Secretary-General Hails Treaty Series as Pivotal in Strengthening Rule of Law,

Promoting Transparent International Relations

NEW YORK, 10 February (Office of Legal Affairs) — By making treaties widely accessible to Member States and the public, the United Nations Treaty Series collection played a pivotal role in strengthening the rule of law and promoting transparency in international relations, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said.

“It is also keeping pace with the times, and is now available on the Treaty Section’s website, which will progressively become the primary gateway for information on published treaties,” he said on the occasion marking publication of the 2,500^th volume of the Treaty Series.  “This milestone provides an excellent opportunity to highlight the critical role this publication has played over the past 66 years,” he added.

The Treaty Series is mandated by the United Nations Charter, Article 102 of which creates a legal obligation for Member States to submit for registration with the Secretariat every treaty and international agreement into which they enter, and for the Secretariat to publish them.  “This is not just a bureaucratic requirement,” the Secretary-General emphasized, describing the Series as the most comprehensive and authoritative source of information of its kind.  “Treaties and international agreements that have not been registered cannot be invoked before any organ of the United Nations,” he pointed out.

Commending staff involved in preparing, publishing and disseminating the Series, the Secretary-General thanked Legal Counsel Patricia O’Brien, the Treaty Section of the Office of Legal Affairs, the Publishing Section of the Department for General Assembly Affairs and Conference Management, and the Sales and Marketing Section of the Department of Public Information.

Now available in print and online (http://treaties.un.org), the United Nations Treaty Series is a collection of all treaties and international agreements registered with the Secretariat since 1946, with a list of participating parties.  The printed volumes reproduce the texts of the treaties and international agreements in their authentic language(s), together with translations in English and French.  A cumulative index provides access to the volumes by subject, participants and date.

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For information media • not an official record