A/Res.717(17)
Co-ordination in matters relating to dangerous goods and hazardous substances
The Assembly
RECALLING Article 15(j) of the Convention on the International Maritime Organization concerning the functions of the Assembly in relation to regulations and guidelines concerning maritime safety and
the prevention and control of marine pollution from ships,
RECALLING ALSO Recommendation 56 of the International Conference on Safety of Life at Sea, 1960, concerning the mandate given to the Organization to pursue its studies, in co-operation with the
United Nations Committee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods, on an international
code for the carriage of dangerous goods, especially in respect of the c1assification, description,
labelling and the list of dangerous goods and the shipping documents therefor,
RECALLING FURTHER Recommendation 11 of the International Conference on Safety of Life at Sea, 1974, concerning the continuation of work in co-operation with other international organizations concerned and in particular the United Nations Committee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods with a view to the adoption of a self-contained International Convention on the Carriage of Dangerous Goods by all Modes of Transport at the earliest practicabie opportunity,
NOTING resolution A.716(17) on the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code (IMDG Code),
NOTING ALSO with appreciation that the IMDG Code is now widely used by the maritime industry
and is recognized as providing authoritative and informed guidance on the safe transport of
dangerous, hazardous and harmful cargoes, including environmentally hazardous substances (marine
pollutants) and wastes,
NOTING ADDITIONALLY that conventions and recommendations relating to the transport of dangerous goods have been developed by other intergovernmental bodies responsible for other modes of transport in co-operation with the United Nations Committee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods,
NOTING FURTHER the development of new conventions, legislation and recommendations relating to dangerous goods or to the management of chemicals outside the co-ordinated forum of the United
Nations Committee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods, IMO and other intergovernmental bodies responsible for transport by air, road, rail and inland waterways,
BEING CONCERNED that any future work on the harmonization of c1assification and labelling of chemicals and the elaboration of an iniergovernmental mechanism on chemical risk assessment and
management should take fully into account the systematic procedures developed or followed by
IMO in connection with the transport of dangerous goods or hazardous substances by ships,
STRESSING the need for the transport of dangerous, hazardous and harmful cargoes, including
environmentally hazardous substances (marine polh.!tants) and wastes by sea to be governed by
the mandatory requirements of the SOLAS 1974 and MARPOL 73/78 Conventions as supplemented by the mandatory International Bulk Chemical Code (IBC Code) and International Gas Carrier Code (IGC Code) and by the globally implemented International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code (IMDG Code) and Code of Safe Practice for Solid Bulk Cargoes (BC Code),
1. URGES all United Nations and other intergovernmental bodies concerned working on various
aspects of the management of chemicals to co-ordinate their efforts in order to ensure the compatibility of any legislation on chemicais, dangerous goods and hazardous substances with established international transport rules and regulations, and to take all necessary steps to avoid conflict with Recommendation 11 of the 1974 International Conference on Safety of Life at Sea.
2. STRONGLY URGES Governments to co-ordinate their work in the different organizations to prevent conflicts with established rules and regulations relating to the maritime transport of dangerous,
hazardous and harmful cargoes, including environmentally hazardous substances (marine pollutants)
and wastes;
3. REQUESTS the Secretary-General:
(a) to continue to ensure that IMO remains actively involved in the consideration of matters
related to the management of chemicais, dangerous goods and hazardous substances and
to report to the Assembly at its eighteenth session on the current status of consideration
of these matters within the United Nations system;
(b) to communicate this resolution to the executive heads of ILO, UNEP, WHO and FAO and
other intergovernmental bodies concerned and to report to the Assembly at its eighteenth
session on developments in the aforementioned respects, particularly in so far as IMO's
interests may be affected.