Treaties

Elizabeth Wells Foreign and International LL

October 2009

Pact Charter Final Act Convention

Constitution(of IO) Agreement

Protocol Covenant Accord Exchange of Notes

Treaty

This session: Sourcing Texts

Are some better than others?

How to do you find the “best”? Library Holdings Major online sources

Reliable alternatives

Some Key ConceptsTreaty research is often not only a

matter of finding an authoritative text

Parties Status / In force Ratification Reservations

Treaty TextsSources of the first rank (OSCOLA)

Consolidated Treaty Series (CTS)

League of Nations Treaty Series (LNTS) United Nations Treaty Series (UNTS) Official treaty series of a State party eg UKTS

For post-1960 treaties not yet in one of above International legal materials (ILM)

CTSConsolidated Treaty Series

Bilateral & Multilateral treaties Coverage 1648-1918 Facsimile reproductions of original text Translations

Although an unofficial publication, this is the most complete historical collection

Shelved at Internat 5 Not available online

CTS Index-Guides Internat 5*

BLACKLABEL

Party Index –Names are

Modern

Cross-refs forHistoric/Colonial

SCARLET GREENLABELs

ChronologicalLists

IncludeArchivalSource

Used for eachTreaty

No Subject Index

Subject Searching

An Index to British Treaties 1100-1968 by Parry & Hopkins

Internat 018 P264a (3 vols) Especially good for pre-19th century V.1 subject index Entries are presented chronologically

Alternatives if UK C19th

British State Papers 1812- Internat 90 Treaty Series of Command Papers

began in 1892

Electronic – try HCPP (House of Commons Parliamentary Papers)

LNTS

League of Nations Treaty Series

Bilateral & Multilateral Coverage 1920-1946 Shelf mark is Internat 10 LN –

shelved from the back of Gallery wing

French & English (also in Index Volumes)

LNTS online

HeinOnline – UN Law Collection (if you are off campus sign into OXLIP+ with your OSS first)

Freely available via UN database but the site is a bit “quirky”!

HeinOnline till Dec 2010

Ignore Treaties and Agreements Library (USA)

For LNTS (& UNTS) click

United Nations Law Collection

If you have LNTS Registration #

Click Search For Treaty

Remember to Deselect

UNTS check box

Click Print/Download

To see text

Other results – details of Ratifications, Accessions of States

Hein’s Scholar Check –through to journal articles on the topic

http://treaties.un.org

1) Click on UN Treaty Series link

2)Click link to Legacy Database (Ignore the LNTS database link)

3) Ignore Basic Search & Click through to Advanced Search screen

ALWAYSEnsure Organization is LN

(middle of advanced search screen)

Advanced Search Screen Options

When searching for LNTS text

Keywords – top of search screen or Registration number – scroll down to

the foot of the search screen

Still no citation search possible

1) Add keywords 2) Select correct “Match …”

Check = LN

Scro

ll do

wn

to

click S

earch

Search Results Results can be sorted by

subject, date of signature/adoption or main titleby using drop down menu.

Click link

Treaty View Text

Link

LNTS Vol. #

Download full text as TIF

Search by LNTS Reg.#

Foot ofAdvanced Search

EnsureOrganization is

LN

Ignore fact search box is called

UN Treaty Reg #

Want to do another LNTS search? Use Reset Form to clear & start again

Summary: to find LNTS e-text

http://treaties.un.org Enter UNTS database “Click here to search the UNTS

legacy database” Click Advanced Search MAKE SURE Organization is LN Use Keywords or Registration # Cannot search by citation

http://treaties.un.org

Home Screen - Click on UN Treaty Series link

Click on LNTS Database Link

QUIRKSOctober 09

Stay BASIC SEARCH

Use only 1 title keyword

Always click Search [do not just Return]

Happiest with IE

Not able to search by citation

eg 15 LNTS 211

BackgroundDetails eg

Full Parties,Dates,

Entry into Force, Ratifications,

Details of Reservations etc

More details via

Scrolling orFootnote links

End Notes

Exact wordingOf

ReservationsAnd

Declarations

UNTS

United Nations Treaty Series Art 102 UN Charter “Every treaty &

international agreement entered into by any Member … shall a.s.a.p be registered with the Secretariat & published by it.”

Shelved at Internat 10 UN

UNTS > 2,000 vv & growing

http://treaties.un.org

Home Screen - Click on UN Treaty Series link

Quirks

Use IE

Always hitSearch

[not return]

Use Clear

ClickingRegistration #

Link opens window

EIF?Entry in Force

Scroll down In window

To find pdf for text

AlsoEIF (entry into force)

UNTS volume #Participants, their actionsWith dates

Searching via UN Registration #

Range

Can be just one

UNTS Reg. #

in both

(Autocompletes)

THEN YOU MUST CLICK ADD

Once you have clicked ADD

The Search Criteria Box is filled in

NOW

Click Search

Title Search

Avoid connectors eg and

Remember to change

Additional Attributes

Hyperlinks will sortresults

Drill down via link under

Registration # to get to

text

Quick Route to

most recent treaty

Until Dec 2009 HeinOnline

Very recent? Try ILM

International Legal Materials Internat 300 I240Lexis (via Sources)Westlaw Int – selected 1980 v.19 onHeinOnline in Law JJ Library &

Treaties & Agreements Library but only 1962-2008 (we’ll still subscribe to these after Dec 09!)

Source Tab – either Find a Source – or Filter by International & Pick I

Reliable Alternatives

Freely Accessible databases maintained by

Governments International Organizations

As own library &/or as Official Depository

UK FCO website Multilateral treaties deposited with

the UK (full text and status) Treaty Command Papers from 1997

(by subject and by date) Explanatory Memoranda from 1997

Information on UK practice and procedure

Glossary of treaty terms

www.fco.gov.uk

http://conventions.coe.int/

ETS European Treaty Series #1(1949)- #193( 2003) became

CETS Council of Europe Treaty Series (#194 2004 - )

www.HccH.net

Hague Conference on Private International Law

Rather EISIL than Google

Mediated Gateway (ASIL) fewer hits always links to authoritative full text specialised search facilitiesAdded content - status, citations to

printed sources

www.eisil.org from American Society of International Law

Acronym?

If it’s just a text you need

Click Title

Click onMore

Information& discover

Links to reliable texts

Research Guides (USA slant)

ASIL – ERG Electronic Resources for International Law – Treaties revised & updated March 2009

Globalex – several aspects of treaties covered (NY University School of Law)

www.asil.org/treaty1.cfm

www.nyulawglobal.org/globalex/index.html#

Treaty Law

Internat 670 theory & practice

McNair Law of Treaties (1961) Internat 670 M169.4b2

Aust’s Modern Treaty Law & Practice

(2007) Internat 670 A932a2