International Organisations Act 1981

2 Extension of 1968 Act to commodity organisations.

The following section is hereby inserted in the 1968 Act after section 4—

“4A International commodity organisations.

(1) In this section, " international commodity organisation" means any such organisation as is mentioned in section 4 of this Act (international organisations of which the United Kingdom is not a member) which appears to Her Majesty to satisfy each of the following conditions—

(a) that the members of the organisation are States or the Governments of States in which a particular commodity is produced or consumed;

(b) that the exports or imports of that commodity from or to those States account (when taken together) for a significant volume of the total exports or imports of that commodity throughout the world; and

(c) that the purpose or principal purpose of the organisation is—

(i) to regulate trade in that commodity (whether as an import or an export or both) or to promote or study that trade; or

(ii) to promote research into that commodity or its uses or further development.

(2) Subject to the following provisions of this section, an Order made under section 4 of this Act with respect to an international commodity organisation may, for the purpose there mentioned and to such extent as may be specified in the Order—

(a) provide that the organisation shall have the privileges and immunities set out in paragraphs 2, 3, 4, 6 and 7 of Schedule 1 to this Act;

(b) confer on persons of any such class as is mentioned in subsection (3) of this section the privileges and immunities set out in paragraphs 11 and 14 of that Schedule;

(c) provide that the official papers of such persons shall be inviolable; and

(d) confer on officers and servants of the organisation of any such class as may be specified in the Order the privileges and immunities set out in paragraphs 13, 15 and 16 of that Schedule.

(3) The classes of persons referred to in subsection (2)(b) of this section are—

(a) persons who (whether they represent Governments or not) are representatives to the organisation or representatives on, or members of, any organ, committee or other subordinate body of the organisation (including any sub-committee or other subordinate body of a subordinate body of the organisation);

(b) persons who are members of the staff of any such representative and who are recognised by Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom as holding a rank equivalent to that of a diplomatic agent.

(4) An Order in Council made under section 4 of this Act shall not confer on any person of such class as is mentioned in subsection (3) of this section any immunity in respect of a civil action arising out of an accident caused by a motor vehicle or other means of transport belonging to or driven by such a person, or in respect of a traffic offence involving such a vehicle and committed by such a person.

(5) In this section "commodity" means any produce of agriculture, forestry or fisheries, or any mineral, either in its natural state or having undergone only such processes as are necessary or customary to prepare the produce or mineral for the international market.”.