University Library: International Law: Treaties & Instruments

Treaties

The United Nations Treaty Library
UN Treaty database, and associated treaty documents.
DFAT: Australian Treaties Database
An online resource for researching treaties to which Australia is a signatory, or where Australia has taken other treaty action.
ICRC International Committee of the Red Cross
The ICRC is actually the official repository for the Geneva Conventions and several other important treaties. The ICRC database is extensive for documents on the topic of International Humanitarian Law
UN Office of Legal Affairs
UN Treaties Database and documents

LawCite This link opens in a new window
Find treaties by searching for countries in the parties field
ILM: International Legal Materials (on Lexis Advance - US Research) This link opens in a new window

LexisNexis International Arbitration Toolbox
FLARE: Index to Treaties
A searchable database of basic information on thousands of the most significant multilateral treaties concluded from the seventeenth century onwards and a number of significant bilateral treaties signed between 1353 and 1815, with links to the full text, where available,
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From the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, University of London

International Instruments

Universal Human Rights Instruments
UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights page on Universal Human Rights Instruments
UN General Assembly
Look here for resolutions and declarations
UN Security Council
Search here for resolutions and declarations

Travaux Préparatoires

Travaux Préparatoires are the official records of the treaty negotiation and may be used to assist in interpretating or clarifying the intention of the treaty. The publication of these preparatory documents is a discretion which is not consistently applied.

To find those that are published

Find the 'official website" for the treaty.
Find the UN body, or court/tribunal, which has oversight of the relevant Treaty. Any available preparatory works or discussion will be linked at that level.

Example: United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and the Protocols Thereto, including travaux préparatoires, are linked on the UNODC (UN Office on Drugs and Crime) website.

Discussion about Travaux Préparatoires can be found in:

International Legal Materials (ILM) on Westlaw International or Lexs.com
Journal articles about the treaty
Mooting documents from Philip Jessop Moot database on HeinOnline

UN Human Rights Treaties: Travaux Préparatoires
UVA law librarians, faculty, and alumni have assembled a database of drafting histories from the major post-World War II human rights treaties.

Directories of International, Regional and National Legal Materials

EISIL
Electronic Information System for International Law from the American Society of International Law
Library of Congress
Guide to International Law materials
WorldLII (International Law Library)
WorldLII International Courts & Tribunals Collections
WorldLII International Courts & Tribunals Collections
Think Tank Search (Harvard Kennedy School)
Search reputable institutes for public policy documents.