59 STAT.J 79TH CONG., IST SESS.- CH. 652-DEC. 29, 1945 [CHAPTER 652] AN ACT To extend certain privileges, exemptions, and immunities to international organ- izations and to the officers and employees thereof, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, December 29,1945 [H. R. 4489] [Public Law 291] International Or- TITLE I ganizations Immuni. ties Act. SECrION 1. For the purposes of this title, the term "international "International or- organization" means a public international organization in which the gazation. " United States participates pursuant to any treaty or under the authority of any Act of Congress authorizing such participation or making an appropriation for such participation, and which shall have been designated by the President through appropriate Executive order as being entitled to enjoy the privileges, exemptions, and immunities Witoi, etc. herein provided. The President shall be authorized, in the light of of privileges, exemp- the functions performed by any such international organization, by tionsandimmunities appropriate Executive order to withhold or withdraw from any such organization or its officers or employees any of the privileges, exemp- tions, and immunities provided for in this title (including the amend- ments made by this title) or to condition or limit the enjoyment by any such organization or its officers or employees of any such privilege, exemption, or immunity. The President shall be authorized, if in his nation etifdesg judgment such action should be justified by reason of the abuse by an international organization or its officers and employees of the priv- ileges, exemptions, and immunities herein provided or for any other reason, at any time to revoke the designation of any international organization under this section, whereupon the international organi- zation in question shall cease to be classed as an international organi- zation for the purposes of this title. SEC. 2. International organizations shall enjoy the status, immuni- ties, exemptions, and privileges set forth in this section, as follows: (a) International organizations shall, to the extent consistent with Powers- the instrument creating them, possess the capacity- i) to contract; il) to acquire and dispose of real and personal property; (iii) to institute legal proceedings.mmunity rom ut (b) International organizations, their property and their assets, ajudicfprocessuit wherever located, and by whomsoever held, shall enjoy the same immunity from suit and every form of judicial process as is enjoyed by foreign governments, except to the extent that such organizations may expressly waive their immunity for the purpose of any proceed- ings or by the terms of any contract. Immunity from (c) Property and assets of international organizations, wherever seach and confisc located and by whomsoever held, shall be immune from search, unless tion. such immunity be expressly waived, and from confiscation. The archives of international organizations shall be inviolable.rivileges, etc., as (d) Insofar as concerns customs duties and internal-revenue taxes accorded foreign gov- imposed upon or by reason of importation, and the procedures in ernments. connection therewith; the registration of foreign agents; and the treatment of official communications, the privileges, exemptions, and immunities to which international organizations shall be entitled shall be those accorded under similar circumstances to foreign governments. Baggage and SEC. 3 . Pursuant to regulations prescribed by the Commissioner of designated alien of Customs with the approval of the Secretary of the Treasury, the ersonnel. baggage and effects of alien officers and employees of international organizations, or of aliens designated by foreign governments to serve as their representatives in or to such organizations, or of the families, suites, and servants of such officers, employees, or representatives shall 669
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