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What is a treaty?

The Encyclopaedia Britannica defines treaty as:

Contract or other written instrument binding two or more states under international law. The term is generally reserved for the more important international agreements, usually requiring, in addition to the signatures of authorized persons, ratification by the governments involved. A treaty may be bilateral or multilateral; it usually contains a preamble, an enumeration of the issues agreed on, and clauses that discuss its ratification procedures, lifespan, and terms for termination. Treaties may be political, commercial, constitutional, or administrative, or they may relate to criminal and civil justice or codify international law."

Encyclopaedia Britannica (online at 6 February 2023) ‘treaty summary’

Treaty law

The Encyclopaedic Australian Legal Dictionary defines treaty law as:

A body of rules in international law that deals with procedural and substantive aspects of treaties as a source of international law. Treaty law regulates the creation, operation, interpretation, suspension, and termination of treaties between international legal persons. Customary law and practice with respect to treaties has been codified by the Vienna Convention on the (INT) Law of Treaties 1969 and the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties between States and International Organizations or between (INT) International Organizations 1986."

Encyclopaedic Australian Legal Dictionary (online at 6 February 2023) 'treaty law'

Subjects: Law
Tags: international law, public international law, treaties, treaty