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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 27 February 2017
The framework for the systematic registration and publication of international agreements on an intergovernmental level was set in Article 18 of the League of Nations Covenant, and later in Article 102 of the United Nations Charter. The purpose of treaty registration and publication is to give effect to the principle and policy of “open covenants”—enunciated as the first of President Wilson’s Fourteen Points—in lieu of secret diplomacy. In addition, these procedures serve to record “contemporary trends in substantive international law” for the benefit of judicial and government practitioners, scholars, and specialists in various fields.
1 Charter Article 102(1) provides that “[e]very treaty and every international agreement entered into by any Member of the United Nations . . . shall as soon as possible be registered with the Secretariat and published by it.”
Before the League of Nations, the systematic publication of treaties was undertaken voluntarily as a matter of private enterprise. See resolutions of 1885, 1891, and 1892 of the Institute of International Law.
On treaty registration and publication generally, see, inter alia: Harvard Research in International Law, Draft Convention on the Law of Treaties, 29 AJIL, Supp. 657, 912 (1935); Eagleton, , The Handling of Treaties by the Secretariat of the United Nations, Report of the Committee to Study Legal Problems of the United Nations, 45 ASIL, Proc. 139 (1951)Google Scholar; United Nations, Laws and Practices Concerning the Conclusion of Treaties 184–85, UN Doc. ST/LEG/SER.B/3 (1953), references; Rosenne, , United Nations Treaty Practice, 86 Recueil des Cours 281, 426 (1954 II)Google Scholar; Boudet, , Enregistrement des accords internationaux, 64 Rev. Générale Droit Int’l Public 596 (1960)Google Scholar; Mcnair, A. D., The Law of Treaties, ch. 10 (1961)Google Scholar; Myslil, , Registrace a publikace mezinárodních smluv, 103 Pravník (Czech.) 949 (1964)Google Scholar; Goodrich, L., Hambro, E., & Simons, A., Charter of the United Nations 610 (3d rev. ed. 1969)Google Scholar; Conforti, , Sulla registrazione degli accordi internazionali presso le Nazioni Unite, in Studi in Memoria di Enrico Guicciardi 491 (1975)Google Scholar; Aiueva, , Registratsiia mezhdunarodnykh dogovorov v mezhdunarodnykh organizatsiiakh, 21 Pravovedenie (USSR) (No. 1) 105 (1977)Google Scholar. See also Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, UN Doc.A/CONF.39/27 (1969), Arts. 77(1)(g) and 80, and discussion on the registration of treaties in the International Law Commission, 1962–1966, and in the Vienna Conference.
2 Jan. 8, 1918, reprinted in 1 Foreign Relations of the United States, 1918, Supp. I, at 12. Also letter to Secretary of State Lansing, March 12, 1918. See 1 D. H. Miller, The Drafting of the Covenant 19 & n.1 (1928); Hudson, , The Registration and Publication of Treaties, 19 AJIL 273, 273 & n.4 (1925)CrossRefGoogle Scholar.
3 Lillich, , The Obligation to Register Treaties and International Agreements with the United Nations, 65 AJIL 771 (1971)CrossRefGoogle Scholar.
4 The Regulations adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1946 closely follow the Regulations first approved in 1920 by the League of Nations Council to give effect to Article 18 of the Covenant: The Registration and Publication of Treaties as Prescribed under Article 18 of the Covenant of the League of Nations: Memorandum Approved by the Council of the League of Nations, 1 League of Nations O.J. 154 (1920), reproduced in 1 LNTS 8 and UN Doc. A/C.6/51 (1946). Regulations to Give Effect to Article 102 of the Charter of the United Nations, adopted by the General Assembly as Res. 97 (I), Dec. 14, 1946 [hereinafter cited as GA Regulations] (text in 1 UNTS xx), slightly amended by GA Res. 364B (IV), Dec. 1, 1949, and 482 (V), Dec. 12, 1950, amended text in 76 UNTS xviii, and 5 United Nations, Repertory of Practice of United Nations Organs [hereinafter cited as Repertory] 283 (1955).
5 UN Doc. A/C.6/33/5/Add.1, Ann. I, paras. 1–4 (1978); GA Regulations, supra note 4, Arts. 7, 8, 11, and 13.
6 The Treaty Section receives many international agreements concluded in languages other than English and French, which are the official languages of the Secretariat. In such cases, the registered agreements are translated into those languages by the Translation Services. A treaty appears in the UNTS in all its authentic languages, as well as in English and French. E.g., the Agreement on Collaboration in Health Services between Czechoslovakia and Sudan, 1970, which is authentic in Czech, Arabic, and English, appears in the UNTS in those three languages, followed by a translation in French (764 UNTS 107). The UNTS also includes any official translations required by the formal clauses of a treaty (e.g., in Arabic, German, Italian, and Japanese for the 1973 Convention on the Prevention of Pollution from Ships; see UN Doc. A/C.6/33/5/Add.1, Ann. I, para. 14 (1978)). As stated at the beginning of every volume of the UNTS, “Unless otherwise indicated, the translations of the original texts of treaties, etc., published in this Series have been made by the Secretariat of the United Nations.” On several occasions the General Assembly has urged states to provide the Secretary–General, where possible, with translations in English and/ or French for the purpose of publication (GA Res. 482 (V), para. 2 (1950); GA Res. 1092 (XI), para. 3 (1957)).
7 UN Doc. A/C.6/33/5/Add.1, Ann. I, para. 4 (1978).
8 On various aspects of what these terms encompass and the distinction between them, see Doc. 933, IV/2/42(2), 13 UNCIO Docs. 705 (1945); 5 Repertory, supra note 4, at 292–96; 2 id., Supp. No. 1, at 398–403 (1958); 4 id., Supp. No. 3, at 191, para. 4, and 195–96, paras. 7–13 (1973); Note by the Secretariat, UN Doc. ST/LEG/SER.A/. . . , [Monthly] Statement of Treaties and International Agreements registered or filed and recorded with the Secretariat during [Month] (statement also appears in abbreviated form in all volumes of the UNTS from vol. 212); UN Circular Note No. 213, Oct. 9, 1979, Ann. II, at 1. See also Schachter, , The Development of International Law Through the Legal Opinions of the United Nations Secretariat, 25 Brit. Y.B, Int’l L. 91, 128 (1948)Google Scholar; Kelsen, H., The Law of the United Nations 697–98 (1950)Google Scholar; Brandon, , Analysis of the Terms “Treaty” and “International Agreement” for Purposes of Registration under Article 102 of the United Nations Charter, 47 AJIL 49 (1953)CrossRefGoogle Scholar; Rosenne, supra note 1, at 288; 3 Schwarzenberger, G., International Law 439 (3d ed. 1957)Google Scholar; Higgins, R., The Development of International Law Through the Political Organs of the United Nations 256 ff, 329–31 (1963)Google Scholar.
9 UN Doc. A/C.5/1566, paras. 6, 9, and 17 (1973).
10 Article 13 of the GA Regulations provides that the Secretariat publish a statement every month of the treaties and international agreements registered, or filed and recorded, during the previous month. UN Doc. A/32/214, paras. 18–21 (1977); GA Res. 32/144, 6th preambular para. (1977). By October 1978 there was a 29-month delay in the Monthly Statement; UN Doc. A/33/258, para. 4 (1978).
11 GA Regulations, supra note 4, Art. 6.
12 26th and 27th Sess. UN Doc. A/C.5/1566, para. 2 (1973). For earlier, unsuccessful efforts to adopt measures to effect economy and reduce delays, see 2 Repertory, supra note 4, Supp. No. 1, at 403, para. 24, and 406–09, paras. 37–49.
13 GA Res. 32/144, 32 GAOR, Supp. (No. 45) 210 (1977); see UN Doc. A/32/214, paras. 29–34 (1977). The problems of delays were further considered by the General Assembly at the 33d and 34th sessions.
14 UN Doc. A/C.5/1566, para. 21 (1973).
15 Id., paras. 23–38.
16 Approved at GA 28th sess., GA Res. 3195A (XXVIII), 28 GAOR, Supp. (No. 30) 125 (1973). See 28 GAOR, C.6 (1456th mtg.), paras. 1–4 (1973); UN Doc. A/C.6/L.1004 (1974).
17 By October 1979, outstanding problems included making the use of SIONUT easily accessible to parties outside the United Nations, such as governments and organizations; completing the verification of certain old (post-1945) data; and computerizing the data relating to treaties registered with the League of Nations Secretariat. UN Doc. A/34/466, paras. 19–20 (1979).
18 UN Docs. A/35/423, para. 4 (1980); A/34/466, para. 14 (1979); A/36/570, paras. 7–8 (1981); A/C.5/36/25 (1981); A/36/7/Add.5 (1981).
19 UN Docs. A/35/423, paras. 8–10 (1980); A/36/570, para. 23 (1981).
20 These included treaties concluded by international organizations (primarily the United Nations and the specialized agencies such as the World Bank and the International Development Association), those dealing with specific development projects, and conference and seminar agreements that expire long before their publication in the Treaty Series, but not agreements containing general provisions applicable to specific projects. GA Res. 32/144, op. para. 3 (1977). See UN Doc. A/32/214, paras. 29–34 (1977).
21 UN Doc. A/32/214, paras. 30–33 (1977).
22 UN Doc. A/C.6/33/SR.20, para. 7, at para. 8 (1978). Note by the Secretariat, dated Nov. 21, 1978, addressed to the Working Group [of the Sixth Committee], in UN Doc. A/C.6/33/5/Add.1, Ann. II, para. 3 (1978).
23 UN Doc. A/C.6/33/5/Add.1, Ann. II, para. 5 (1978).
24 65 UNTS 3.
25 52 UNTS 211 n.2.
26 See Treaty of Trianon, 1920, No. 152, 6 LNTS 188 n.1; see also Nos. 34–39, 74–80.
27 Art. 12 as amended by GA Res. 33/141A (1978), 33 GAOR, Supp. (No. 45) 222–23. At the 33d session, pursuant to the Report of the Secretary-General, UN Doc. A/33/258 (1978), the question of treaty registration was referred to the 6th Committee, which for its consideration reconstituted the Informal Working Group it had set up in 1977. The proposals of the Informal Working Group (UN Doc. A/C.6/33/5 & Add.1 & Corr. 2 (1978)) were adopted by the 6th Committee (UN Doc. A/33/466 (1978)) and became Res. 33/141.
28 UN Doc. A/34/466, paras. 3 and 4 (1979).
29 UN Doc. A/C.6/33/5/Add.1, Ann. II, para. 10 (1978).
30 Art. 12(3), amended GA Regulations, supra note 27. The Statement of Treaties and International Agreements registered or filed and recorded with the Secretariat during each month, supra note 8, opens with a note by the Secretariat including the revised Article 12(2) and (3) of the Regulations. The treaties not to be published in extenso that were registered or filed and recorded with the Secretariat after Jan. 1, 1977 are identified in the Monthly Statements themselves by an asterisk preceding the title. For a list of the agreements registered or filed and recorded with the Secretariat during the period from Feb. 23, 1973 to Dec. 31, 1976 not to be published in extenso that could not be identified in the Monthly Statements because they had already been published or sent for printing, see UN Doc. A/35/423, Ann. II (1980).
31 See UN Doc. A/C.6/33/5/Add.1, para. 9 (1978).
32 Id., Ann. II, paras. 11–14.
33 Id., para. 15.
34 See Russell, R., A History of the United Nations Charter: the Role of the United States 1940–1945, at 329 & n.10, 925 (1958)Google Scholar; Doc. IV/2/A/3, 13 UNCIO Docs. 787 (1945).
35 2 GAOR, C.6 (54th mtg.) 112, 117 (1947); see Schachter, supra note 8, at 132 & n.1.
36 GA Res. 482 (V), para. 5 (1950). It provided, however, that for annexes he may use discretion in employing less expensive methods of reproduction. See 5 Repertory, supra note 4, at 312, para. 101 & n.100, and 311, paras. 96–99.
37 5 Repertory, supra note 4, at 292–96, paras. 18–31, especially 31.
38 Schachter, supra note 8, at 131 & nn.2–5.
39 See UN Docs. A/36/570, paras. 9–11 and 17 (1981); A/35/423, para. 5 (1980); A/33/258, paras. 20, 23(c–d) (1978). The backlog was expected to decrease by 10 volumes in 1981, 20 volumes in 1982, 30 volumes in 1983, and 40 volumes each year after that until 1988.
40 UN Doc. A/32/214, paras. 29, 34 & n.8 (1977).
41 GA Res. 32/144, paras. 2 and 4 (1977), reiterated in GA Res. 33/141B, paras. 3–4 (1978). UN Doc. A/33/258, paras. 15 and 23(d) (1978).
42 Questionnaire regarding activities in the field of international agreements, UN Circular Note No. 213, Oct. 9, 1979, Ann. I. UN Doc. A/34/466, paras. 6 and 23 (1979). See GA Res. 34/149, paras. 3–4, 34 GAOR, Supp. (No. 46) 248 (1979).
43 UN Docs. A/35/423, paras. 7 and 13 (1980); A/36/570, paras. 18–21 (1981).
Under domestic law, it is often required that treaties be promulgated or officially published. On state practice regarding treaty registration and publication, see, inter alia, for the United States: Dept of State, Foreign Affairs Manual, Circular 175 Procedure, sees. 720.2(h), 724, 725, 746.3 and references therein; Summers, L., The International Law of Peace 222–24 (1972)Google Scholar. For Canada: Castel, J.-G., International Law Chiefly as Interpreted and Applied in Canada 945 (1976)Google Scholar. For China: Chiu, H., The People’s Republic of China and the Law of Treaties 44 (1972)Google Scholar. For France: [le Roy et al.] La Publication des engagements internationaux de la France, 8 Annuaire Français de Droit International 888 (1962). For Israel: Ha’aretz (Tel Aviv daily newspaper), Sept. 4, 1975, at 3. For the United Kingdom: A. D. Mcnair, supra note 1, at 190. For the USSR: Butler, , On the Definition and Publication of Treaties Under Soviet Law, 10 Israel Y.B. on Human Rights 224 (1980)Google Scholar.
On the registration and publication procedure in intergovernmental organizations, see generally 5 Repertory, supra note 4, at 301–02, paras. 55–57. Also for the Iaea: P. Szasz, The Law of the International Atomic Energy Agency 915–20 (1970). For ICAO: Chicago Aviation Convention, 1944, Art. 83, 15 UNTS 295. For the ILO: 15 UNTS 35, Art. 20; 26 UNTS 323. For the Pan–American Union (now the OAS): Hudson, , Registration of Treaties by the Pan-American Union, 38 AJIL 98 (1944)CrossRefGoogle Scholar; 14 Whiteman, M., Digest of International Law 126 (1970)Google Scholar.
44 UN Doc. A/C.6/33/5/Add.1, para. 9 (1978).
45 UN Circular Note No. 213, Oct. 9, 1979, Ann. II, at 7.
46 E.g., Rosenne, supra note 1, at 429.
47 Ambassador Shabtai Rosenne, UN Doc. A/33/PV.89 (1978); see Questionnaire, UN Circular Note No. 213, Oct. 9, 1979, Ann. I, para. 5.06 and Ann. II, para. 5.06.
48 1 LNTS 11, para. 5.
49 See Tabory, M., Multilingualism in International Law and Institutions, chs. III (1980)Google Scholar.
50 UN Doc. A/C.6/33/5/Add.1, Ann. I, paras. 10–14 (1978).
51 See, inter alia, 5 Repertory, supra note 4, at 297–98, paras. 35–40; A. D. Mcnair, supra note 1, at 185–90; L. Goodrich, E. Hambro, & A. Simons, supra note 1, at 613–14; R. Higgins, supra note 8, at 334–36.
52 Lillich, supra note 3.
