IMMUNITIES) ACT, 
1948
 
 
 
 
 
 
             
CONTENTS
 
1.
 
Short title
 
2.
 
Conferment on United Nations and its representatives and officers of certain privileges and 
immunities
 
3.
 
Power to confer certain privileges and immun
ities on other international organisations and 
their representatives and officers
 
4.
 
 
Power to make rules
 
THE SCHEDULE
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
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THE UNITED NATIONS (PRIVILEGES AND IMMUNITIES) ACT, 1948
 
1
ACT NO. XX OF 1948
 
[
16
th 
June, 
1948
]
 
An Act to give effect 
to the Convention on the Privileges  and Immunities of the United Nations.
 
W
HEREAS
 
it is expedient to give effect to the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of 
the United Nations, and to enable similar privileges and immunities to be enjoyed by oth
er 
international organisations and their representatives and officials; 
 
 
It is hereby enacted as follows:
___ 
 
 
 
1. Short title.
 
This Act may be called the United Nations (Privileges and Immunities) Act, 
1948.
 
2. Conferment on United Nations and its repres
entatives and officers of certain 
privileges and immunities.
 
(1) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in any other law, 
the provisions set out in the Schedule to this Act of the Convention on the Privileges and  
Immunities, adopted  by the Ge
neral Assembly of  the United Nations on the 13th day of February 
1946, shall have the force of law in Pakistan. 
 
 
(2) The 
2
[Federal Government] may, from time to time, by notification in the official Gazette, 
amend the Schedule in conformity with any amen
dments, duly made and adopted, of the provisions 
of the said Convention set out therein. 
 
 
 
3. Power to confer certain privileges and immunities on other international 
organisations and their representatives and officers
.
 
Where in pursuance of any internat
ional 
Agreement, convention or other instrument it is necessary to accord to any international 
organisation
3
 
and its representatives and officers privileges and immunities  in Pakistan similar to 
those contained in the provision set out in the Schedule, th
e 
2
[Federal Government] may, by 
notification in the official Gazette, declare that the provisions set out in the Schedule shall, subject to 
such modifications, if any, as it may consider necessary or expedient for giving effect to the said 
agreement, conve
ntion or other instrument apply 
mutatis mutandis
 
to the international organisation
3 
specified in the notification and its representatives and officers, and thereupon the said provision 
shall apply  accordingly and,  notwithstanding anything to the contrary
 
contained in any other law, 
shall in such application have the force of law in Pakistan.
 
 
 
4. Power to make rules.
 
The 
2
[Federal Government] may make rules for carrying out the 
purposes of this Act.  
 
 
__________________
 
 
 
1
This Act has been applied to Ba
luchistan, 
see 
Gaz. of P., 1953, Pt. I, p. 8; and applied also in the Federated Areas of Baluchistan, 
see 
Gaz. of P., 1953, 
Pt. I, p. 152.
 
It has also been extended to the Leased Areas of Baluchistan, 
see 
the Leased Areas (Laws) Order, 1950 (G.G.O. 3 of 19
50). 
 
2
Subs. by Federal Adaptation Laws Order, 1975 (P. O. No. 4 of 1975), Art. 2 and Table.
 
3
The provisions set out in the Schedule to this Act have, subject to certain modifications, been applied to the International 
Monetary Fund, 
see 
Gaz. of 
P., 1952, 
Pt. I. pp. 66
-
68.
 
The provisions of the Schedule to the Act have been applied 
mutatis mutandis 
to the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund and its 
representatives and officers, 
see ibid., 
1953, Pt. I., p. 146. 
 
The provisions of the Sched
ule to the Act have been applied 
mutatis mutandis,
 
subject to certain modifications to the International Atomic Energy 
Agency, 
see ibid., 
1965, Pt. I, p. 7. 
 
 
 
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THE SCHEDULE
 
 
(
See 
section 2 and 3
)
 
 
ARTICLE I
 
 
JURIDICAL PERSONALITY
 
 
 
SECTION 1
.
 
The United Na
tions shall possess juridical personality. It shall have the 
capacity:
__
 
    
(a) to contract;  
 
    
(b) to acquire and dispose of immovable and movable property; 
 
    
(c) to institute legal proceedings.
 
ARTICLE II
 
PROPERTY, FUNDS AND ASSETS
 
 
 
SECTION 2. Th
e United Nations, its property and assets wherever located and by 
whomsoever held, shall enjoy immunity from every form of legal process except in so far as in any 
particular case it has expressly waived its immunity. It is, however, understood that no wai
ver of 
immunity shall extend to any measure of execution.  
 
 
SECTION 3. The premises of the United Nations shall be inviolable. The property and assets 
of the United Nations, wherever located and by whomsoever held, shall be immune from search, 
requisition
, confiscation, expropriation and any other form of interference, whether by executive, 
administrative, Judicial or legislative action. 
 
 
SECTION 4
.
 
The archives of the United Nations, and in general all documents belonging to it 
or held by it, shall be in
violable wherever located.
 
 
 
SECTION 5. Without being restricted by financial controls, regulations or moratoria of any 
kind,  
 
(a)
 
the United Nations may hold funds, gold or currency of any kind and operate 
accounts in any currency ;
 
(b)
 
the United Nations shall 
be free to transfer its funds, gold or currency from 
one country to another or within any country and to convert any currency held 
by it into any other currency. 
 
 
 
SECTION 6
.
 
In exercising its rights under section 5 above, the United Nations shall pay due
 
regard to any representations made by the Government of any Member in so far as it is considered 
that effect can be given to such representations without detriment to the interests of the United 
Nations.  
 
 
 
SECTION 7. The United Nations, its assets, inco
me and other property shall be:
__
 
 
(a)
 
exempt from all direct taxes; it is understood, however, that the United 
Nations will not claim exemption from taxes which are, in  fact, no more than 
charges for public utility services;  
 
 
1
This Schedule has been made a
pplicable, 
mutatis mutandis,
 
to the International Organization for Migration (I.O.M) vide SRO 66(KE)/2001, dt 26
-
12
-
2000.
 
 
 
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(b) 
 
exempt from customs duties and prohibitions and restrictions on imports and 
exports in respect of articles imported or exported
 
by the United Nations for 
its official use. It is understood, however, that articles imported under such 
exemption will not be sold in the country into which they were imported 
except under conditions agreed with the Government of that country;
 
  
 
(c) 
 
ex
empt from customs duties and prohibitions and restrictions on imports and 
exports in respect of its publications.  
 
 
 
SECTION 8. While the United Nations will not, as a general rule, claim exemption from 
excise duties and from taxes on the sale of movable 
and immovable property which form part of the 
price to be paid nevertheless when the United Nations is making important purchases for official use 
of property on which such duties and taxes have been charged or are chargeable, Members will, 
whenever possib
le, make appropriate administrative arrangements for the remission or return of the 
amount of duty or tax. 
 
 
ARTICLE III
 
FACILITES IN RESPECT OF COMMUNICATIONS
 
SECTION 9. The United Nations shall enjoy in the territory of each Member for its official 
commu
nications treatment not less favourable than that accorded by the Government of that Member 
to any other Government including its diplomatic mission in the matter of priorities, rates and taxes 
on mails, cables, telegrams, radiograms, telephotos, telephone
 
and other communications; and press 
rates for information to the press and radio. No censorship shall be applied to the official 
correspondence and other official communications of the United Nations.
 
 
 
SECTION 10.
 
The United Nations shall have the right 
to use codes and to despatch and 
receive its correspondence by courier or in bags, which shall have the same immunities and 
privileges as diplomatic couriers and bags. 
 
 
ARTICLE IV
 
 
THE REPRESENTATIVES OF MEMBERS
 
 
 
SECTION 11. Representatives of Members to
 
the principal and subsidiary organs of the 
United Nations and to conferences convened by the United Nations, shall, while exercising their 
functions and during their journey to and from the place of meeting, enjoy the following privileges 
and immunities
:
_
_
 
(a) 
 
immunity from personal arrest or detention and from seizure of their personal 
baggage, and, in respect of words spoken or written and all acts done by them 
in their capacity as representatives, immunity from legal process of every 
kind;  
 
(b) 
 
invio
lability for all papers and documents;  
 
(c) 
 
the right to use codes and to receive papers or correspondence by courier or in 
sealed bags;  
 
 
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(d) 
 
exemption in respect of themselves and their spouses from immigration 
restrictions, aliens registration or nat
ional service obligations  in the state they 
are visiting of through which they are passing in the exercise of their 
functions;  
 
(e) 
 
the same facilities in respect of currency or exchange restrictions as are 
accorded to representatives of foreign governm
ents on temporary official 
missions;  
 
(f) 
 
the same immunities and facilities in respect of their personal baggage as are 
accorded to diplomatic envoys; and also  
 
(g) 
 
such other privileges, immunities and facilities not inconsistent with the 
foregoing a
s diplomatic envoys enjoy, except that they shall have no right to 
claim exemption from customs duties on goods imported (otherwise than as 
part of their personal baggage) or from excise duties or sales taxes.  
 
 
SECTION 12. In order to secure, for the rep
resentatives of Members to the principal and 
subsidiary organs of the United Nations and to conferences convened by the United Nations, 
complete freedom of speech and independence in the discharge of their duties, the immunity from 
legal process in respect
 
of words spoken or written and all acts done by them in discharging their 
duties shall continue to be accorded, notwithstanding that the persons concerned are no longer the 
representatives of Members.  
 
 
SECTION 13.
 
Where the incidence of any form of taxa
tion depends upon residence, periods 
during which the representatives of Members to the principal and subsidiary organs of the United 
Nations and to conferences convened by the United Nations are present in a state for the discharge of 
their duties shall n
ot be considered as periods of residence.  
 
 
SECTION 14. 
Privileges and immunities are accorded to the representatives of Members 
not for the personal benefit of the individuals themselves but in order to safeguard the independent 
exercise of their functio
ns in connection with the United Nations. Consequently a Member not only 
has the right but is under a duty to waive the immunity of its representative in any case where in the 
opinion of the Member the immunity would impede the course of justice, and it ca
n be waived 
without prejudice to the purpose for which the immunity is accorded.  
 
 
SECTION 15. 
The provisions of sections 11, 12 and 13 are not applicable as between a 
representative and the authorities of the state of which he is a national or of which h
e is or has been 
the representative.
 
 
 
 
SECTION 16. 
In this Article the expression “representatives” shall be deemed to include all 
delegates, deputy delegates, advisers, technical experts and secretaries of delegations. 
 
 
ARTICLE V
 
OFFICIALS
 
 
SECTION 17. 
The Secretary
-
General will specify the categories of officials to which the 
provisions of this Article and Article VII shall apply. He shall submit these categories to the General 
Assembly. Thereafter these categories shall be communicated to the Governmen
ts of all Members. 
The names of the officials included in these categories shall from time to time be made known to the 
Governments of Members.
 
 
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SECTION 18. 
Officials of the United Nations shall:―
 
(a) 
 
be immune from legal process in respect of words spoken or written and all 
acts performed by them in their official capacity;  
 
(b) 
 
be exempt from taxation on the salaries and emoluments paid to them by the 
Uni
te Nations;  
 
(c) 
 
be immune from national service obligations;
 
(d) 
 
be immune, together with their spouses and relatives dependent on them, from 
immigration restrictions and alien registration;  
 
(e) 
 
be accorded the same privileges in respect of exchange
 
facilities as are 
accorded to the officials of comparable ranks forming part of diplomatic 
missions to the Government concerned;  
 
(f) 
 
be given, together with their spouses  and relatives dependent on them, 
the same repatriation facilities in time of int
ernational crisis as 
diplomatic envoys;  
 
(g) 
 
have the right to import free of duty their  furniture and effects at the 
time of first taking up their post in the country in question.    
 
 
SECTION 19. In addition to the immunities and privileges specified 
in section 18, the 
Secretary
-
General and all Assistant Secretaries
-
General shall be accorded in respect of 
themselves their spouses and minor children, the privileges and immunities, exemptions and 
facilities accorded to diplomatic envoys, in accordance wi
th international law.  
 
 
SECTION 20. Privileges and immunities are granted to officials in the interests of the 
United Nations and not for the personal benefit of the individuals themselves. The Secretary
-
General shall have the right and the duty to waive 
the immunity of any official in any case 
where, in his opinion, the immunity would impede the course of justice and can be waived 
without prejudice to the interests of the United Nations. In the case of the Secretary
-
General, 
the Security Council shall hav
e the right to waive immunity.  
 
 
SECTION 21.
 
The United Nations shall co
-
operate at all times with the appropriate 
authorities of Members to facilitate the proper administration of 
justice, secure the 
observance of police regulations and prevent the occur
rence of any abuse in connection with 
the privileges, immunities and facilities mentioned in this Article.  
 
 
ARTICLE VI
 
EXPERTS ON MISSIONS FOR THE UNITED NATIONS
 
 
 
SECTION 22. Experts (other than officials coming within the scope of Article V) 
performing
 
missions for the United Nations shall be accorded such privileges and immunities 
as are necessary for the independent exercise of their functions during the period of their 
missions, including the time spent on journeys in connection with their missions. 
In 
particular they shall be accorded:  
 
(a) 
 
immunity from personal arrest or detention and from seizure of their personal 
baggage;  
 
 
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(b) 
 
in respect of words spoken or written and acts done by them in the course of 
the performance of their mission’ immuni
ty from legal process of every kind. 
This immunity from legal process shall continue to be accorded 
notwithstanding that the persons concerned are no longer employed on 
missions for the United Nations;  
 
(c) 
 
inviolability for all papers and documents; 
 
(d
) 
 
for the purpose of their communications with the United Nations, the right to 
use codes and to receive papers or correspondence by courier or in sealed 
bags;  
 
(e) 
 
the same facilities in respect of currency or exchange restrictions as are 
accorded to r
epresentatives of foreign governments on temporary official 
missions;  
 
(f) 
 
the same immunities and facilities in respect of their personal baggage as are 
accorded to diplomatic envoys
.
 
 
  
 
SECTION 23.
 
Privileges and immunities are granted to experts in t
he interests of the United 
Nations and not for the personal benefit of the individuals themselves. The Secretary
-
General shall 
have the right and the duty to waive the immunity of any expert in any case where, in his opinion, the 
immunity would impede the 
course of justice and it can be waived without prejudice to the interests 
of the United Nations. 
 
ARTICLE VII
 
UNITED NATIONS LAISSEZ
-
PASSER
 
 
 
SECTION 24.
 
The United Nations may issue United Nations laissez
-
passer to its officials. 
These laissez
-
passer shal
l be recognized and accepted as valid travel documents by the authorities of 
Members, taking into account the provisions of section 25. 
 
SECTION 25. 
Applications for visas (where required) from the holders of United Nations 
laissez
-
passer, when accompanied
 
by a certificate that they are traveling on the business of the 
United Nations, shall be dealt with as speedily as possible. In addition, such person shall be granted 
facilities for speedy travel.
 
SECTION 26. Similar facilities to those specified in secti
on 25 shall be accorded to 
experts and other persons who, though not the holders of United Nations laissez
-
passer, have 
a certificate that they are travelling on the business of the United Nations.
 
SECTION 27. The Secretary
-
General, Assistant Secretaries
-
G
eneral and Directors 
traveling on United Nations laissez
-
passer on the business of the United Nations shall be 
granted the same facilities as are accorded to diplomatic envoys. 
 
 
SECTION 28. The provisions of this Article may be applied to the comparable 
o
fficials of specialized agencies if the agreements for relationship made under Article 63 of 
the Charter so provide. 
 
ARTICLE VIII
 
SETTLEMENT OF DISPUTES
 
 
SECTION 29. The United Nations shall make provisions for appropriate modes of 
settlement of:  
 
 
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(a) 
 
d
isputes arising out of contracts or other disputes of a private law 
character to which the United Nations is a party;  
 
(b) 
 
disputes involving any official of the United Nations who by reason of 
his official position enjoys immunity, if immunity has not b
een waived 
by the Secretary
-
General.  
 
 
SECTION 30. All differences arising out of the interpretation or application of the 
present Convention shall be referred to the International Court of Justice, unless in any case 
it is agreed by the parties to have r
ecourse to another mode of settlement. If a difference 
arises between the United Nations on the one hand and a Member on other hand, a request 
shall be made for an advisory opinion on any legal question involved in accordance with 
Article 96 of the Charter
 
and Article 65 of the Statute of the Court. The opinion given by the 
Court shall be accepted as decisive by the parties.
 
 
_
_________
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
17823
 
 
Date: 29
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05
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2025