a treaties

Organization

A crossover investment fund where guest Gavin Baker is the CIO and Managing Partner.


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7/19/2025, 7:56:42 AM

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Summary

A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between sovereign states and/or international organizations, governed by international law. Known by various terms such as protocol, covenant, convention, or pact, treaties establish the rights and obligations of parties, similar to contracts, and are binding only on signatories. They serve as primary sources of international law, codifying principles since the early 20th century. The 1969 Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (VCLT) codified practices for their creation, amendment, interpretation, termination, and dispute resolution. Treaties do not require a standard form but must adhere to the principle of *pacta sunt servanda* (agreements must be kept) and can be invalidated if they violate preemptory norms like permitting aggressive war or crimes against humanity. They cover diverse subjects including security, trade, environment, and human rights, and can also establish international institutions.

Research Data
Extracted Attributes
  • Type

    Formal, legally binding written agreement

  • Forms

    No standard form; can be a contract, joint declaration, or exchange of notes

  • Types

    Bilateral (between two countries), Multilateral (involving more than two countries)

  • Parties

    Sovereign states and/or international organizations

  • Analogous To

    Contracts

  • Governing Law

    International law

  • Binding Nature

    Legally binding only on signatories

  • Core Principle

    Pacta sunt servanda (agreements must be kept)

  • Subject Matters

    Security, trade, environment, human rights, establishment of international institutions

  • Other Designations

    International agreement, protocol, covenant, convention, pact, exchange of letters

  • Invalidation Conditions

    Violation of a preemptory norm (jus cogens), e.g., permitting aggressive war or crimes against humanity

Timeline
  • First known example of a treaty: a border agreement between the Sumerian city-states of Lagash and Umma. (Source: Wikipedia)

    3100 BC

  • Historic treaties signed by First Nations and the British and Canadian governments. (Source: Britannica)

    1701-1923

  • Peace and Friendship Treaties signed. (Source: Britannica)

    1725-1779

  • Eleven Numbered Treaties signed by First Nations in Canada and the reigning monarchs of Canada. (Source: Britannica)

    1871-1921

  • Treaties codified or established most international legal principles since the early 20th century. (Source: Wikipedia)

    1900-01-01

  • Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (VCLT) adopted, codifying practices for treaty creation, amendment, interpretation, termination, and dispute resolution. (Source: Wikipedia)

    1969-05-23

Treaty

A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between sovereign states and/or international organizations that is governed by international law. A treaty may also be known as an international agreement, protocol, covenant, convention, pact, or exchange of letters, among other terms; however, only documents that are legally binding on the parties are considered treaties under international law. Treaties may be bilateral (between two countries) or multilateral (involving more than two countries). Treaties are among the earliest manifestations of international relations; the first known example is a border agreement between the Sumerian city-states of Lagash and Umma around 3100 BC. International agreements were used in some form by most major civilizations and became increasingly common and more sophisticated during the early modern era. The early 19th century saw developments in diplomacy, foreign policy, and international law reflected by the widespread use of treaties. The 1969 Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (VCLT) codified these practices and established rules and guidelines for creating, amending, interpreting, and terminating treaties, and for resolving disputes and alleged breaches. Treaties are roughly analogous to contracts in that they establish the rights and binding obligations of the parties. They vary in their obligations (the extent to which states are bound to the rules), precision (the extent to which the rules are unambiguous), and delegation (the extent to which third parties have authority to interpret, apply and make rules). Treaties can take many forms and govern a wide range of subject matters, such as security, trade, environment, and human rights; they may also be used to establish international institutions, such as the International Criminal Court and the United Nations, for which they often provide a governing framework. Treaties serve as primary sources of international law and have codified or established most international legal principles since the early 20th century. In contrast with other sources of international law, such as customary international law, treaties are only binding on the parties that have signed and ratified them. Notwithstanding the VCLT and customary international law, treaties are not required to follow any standard form, and differ widely in substance and complexity. Nevertheless, all valid treaties must comply with the legal principle of pacta sunt servanda (Latin: "agreements must be kept"), under which parties are committed to perform their duties and honor their agreements in good faith. A treaty may also be invalidated, and thus rendered unenforceable, if it violates a preemptory norm (jus cogens), such as permitting a war of aggression or crimes against humanity.

Web Search Results
  • Treaty - Wikipedia

    A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between sovereign states and/or international organizations that is governed by international law. A treaty may also be known as an international agreement, protocol, covenant, convention, pact, or exchange of letters, among other terms; however, only documents that are legally binding on the parties are considered treaties under international law. Treaties may be bilateral (between two countries) or multilateral (involving more than two [...] ## Modern usage and form A treaty is an official, express written agreement that states use to legally bind themselves. It is also the objective outcome of a ceremonial occasion that acknowledges the parties and their defined relationships. There is no prerequisite of academic accreditation or cross-professional contextual knowledge required to publish a treaty. [...] However, since the late 19th century, most treaties have followed a fairly consistent format. A treaty typically begins with a preamble describing the "High Contracting Parties" and their shared objectives in executing the treaty, as well as summarizing any underlying events (such as the aftermath of a war in the case of a peace treaty). Modern preambles are sometimes structured as a single very long sentence formatted into multiple paragraphs for readability, in which each of the paragraphs

  • List of treaties | Britannica

    Encyclopedia Britannica Encyclopedia Britannica # list of treaties Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. A treaty is a binding formal agreement, contract, or other written instrument that establishes obligations between two or more subjects of international law (primarily states and international organizations). This is a list of treaties, organized chronologically by the years that they were signed. ## 628 ## 754 ## 756 ## 843 ## 1201

  • Treaties and International Agreements - GW Law Library - LibGuides

    Article 2, Section 1(a) to the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, which has been widely accepted as the instrument governing the law of treaties since its adoption by the International Law Commission in 1969, defines a treaty as such: 'Treaty' means an international agreement concluded between States in written form and governed by international law, whether embodied in a single instrument or in two or more related instruments and whatever its particular designation.... [...] Treaties one of the main sources of international law. Indeed, conducting international legal research almost invariably involves locating a treaty at some point, whether bilateral or multilateral. Bilateral treaties are those treaties concluded between two states or organizations, and multilateral are those concluded between more than two states or organizations. Treaties are one type of international agreement, and can also be called things such as agreement, settlement, pact, accord, [...] JACOB has a filter for searching for items this way. This is the Call Number range for the topic of Treaties: KZ118 -1152 Search by Library of Congress Subject Headings: You can also search by the following subject headings. Just type any of these into the search bar and filter to "Subject." ## Additional Assistance in Researching Treaties and International Agreements Click the image below for more in-depth research strategies and information about treaties and international agreements.

  • Treaty | Definition, Examples, & Facts - Britannica

    Treaties do not need to follow any special form. A treaty often takes the form of a contract, but it may be a joint declaration or an exchange of notes (as in the case of the Rush-Bagot Agreement between the United States and Great Britain in 1817 for mutual disarmament on the Great Lakes). Important treaties, however, generally follow a fixed plan. The preamble provides the names and styles of the contracting parties and is a statement of the treaty’s general objectives. It is usually followed [...] treaty, a binding formal agreement, contract, or other written instrument that establishes obligations between two or more subjects of international law (primarily states and international organizations). The rules concerning treaties between states are contained in the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (1969), and those between states and international organizations appear in the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties Between States and International Organizations or Between [...] A treaty is normally negotiated between plenipotentiaries provided by their respective governments with the “full power” to conclude a treaty within the scope of their instructions. A country’s signature is often sufficient to manifest its intention to be bound by the treaty, especially in the case of bilateral treaties. In multilateral (general) treaties, however, a country’s signature is normally subject to formal ratification by the government unless it has explicitly waived this right.

  • Types of Treaties – Pulling Together: Foundations Guide

    Historic treaties are those treaties signed by First Nations and the British and Canadian governments between 1701 and 1923. The British and Canadian governments wanted to sign treaties with First Nations in order to reduce the possibility of conflict and to support European immigration and land settlement, agriculture, natural resource use, trade, and other economic developments. # Peace and Friendship Treaties (1725–1779) [...] # The Numbered Treaties (1871–1921) Eleven Numbered Treaties were signed by the First Nations in Canada and the reigning monarchs of Canada (Victoria, Edward VII, or George V) between 1871 and 1921. The treaties provided the government with large tracts of land in exchange for promises made to the First Nations of the area. The specific terms differed with each treaty. Map of Numbered Treaties in Canada [...] 11 treaties signed by the First Nations peoples and the reigning monarchs of Canada between 1871 and 1921, providing the settler government with large tracts of land in exchange for promises that varied by treaty. Previous/next navigation ## License Icon for the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License Icon for the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License