UN TREATIES

"Every treaty and every international agreement entered into by any
Member of the United Nations after the present Charter comes into force
shall as soon as possible be registered with the Secretariat and published by it."

Article 102 of the Charter of the United Nations

Over 500 major multilateral instruments are deposited with the Secretary-General of the United Nations and cover a range of subject matter such as Human Rights, Disarmament, Commodities, Refugees, the Environment and the Law of the Sea. The number of treaties deposited with the Secretary-General keeps growing steadily. Through the below mentioned link and information you can learn about the status of these instruments, as Member States sign, ratify, accede or lodge declarations, reservations or objections. The hard copy of these instruments is published annually while the on-line database is updated daily.

The United Nations Treaty Collection website (http://treaties.un.org) contains

• All multilateral treaties deposited with the Secretary- General of the United Nations and those formerly deposited with the League of Nations - their latest status and a link to the full texts.
• Bilateral and multilateral treaties registered with and published by the United Nations Secretariat in accordance with Article 102 - detailed treaty references and full texts in all authentic language.

One can also find on http://treaties.un.org basic - but not an exhaustive - overview of the key terms employed in the United Nations Treaty Collection, such as treaties, agreements, conventions, charters, protocols, declarations, memoranda of understanding, modus vivendi and exchange of notes. The purpose is to facilitate a general understanding of their scope and function. Also included is a glossary of terms relating to treaty actions.