Table Of ContentHandbook on Good Treaty Practice
This Handbook aims to provide practical guidance on good treaty practice. It
presentsarangeofexamplesfromthepracticeofseveralStatesandinternational
organisations,andexplainstheactionsthatneedtobetakentocreateanewtreaty,
bringitintoforce,operateit,amenditandwinditup,onboththeinternational
andthedomesticplane.Italsoexploreswhatconstitutesgoodtreatypractice,and
developsgenericprinciplesorcriteriaagainstwhichtoevaluatetheseexamples.It
provides a useful analytical tool to enable each government and international
organisation to identify and develop the best treaty practice for their circum-
stances,recognisingthatonesizedoesnotnecessarilyfitall.Itwillbeofinterestto
thoseworkingwithtreatiesandtreatyproceduresingovernments,international
organisationsandlegalpractice,aswellaslegalacademicsandstudentswishingto
gaininsightintotherealitiesoftreatypractice.
Jill Barrett is Visiting Reader in the School of Law, Queen Mary University of
LondonandAssociateMember,6PumpCourtChambers.Shealsoworksinde-
pendently as an international law consultant and advises UK parliamentary
committeeinquiriesontheroleofParliamentinscrutinisingtreaties.Previously,
shewastheArthurWattsSeniorResearchFellowinPublicInternationalLawat
theBritishInstituteofInternationalandComparativeLawand,beforethat,she
was Legal Counsellor at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO).
Throughout her 20-year FCO career she negotiated, drafted and advised on
numerous treaties, and represented the UK at the United Nations and interna-
tional conferences. She led the UK Government’s work on creating a statutory
regimeonratificationoftreatiesintheConstitutionalReformandGovernanceAct
2010.ShesupervisedtheFCOTreatySectionanddevelopednewwaysofdeliver-
ingtreatyservicestotheUKGovernmentandthepublic.
Robert Beckman istheHeadoftheOceanLawandPolicyProgrammeandthe
formerDirectoroftheCentreforInternationalLaw(CIL),NationalUniversityof
Singapore(NUS).HeisalsoanAssociateProfessorattheNUSFacultyofLaw,
wherehehastaughtformorethan30yearsonPublicInternationalLaw,UNLaw,
andOceanLawandPolicy.Heco-authoredPromotingCompliance:TheRoleof
Dispute Settlement and Compliance Mechanisms in ASEAN Instruments (2016)
whichlookedintohundredsofASEANinstrumentstodissecttheASEANtreaty
practiceinpromotingandencouragingdomesticcompliance.Heisanexperton
theissuesoflawoftheseainSoutheastAsia,includingmaritimesecurity,piracy,
governance of submarine cables and the South China Sea disputes. He has co-
directedthespecialprojectontreatylawandpracticeatCILsince2012.
ThisHandbookwillbeofgreatpracticalimportance.Itdoesnotjustassemble
rules,practicesandclausesinordertoillustratethelifeofinternationaltreaties.
Itdeliversmuchmore:itisamanualongoodtreatypractice,designedtoeducate
thoseinthefrontlineoftreatyworkonhowtohandleeverythingtheymight
comeacrossintheirjobnotonlyinacorrect,butinanoptimalway.Thescope
anddepthoftheHandbookaretrulyimpressivewithoutbeingintimidating;the
languageisclearandthemanyexamplesarewellchosen.Theworklivesupto
the–PLATO–standarditsetsfortreatypractice:professional,legal,assured,
transparent,organised.
BrunoSimma,FormerMemberoftheInternational
LawCommissionandtheInternationalCourtofJustice,
JudgeattheIran–UnitedStatesClaimsTribunal(TheHague)
This Handbook is a collaborative effort by the authors to identify, through
engagement with various stakeholders, the best practices in treaty-making. It
isacomprehensiveguide,providingexpertiseoneachstageofatreaty’slifespan
including reservation, ratification and amendments. It condenses highly tech-
nical information into an accessible framework, making it an indispensable
resource not only for treaty experts, diplomats and administrators, but also
lawyers,academicsandstudentsdelvingintotheintricaciesoftreatypractice.
GabrielleMarceau,ProfessorofLaw,UniversityofGeneva
andWorldTradeOrganizationSeniorCounsellor
Thisremarkablebookprovidesauniqueandinsightfulaccountofallaspectsof
treaty practice, and as such will not only be essential reading for government
officialswhoseworkrelatestotreaties,butofconsiderableinteresttointerna-
tionallawpractitionersandacademics.
DanSarooshiQC,EssexCourtChambers
andUniversityofOxford
Treaty law is a very important component of international law. Diplomats,
governmentlegaladvisersandlegalpractitionersarefrequentlyengagedinthe
processofmaking,interpretingandimplementingtreaties.Theywillfindthis
Handbookanindispensableguidetogoodtreatypractice.
TommyKoh,Ambassador-at-Large,Ministry
ofForeignAffairs,Singapore
CentreforInternationalLaw,NationalUniversityofSingapore(CIL-NUS)
TheCentreforInternationalLaw(CIL)wasestablishedasauniversity-levelresearch
institute at the National University of Singapore (NUS) in 2009, in response to the
growing need for international law thought leadership and capacity building in the
Asia-Pacificregion.CIL’sfocusareasofresearchandtrainingareoceanlawandpolicy,
ASEANlawandpolicy,investmentlawandpolicy,andinternationallawandpractice.
ThemissionofCIListoenableSingaporeandtheAsia-Pacificregiontoplayamore
significantroleinthepromotionanddevelopmentofinternationallaw.CIL’svisionis
tobecomearegionalintellectualhubandthoughtleaderforresearchonandteachingof
internationallaw.
MoreinformationaboutCILcanbefoundatwww.cil.nus.edu.sg
Handbook on Good Treaty
Practice
JILL BARRETT
QueenMaryUniversityofLondon
ROBERT BECKMAN
NationalUniversityofSingapore
Assistedby
PAUL BARNETT
RANYTA YUSRAN
HAO DUY PHAN
UniversityPrintingHouse,CambridgeCB28BS,UnitedKingdom
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CambridgeUniversityPressispartoftheUniversityofCambridge.
ItfurtherstheUniversity’smissionbydisseminatingknowledgeinthepursuitof
education,learning,andresearchatthehighestinternationallevelsofexcellence.
www.cambridge.org
Informationonthistitle:www.cambridge.org/9781107111905
DOI:10.1017/9781316282335
©JillBarrett,RobertBeckman2020
Thispublicationisincopyright.Subjecttostatutoryexception
andtotheprovisionsofrelevantcollectivelicensingagreements,
noreproductionofanypartmaytakeplacewithoutthewritten
permissionofCambridgeUniversityPress.
Firstpublished2020
PrintedintheUnitedKingdombyTJInternationalLtd,PadstowCornwall
AcataloguerecordforthispublicationisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary.
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Names:Barrett,JillM.,1958–author.|Beckman,RobertC.(Lawteacher),author.
Title:Handbookongoodtreatypractice/JillBarrett,QueenMaryUniversityofLondon;
RobertBeckman,NationalUniversityofSingapore;assistedbyPaulBarnett,RanytaYusran,
HaoDuyPhan.
Description:Cambridge,UnitedKingdom;NewYork,NY:CambridgeUniversityPress,
[2019]|Includesindex.
Identifiers:LCCN2019018405|ISBN9781107111905
Subjects:LCSH:Treaty-makingpower.|Treaties.
Classification:LCCK3342.B372019|DDC341/.1–dc23
LCrecordavailableathttps://lccn.loc.gov/2019018405
ISBN978-1-107-11190-5Hardback
ISBN978-1-107-53068-3Paperback
CambridgeUniversityPresshasnoresponsibilityforthepersistenceoraccuracyof
URLsforexternalorthird-partyinternetwebsitesreferredtointhispublication
anddoesnotguaranteethatanycontentonsuchwebsitesis,orwillremain,
accurateorappropriate.
Contents
ListofFigures pagexxi
ListofBoxes xxii
Acknowledgements xxiii
TableofCases xxvi
TableofTreatiesandotherInternationalInstruments xxvii
TableofLegislation xxxix
ListofAbbreviations xl
1 IntroductiontoGoodTreatyPractice 1
2 OrganisingTreatyWorkinGovernmentsandInternationalOrganisations 42
3 TreatiesandOtherKindsofInternationalInstruments 79
4 ManagingandUsingTreatyCollections 123
5 MakingaNewTreaty:Negotiation,DraftingandProduction 158
6 PreparingtoBecomePartytoaTreaty 203
7 BecomingPartytoaTreaty:ConsenttoBeBoundandEntryintoForce 244
8 ContinuingEngagementwiththeTreatyThroughoutitsLife 289
9 EndingTreatyRelations 332
10 TheFutureofTreatyPractice 387
Annexes 417
Glossary 464
SuggestedFurtherReading 469
Index 471
Contents
1 IntroductiontoGoodTreatyPractice page1
WhoThisHandbookIsFor:InsideandBeyondtheTreatyOffice 1
WhatAre‘Treaties’andWhyAreTheysoImportant? 3
TreatyPracticeandtheLawofTreaties 6
TreatyPractice 6
TreatyPracticeversustheLawofTreaties 8
TheLawofTreaties:InternationalLawversusDomesticLaw 8
TreatyActionontheInternationalPlaneversustheDomesticPlane 9
HowthisHandbookApproachestheInternationalandDomestic
LawofTreaties 10
WhatIsGoodTreatyPractice? 11
TheNeedforNewGenericPrinciplesforGoodTreatyPractice 11
ThePLATOPrinciplesforGoodTreatyPractice 14
HowHavetheExamplesofGoodTreatyPracticeinthisHandbookBeen
Selected? 18
TreatyStakeholderAnalysisforaState 19
TreatyStakeholderAnalysisforanIO 32
2 OrganisingTreatyWorkinGovernmentsandInternationalOrganisations 42
Introduction:WhyOrganisationofTreatyWorkMatters 43
PoorOrganisationofTreatyWork:WhatCanGoWrong? 45
Scenario1:ExampleofFailuretoCentraliseorCo-ordinate
theConclusionofTreaties 45
Scenario2:ExampleofFailuretoConsultInternational
LawAdvisers 45
ApplyingthePLATOPrinciplestotheOrganisationofTreatyWork 46
DoesOrganisationofTreatyWorkRaiseDifferentIssues
forGovernmentsandIOs? 46
OverviewofAllTreatyFunctionsofaGovernmentorIO 47
WhichTreatyFunctionsCanorShouldBeCentralised? 47
WhethertoEstablishaTreatyOffice 50
IsitNecessarytoHaveaTreatyOffice? 50
States 50
InternationalOrganisations 51
IsitDesirabletoEstablishaTreatyOffice–eveninaSmallStateorIO? 52
