Uruguay

Declaration:

In fulfilment of the obligation laid down in article 3, paragraph 2 of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict, the Government of the Eastern Republic of Uruguay, in line with the reservation made at the time of depositing the instrument of ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, declares:
That in exercise of its sovereignty and in accordance with domestic law, it does not under any circumstances permit voluntary recruitment into the armed forces of persons under 18 years of age.

Declarations made upon signature and confirmed upon ratification:

1. The objective of the Agreement, as set out in article 2, is to establish an appropriate legal framework and a comprehensive and effective set of measures for the conservation and management of straddling fish stocks and highly migratory fish stocks.
2. The effectiveness of the regime established will depend, inter alia , on whether the conservation and management measures that are applied in areas beyond national jurisdiction take duly into account and are compatible with, those adopted by the relevant coastal States with respect to the same stocks in areas under their national jurisdiction, as provided for in article 7.
3. Among the biological characteristics of a fish stock as a factor of which special account must be taken in determining compatible conservation and management measures, in accordance with article 7, paragraph 2(d), Uruguay attaches particular importance to the reproduction period of the fish stock in question, in order to ensure a sound and balanced approach to protection.
4. Moreover, in order for the above-mentioned regime to be fully effective, in accordance with the objective and purpose of the Agreement, it is necessary to adopt emergency conservation and management measures, as stated in article 6, paragraph 7, where a serious threat exists to the survival of one or more straddling fish stocks or highly migratory fish stocks as a result of a natural phenomenon or human activity.
5. Uruguay is of the view that, if an inspection carried out by a port State on a fishing vessel which is voluntarily present in one of its ports reveals that there are evident grounds for believing that the said fishing vessel has been involved in an activity that is contrary to the sub-regional or regional conservation and management measures on the high seas, then, in exercise of its right and duty to cooperate in conformity with article 23 of the Agreement, the port State should so inform the flag State and request that it take over responsibility for the vessel for the purpose of ensuring compliance with the said measures.

13 April 2012

Declaration under article 77

On behalf of the Eastern Republic of Uruguay, I have the honour to inform you that the Government of Uruguay has decided to recognize, pursuant to article 77 of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, the competence of the Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families to receive and consider communications from or on behalf of individuals subject to its jurisdiction who claim that their individual rights as established by the above-mentioned international instrument have been violated by the Uruguayan State.

Upon signature:

Declaration:
On signing this Convention, Uruguay reaffirms the right to make reservations upon ratification, if it considers it appropriate.
Upon ratification:

Reservation:
The Government of the Eastern Republic of Uruguay affirms, in regard to the provisions of article 38, paragraphs 2 and 3, that in accordance with Uruguayan law it would have been desirable for the lower age limit for taking a direct part in hostilities in the event of an armed conflict to be set at 18 years instead of 15 years as provided in the Convention.
Furthermore, the Government of Uruguay declares that, in the exercise of its sovereign will, it will not authorize any persons under its jurisdiction who have not attained the age of 18 years to take a direct part in hostilities and will not under any circumstances recruit persons who have not attained the age of 18 years.

Upon signature:

Uruguay is signing ad referendum the Convention on the Control of the Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal because it is duly protecting its rights as a riparian State in the areas subject to its national jurisdiction, including the territorial sea, the exclusive economic zone and the continental shelf and, as appropriate, the superjacent air space as well as the exercise in such areas of its standard-setting and administrative competence in connection with the protection and preservation of the environment as recognized by international law and, in particular, by the law of the sea.

Declarations made upon signature and confirmed upon ratification:

(A) The provisions of the Convention concerning the terri- torial sea and the exclusive economic zone are compatible with the main purposes and principles underlying Uruguayan legisla- tion in respect of Uruguay's sovereignty and jurisdiction over the sea adjacent to its coast and over its bed and sub-soil up to a limit of 200 miles.
(B) The legal nature of the exclusive economic zone as de- fined in the Convention and the scope of the rights which the Convention recognizes to the coastal State leave room for no doubt that it is a " sui generis " zone of national jurisdiction different from the territorial sea and that it is not part of the high seas.
(C) Regulation of the uses and activities not provided for ex- pressly in the Convention (residual rights and obligations) relat- ing to the rights of sovereignty and to the jurisdiction of the coastal State in its exclusive economic zone falls within the competence of that State, provided that such regulation does not prevent enjoyment of the freedom of international communication which is recognized to other States.
(D) In the exclusive economic zone, enjoyment of the free- dom of international communication in accordance with the way it is defined and in accordance with other relevant provisions of the Convention excludes any non-peaceful use without the consent of the coastal State for instance, military exercises or other activities which may affect the rights or interests of that State and it also excludes the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity, political independence, peace or security of the coastal State.
(E) This Convention does not empower any State to build, operate or utilize installations or structures in the exclusive economic zone of another State, neither those referred to in the Convention nor any other kind, without the consent of the coastal State.
(F) In accordance with all the relevant provisions of the Convention, where the same stock or stocks of associated species occur both within the exclusive economic zone and in an area beyond and adjacent to the zone, the States fishing for such stocks in the adjacent area are duty bound to agree with the coastal State upon the measures necessary for the conservation of these stocks or associated species.
(G) When the Convention enters into force, Uruguay will apply, with respect to other States Parties, the provisions established by the Convention and by Uruguayan legislation, on the basis of reciprocity.
(H) Pursuant to the provisions of article 287, Uruguay declares that it chooses the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea for the settlement of such disputes relating to the interpretation or application of the Convention as are not subject to other procedures, without prejudice to its recognition of the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice and of such agreements with other States as may provide for other means for peaceful settlement.
(I) Pursuant to the provisions of article 298, Uruguay declares that it will not accept the procedures provided for in Part XV, section 2 of the Convention, in respect of disputes concerning law enforcement activities in regard to the exercise of sovereign rights or jurisdiction excluded from the jurisdiction of a court or tribunal under article 297, paragraphs 2 and 3.
(J) Reaffirms that, as stated in article 76, the continental shelf is the natural prolongation of the territory of the coastal State to the outer edge of the continental margin.

[Uruguay] will treat mopeds as motor cycles for the purposes of the application of the Convention.

On behalf of Uruguay we hereby make a reservation to the provisions of article 3 which has a bearing on the application of the Convention. The Constitution of Uruguay does not authorize the granting of nationality to an alien unless he is the child of a Uruguayan father or mother, in which case he may become a natural citizen. This case apart, an alien who fulfils the constitutionality and legal conditions may be granted only legal citizenship, and not nationality.