The Honorary Counsul in Modern International Practice: Why Article 68 of the Final Act of the United Nations Conference on Consular Relations Should Be Amended to Provide a Uniform Regime for the Sending and Receiving of Honorary Consuls

States throughout the world have long sought to promote trade and commerce with other nations. One way in which states have attempted to foster such exchanges is by the development and maintenance of a consular service, the function of which is to facilitate business relations with the country in which they are stationed. This article examines the existing system of sending and receiving honorary consuls, who are used most commonly by smaller and/or less wealthy states in those ports and cities in which representation is thought important, but which do not justify the sending of a professional consular officer. Noting that abuse of the honorary consul system has increasingly resulted in the refusal of certain states to admit honorary consuls, the author proposes a uniform regime for the regulation of honorary consuls under the auspices of the United Nations. The author provides a model statute to amend Article 68 of the Final Act of the United Nations Conference on Consular Relations, which would work to effect such a uniform regime