Draft – editorial review pending. As of 27 September 2026.

The 1936 Convention is a multilateral treaty concluded under the League of Nations that obliges its parties to prohibit and stop radio broadcasts inciting the population of another party's territory to acts incompatible with its internal order or security, broadcasts constituting incitement to war against another party, and broadcasts disseminating statements known to be incorrect that are likely to harm good international understanding. It was among the first treaties to regulate the content of cross-border mass communication. Its provisions are referred to in debates on State responsibility for hostile propaganda, disinformation and cross-border information operations, including in academic commentary on current conflicts. The Convention does not address the internet or digital platforms; its applicability to non-radio transmissions is a matter of interpretation.

• Art. 1 – Parties undertake to prohibit and, if occasion arises, to stop without delay the broadcasting within their territories of any transmission which, to the detriment of good international understanding, is of such a character as to incite the population of any territory to acts incompatible with the internal order or the security of a territory of a party.
• Art. 2 – Parties undertake to ensure that transmissions from stations within their territories do not constitute an incitement to war against another party, or to acts likely to lead thereto.
• Art. 3 – Parties undertake to prohibit and stop transmissions likely to harm good international understanding by statements the incorrectness of which is or ought to be known to the persons responsible, and to ensure that such statements are rectified at the earliest possible moment by the most effective means.
• Art. 4 – Verification of the accuracy of information concerning international relations broadcast by services under the parties' control, in particular in times of crisis [to be verified].
• Art. 5 – Parties undertake to make available information facilitating broadcasts that promote better knowledge of their civilisation, conditions of life and international relations.
• Art. 7 – Settlement of disputes regarding interpretation or application, including recourse to arbitration or judicial settlement [to be verified – details of the procedure].
• Denunciation – According to depositary records, a denunciation takes effect one year after notification.

Participation. On the eve of the Second World War the Convention had been ratified by around 22 States; Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States did not become parties (secondary sources). Following the Second World War, UN General Assembly resolution 841 (IX) of 17 December 1954 requested the Secretary-General to prepare a draft protocol transferring to the United Nations the functions previously assigned to the League of Nations under the Convention; the protocol did not enter into force [to be verified]. Accessions and successions continued after 1945, including by the Lao People's Democratic Republic (1966), the Holy See (1967), Bulgaria (1972), the USSR (ratification 1983; now listed as the Russian Federation), Hungary (1984), the German Democratic Republic (1984), Czechoslovakia (1985), Afghanistan (1985), Mongolia (1985), Zimbabwe (succession notified 1998) and Liberia (2005).

Denunciations. The following denunciations are recorded by the depositary: the Netherlands (notified 10 October 1982, effective 11 October 1983), France (notified 13 April 1984, effective 13 April 1985; France cited incompatibility with its domestic broadcasting law of 29 July 1982), Australia (notified 17 May 1985, effective 17 May 1986) and the United Kingdom (notified 24 July 1985, also covering territories for whose international relations it was responsible).

Reservations. The USSR made reservations, including to the dispute-settlement clause (Art. 7), and reserved the right to take reciprocal measures; the United Kingdom objected without precluding entry into force. The depositary records the withdrawal of reservations to Art. 7 by Czechoslovakia (1991) and Mongolia (1990); no withdrawal by the USSR/Russian Federation is recorded in the information consulted [to be verified].

Current debate. Since 2022, contributions in academic commentary (e.g. on EJIL:Talk!) have argued that the Convention applies to State-sponsored war propaganda and disinformation and could provide a basis for inter-State dispute settlement; the status of the parties concerned and of the reservations is relevant to such arguments [to be verified – States concerned and status of their participation].

No recent developments recorded.

• iccpr
• friendly_relations
• charter
• genocide_convention
• dsa

• UN Treaty Collection, International Convention concerning the Use of Broadcasting in the Cause of Peace (LoN registration No. 4319), accessed 2026-09-27
• UN Treaty Collection, Multilateral Treaties Deposited with the Secretary-General, Part II (League of Nations treaties), accessed 2026-09-27
• UN General Assembly resolution 841 (IX), 17 December 1954 (Refworld), accessed 2026-09-27
• UN Digital Library – International Convention concerning the Use of Broadcasting in the Cause of Peace (Geneva, 1936), accessed 2026-09-27
• E. A. Downey, A Historical Survey of the International Regulation of Propaganda, Michigan Journal of International Law (1984), accessed 2026-09-27
• Wikipedia, International Convention Concerning the Use of Broadcasting in the Cause of Peace (secondary source), accessed 2026-09-27
• EJIL:Talk!, Russia's "genocide disinformation" and war propaganda are breaches of the International Convention Concerning the Use of Broadcasting in the Cause of Peace ..., accessed 2026-09-27

• 2026-09-27: Entry created (draft).