Unilateral acts were formulated frequently, but, without knowing the views of States, it was not easy to determine what the nature of the act was and whether the State that had formulated it had the intention of acquiring legal obligations and whether it considered that the act was binding or that it was simply as a policy statement, the result of diplomatic practice.
Les actes unilatéraux sont fréquents, mais il n'est pas facile de déterminer, sans connaître l'avis des États, devant quel type d'acte on se trouve ni si l'État qui le formule a l'intention de s'engager juridiquement et s'il considère que l'acte lui est opposable, ou bien s'il s'agit d'une simple manifestation d'ordre politique, fruit de la pratique diplomatique.