Relevant international instruments

International legal instruments take the form of a treaty (also called agreement, convention, protocol) which may be binding on the Contracting States. When negotiations are completed, the text of a treaty is established as authentic and definitive and is "signed" to that effect by the representatives of states. There are various means by which a state expresses its consent to be bound by a treaty. The most common are ratification or accession.

A new treaty is "ratified" by those states who have negotiated the instrument.

A state which has not participated in the negotiations may, at a later stage, "accede" to the treaty.

The treaty enters into force when a pre-determined number of states have ratified or acceded to the treaty.

When a state ratifies or accedes to a treaty, that state may make reservations to one or more articles of the treaty, unless reservations are prohibited by the treaty. Reservations may normally be withdrawn at any time.

In some countries, international treaties take precedence over national law; in others, a specific law may be required to give an international treaty, although ratified or acceded to, the force of a national law. Practically all states which have ratified or acceded to an international treaty must issue decrees, amend existing laws or introduce new legislation in order for the treaty to be fully effective on the national territory.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights [full text]  [abbreviated version]

European Convention on Human Rights [full text]  [abbreviated version]

European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment [full text]

European Social Charter [full text]

Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities [full text]

previous