Lors de sa dixième session, tenue en octobre 1964, la Conférence de La Haye de droit international privé décida de charger la Commission d'Etat néerlandaise pour la codification du droit international privé, ainsi que le Bureau permanent de la Conférence, “d'examiner l'opportunite” de placer la question de la compétence juridictionnelle et legislative en matière d'actes illicites (délits et quasi-délits) à l'ordre du jour de la 1 Ième session ou d'une des sessions suivantes” (Acte final, partie B, sous IV, 1a).

The Conference of the International Law Association held at Dubrovnik in 1956 adopted a resolution authorizing its Committee on the Uses of the Waters of International Rivers to expand the scope of its work so as to cover all uses including navigation. Accordingly, the writer of this article was invited to report on the navigational uses of rivers, the main objective being to redraft and bring up to date the League of Nations Convention of Barcelona 1921, known as the Convention and Statute on the Régime of Navigable Waterways of International Concern. The Convention and Statute were ratified by 21 states, including Great Britain and France, but not the United States, the U.S.S.R. or the Netherlands. In 1957 India withdrew its acceptance.