LibGuides: Public International Law: Treaty Resources

Page Explanation

Black's Law Dictionary defines treaty as "an international agreement concluded between two or more states in written form and governed by international law."

This page will assist you in locating treaties (in print and online), whether or not the U.S. is an involved party. It also gives you resources, in print and online, for learning more about treaties and how to find them.

Helpful Books

Modern Treaty Law and Practice by Anthony Aust
Call Number: KZ1301 .A93 2007
Treaty Interpretation by Richard Gardiner
Call Number: KZ1304 .G37 2008
Developments of International Law in Treaty Making by Rüdiger Wolfrum (Editor); Volker Röben (Editor)
Call Number: KZ1301 .D48 2005

Further Online Resources

WorldLII International Treaties Library
WorldLII is a "free, independent and non-profit global legal research facility developed collaboratively" by several national organizations. Their International Treaties Library searches across several national treaty databases.
Tufts University Fletcher Multilaterals Project
The Fletcher School's Multilaterals Project's aim is to "make available the texts of international multilateral conventions and other instruments. Although the project was initiated to improve public access to environmental agreements, the collection today also includes treaties in the fields of human rights, commerce and trade, laws of war and arms control, and other areas."
Institute of Advanced Legal Studies FLARE Index to Treaties
The Flare Index, which only contains treaties where there are at least three parties, is a "searchable database of basic information on over 1,500 of the most significant multilateral treaties from 1856 to the present, with details of where the full text of each treaty may be obtained in paper and, if available, electronic form on the Internet."

Treaties to which the U.S. is a Party

Resources

Treaties and Other International Acts Series (TIAS)
First official source of U.S. treaties; considerable delay in publication after Senate ratification.
U.S. State Department: Treaties and Other International Acts Series
Online source lists treaties and agreements from 1981-present.
United States Treaties and other International Agreements (UST)
Another official source; not as out-of-date as TIAS, but not current, either.
HeinOnline Treaties and Agreements Library
Westlaw USTREATIES database
Derived from both United States Statutes at Large and United States Treaties and Other International Agreements.
Lexis "Find Treaties and International Agreements"

Treaties to Which the U.S. is not a Party

Resources

International Legal Materials (ILM)
A bi-monthly publication of the American Society of International Law (ASIL) containing treaties and other U.N. documents.
Yale's Avalon Collection
An online collection, contains "digital documents relevant to the fields of Law, History, Economics, Politics, Diplomacy and Government."
The Consolidated Treaty Series
Contains the text of treaties from 1648 to the establishment of the League of Nations.

The United Nations Treaties Collection

This collection includes three main databases:

Multilateral Treaties Deposited with the Secretary General
Database "provides information on the status of over 500 major multilateral instruments deposited with the Secretary-General of the United Nations." Click on one of the small tabs above the introductory blurb to search the database in different ways.
United Nations Treaty Series
A "collection of treaties and international agreements registered or filed and recorded with and published by the Secretariat since 1946. . . The collection currently contains over 158,000 treaties and related subsequent actions." Can search in the database by popular name, browse the index (for more ways to search, click on one of the other tabs running across the database menu), and you can also search a database for the League of Nations treaties.
Monthly Statement of Treaties and International Agreements
"Contains detailed record of treaties and related subsequent treaty actions which were registered or filed and recorded with the Secretariat on a given month."

Finding Tools

World Treaty Index
Electronic Information System for International Law
Prepared and maintained by ASIL and "designed as an open database of authenticated primary and other materials across the breadth of international law."

Public International Law

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Page Explanation

Helpful Books

Further Online Resources

Treaties to which the U.S. is a Party

Resources

Finding Tools

Historical Collections

Sources for the United States Statutes at Large

Treaties to Which the U.S. is not a Party

Resources

The United Nations Treaties Collection

Finding Tools