Research Guides: International Commercial Arbitration : International Agreements & Conventions

Conventions & Agreements

The Geneva Convention: the signature-and-seals page of the 1864 Geneva Convention, that established humane rules of war.

1954 Geneva Conference.

Conventions and other International Instruments

Conventions and Treaties signed by signatories of states bind private actors to the terms of that agreement through the domestic application of the treaty provisions. These agreements may be bilateral (between two countries/states) or multilateral (between three or more countries/states).

Only some places where these treaties and agreements are republished are considered "official" and having a binding version of that agreement. So, even if you find a republished version through Google, that may not mean it is a binding replication of the text. Frequently, they are published officially online through particular websites sponsored by the international organization(s) that created the agreement.

Compilations were frequent before the days of electronic research, and these compilations are frequently published in loose-leaf format. Additionally, treaties and conventions may also be found individually.

This is not a complete list of all conventions etc., but offers a broad starting ground for research. See also: "National Legislation & Treaties" and "Legal Authorities Background."

CISG
The United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG) has been the most successful unification of procedures for commercial law at an international level.
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This UN resource gives background, procedural history, documents, and the current status of the agreement.
CISG
Pace Law School offers another access point to the CISG agreement.
Convention on Agency in the International Sale of Goods
A aspect of UNIDROIT
Energy Charter Treaty, 1994
The Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) is an international agreement which creates a multilateral framework for cross-border co-operations in the energy industry. Includes all avenues of commercial energy use.
Geneva Convention on the Execution of Foreign Awards, 1927
The Geneva Conventions comprise four treaties, and three additional protocols, that establish the standards of international law for the humanitarian treatment of war.
Geneva Convention: European Convention on International Commercial Arbitration
The Geneva Conventions comprise four treaties, and three additional protocols, that establish the standards of international law for the humanitarian treatment of war.
Geneva Protocol on Arbitration Clauses
The Geneva Conventions comprise four treaties, and three additional protocols, that establish the standards of international law for the humanitarian treatment of war.
Hague Convention on the Taking of Evidence Abroad in Civil or Commercial Matters
The Convention on the Taking of Evidence Abroad in Civil or Commercial Matters (the Hague Evidence Convention), is a multilateral treaty which was drafted under the Hague Conference on Private International Law. It allows transmission of letters of request from one signatory state to another signatory state without recourse to consular and diplomatic channels.
Hague Convention: Convention for the Pacific Settlement of International Disputes
The Hague Conventions of 1899 and 1907 are a series of international treaties and declarations negotiated at two international peace conferences at The Hague in the Netherlands. In addition to the Geneva Conventions, the Hague Conventions were among the first formal statements of the laws of war and war crimes in the body of secular international law.
International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID)
The ICSID Convention is a multilateral treaty established under the Convention on the Settlement of Investment Disputes between States and Nationals of Other States (the ICSID or the Washington Convention) formulated by the Executive Directors of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (the World Bank), which was entered into force in 1966.
Montevideo Convention
The provisions of which are available at this University website.
Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA)
A member of the World Bank Group, MIGA was established "to promote foreign direct investment (FDI) into developing countries to help support economic growth, reduce poverty, and improve people's lives."
New York Convention
The Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards, also known as the "New York Arbitration Convention" or the "New York Convention," is "one of the key instruments in international arbitration." It applies to the enforement and recognition of arbitral awards and to arbitration courts.
North American Agreement On Environmental Cooperation (NAAEC)
Agreement between the Government's of Canada, the United Mexican States, and the United States of America
Organisation pour l'Harmonisation en Afrique du Droit des Affaires (OHADA)
Panama Convention
Inter-American Convention on International Commercial Arbitration
Statute of the International Court of Justice
The Statute of the International Court of Justice is annexed to the Charter of the UN. It is designed to organize the composition and the functioning of the Court.
Strasbourg Arbitration Convention
European Convention providing a uniform law on arbitration
UNCITRAL
The United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) is the core legal body for the United Nations system as it relates to trade law, and has been reforming the system for over 40 years.
UNIDROIT
International Institute for the Unification of Private Law
Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties
This Convention was adopted in 1969 by the United Nations Conference on the Law of Treaties.