The Binding Force of Treaties Under International Law

Bokpresentation This handbook describes the mechanisms of how and when states are bound by international treaties as a consequence of international law. It is designed to be a simplified reference guide essential not only to government lawyers but also to a wider circle of officials and human rights advocates concerned with the results of treaty-making. Its aim is to provide assistance to the sphere of countries that the Swedish International Development Co-operation Agency (Sida) is working with. The handbook focuses on the general trends of the international law-making process. Two major areas are examined, i.e. the law of treaties and other sources of international law (primarily custom), which together must be considered as fundamental parts providing the basic substance of the international regime. The objective of the first part, International Treaties, is to describe the binding force of treaties and the technicalities of the Vienna Convention of the Law of Treaties from a general point of view. The second part of the handbook describes the complex mechanisms of international law as such, and its binding quality on States.