The publication of treaties refers to the formal process by which concluded international agreements are made publicly available, most commonly through registration with the United Nations Secretariat and inclusion in the United Nations Treaty Series (UNTS). The legal basis is Article 102 of the UN Charter, which requires that "every treaty and every international agreement entered into by any Member of the United Nations after the present Charter comes into force shall as soon as possible be registered with the Secretariat and published by it."
The consequence of non-registration is significant but limited: under Article 102(2), an unregistered treaty cannot be invoked before any organ of the United Nations, including the International Court of Justice. The treaty remains valid between the parties, but loses a forum for enforcement within the UN system. This rule was designed as a reaction against the secret treaties of the pre-1919 era, building on Article 18 of the Covenant of the League of Nations, which had a stricter sanction (non-registered treaties were deemed not binding).
Procedures are governed by General Assembly resolution 97(I) of 14 December 1946, as amended, and by the Regulations to give effect to Article 102. The UN Secretariat publishes registered instruments in the UNTS, available in print and through the United Nations Treaty Collection online database. As of recent counts, the UNTS contains over 250,000 treaties and related actions across more than 2,900 volumes.
At the domestic level, many states also publish treaties in national gazettes or official journals as a condition for their internal legal effect — for example, France's Journal officiel (per Article 55 of the 1958 Constitution) or the U.S. Treaties and Other International Acts Series (TIAS). Publication should be distinguished from related steps such as signature, ratification, entry into force, and depositary functions, though these are often handled together by the UN Secretary-General when acting as depositary.
Example
In 2016, the Paris Agreement on climate change was registered with the UN Secretariat and published in the United Nations Treaty Series following its entry into force on 4 November 2016.
Frequently asked questions
Under Article 102(2) of the UN Charter, an unregistered treaty cannot be invoked before any UN organ, including the ICJ, though it remains otherwise valid between the parties.
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