Treaties
Key databases
- United Nations Treaty Series Online CollectionContains over 200,000 treaties and international agreements since 1946. Under Article 102 of the Charter, 'every treaty and every international agreement entered into by a Member of the United Nations after the coming into force of the Charter must be registered with the Secretariat and published by it' (United Nations Treaty Collection)
- Multilateral Treaties Deposited with the Secretary-General (MTDSG)Contains multilateral treaties — agreements between more than two parties — deposited with the Secretary-General of the United Nations. Also contains multilateral treaties deposited with the Secretary-General of the League of Nations. Includes information on the status of the treaty and ratification by parties.
- International Treaties CollectionIncludes treaty series from various countries and international jurisdictions.
Other sources for treaties or instruments
- Consolidated Treaty Series (1648-1918)The Consolidated Treaty Series may be used to easily locate treaties not collected by the League of Nations Treaty Series or the United Nations Treaty Series.
- U.S. Treaties and agreements libraryContains U.S. treaties, including currently in-force or expired. This resource can be searched by treaty title, party names, or treaty number.
- United States Treaty Series (1776 to 1949) / by Charles BevanIncludes bilateral and multilateral treaties signed by the Unites States.
- EUR-Lex: Founding treatiesEUR-Lex contains the founding, amending and accession treaties, as well as some protocols.
- Australian Treaties LibraryContains treaties to which Australia is a signatory, National Interest Analyses (which are statements explaining how the treaty will impact on the national interest), as well as reports of the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties (JSCOT).
- Australian Treaties DatabaseContains treaties to which Australia is a signatory
- International Legal MaterialsPublished by the American Society for International Law. Contains reproductions of international legal material from 1962 onward, including treaties and agreements, jurisprudence, legislation, and declarations.
Travaux préparatoires
Travaux préparatoires are the preparatory documents of a particular treaty and may sometimes be used as a supplementary means of treaty interpretation. Travaux préparatoires may include correspondence, records of negotiation, preliminary drafts, and records of international conferences.
Travaux préparatoires are sometimes collected together and published in book-format, but may also be accessible in the documentation of the relevant international organisation.
Below are selected travaux préparatoires, for other possible sources see Collected Travaux Préparatoires.
The Vienna convention on the law of treaties : travaux preparatoires by Publication Date: 1978
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Travaux préparatoires by Publication Date: 2013
Guide to the "Travaux Preparatoires" of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights by ISBN: 9024734673Publication Date: 1987
The Refugee Convention, 1951 : the travaux préparatoires analysed, with a commentary by Publication Date: 1995
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child by Publication Date: 1992
Key texts
The law of treaties by Publication Date: 1961
The law of treaties beyond the Vienna Convention by Publication Date: 2011The Vienna Convention on the Law of treaties by
Publication Date: 1973
Treaties and Alliances of the World by Publication Date: 2007
