Guides and Resources: Human Rights: Finding Treaties

Finding Treaties

Bayefsky.com
This site provides links to reports, concluding observations, ratifications, reservations and declarations, jurisprudence and other types of documents on the major U.N. human rights treaties. It is searchable by type of document, country or subject matter.
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
Although not the same as a decision from a national or international court, these treaty body decisions are easily grouped together with other case law materials for the purposes of human rights research.
United Nations Treaty Collection
United Nations Treaty Series (UNTS) and the Status of Treaties Deposited with the Secretary-General are available here in electronic format. Images from the treaty series, ratification information reservations and declarations are available. Searching is complicated and we recommend the advanced search interface. Please see a librarian if you need assistance. The law library also has the UNTS in print. Sometimes, the print may be easier to use if you already have a citation.
United Nations Document System (ODS)
ODS is a source for pdf copies of U.N. documents of all sorts, including treaty body materials. It is best used when you have a U.N. document number (e.g. CERD/C/225/Add.1) and want the full-text of the document.

Treaties and Agreements Library
This library includes all U.S. treaties, whether currently in-force, expired, or not-yet officially published. This is the world's largest and most complete online collection of U.S. treaties and agreements and includes such prominent collections as the United States Treaties and Other International Agreements set (commonly referred to as the "Blue set"), as well as famous sets from Bevans, Miller, Malloy and others.

University of Minnesota Human Rights Library
A comprehensive online collection of human rights documents and includes bluebook citations.
EUR-Lex
EUR-Lex provides access to EU law and other documents considered to be public. It contains more than 2,815,000 documents with texts dating back to 1951.

Treaties for Regional Human Rights Systems

Europe, the Americas, and Africa all have regional human rights systems that include treaties, reporting structures and complaint methods. Below are listed the treaties and supervising organization for each region.

African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights
The Commission requires periodic state reporting about the advancement of human rights within each state party.
Americas: American Convention on Human Rights
American Declaration on the Rights and Duties of Man
Council of Europe
The Council of Europe seeks to develop throughout Europe common and democratic principles based on the European Convention on Human Rights and other reference texts on the protection of individuals.
Europe: Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms
Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
Official site that includes recent, full-text Commission annual reports and country reports as well as other basic documents.
Protocol to the African Charter on Human Rights and Peoples' Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa

Status of Treaties

Status of treaties - There are many sources for status information. Consult sources from the body that issued the international instrument (the U.N. committee, the Council of Europe, etc.).

African Union Treaties
Provides a list of treaties with links to ratification tables.
Council of Europe Treaty Office
Provides status information, signatures and ratifications, and declarations / reservations.
Multilateral Treaties Deposited with the Secretary-General (MTDSG)
This source contains the current status of over 500 multilateral treaties including declarations and reservations. Updated online more frequently than in print.
U.S. Department of State, Treaties in Force
Good source to determine if a treaty is in force for the United States. This resource will also provide a US citation for a treaty, if available.