The first step in the process of researching of a multilateral treaty is to find a citation to a full-text treaty source. If you already have a citation, skip this step and use the citation to retrieve the treaty text. To find a citation, use one of the resources described in the table below. Note that some of these resources also provide direct links to treaty texts. Others are treaty indexes that provide only citations to full-text sources.
| Title & Description | Dates of Coverage | Print Holdings | Online Access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cumulative Index to the U.N. Treaty Series The U.N. Treaty Series (U.N.T.S.) contains the full texts of more than 100,000 multilateral and bilateral treaties that have been registered or recorded with the U.N. from 1946-present. Each volume of the Cumulative Index to the U.N.T.S. covers a specified date range (corresponding to a range of U.N.T. S. volume numbers) and is divided into two sections. The first section (Chronological Index) lists treaties by date of adoption or signature and includes updates for older treaties. The second section (Alphabetical Index) lists treaties by subject and by country. Each entry includes the volume of the U.N.T.S. in which the full text of the treaty appears and/or the registration number of the treaty. |
1946-present | REF KZ171 .U512 1999 | U.N. Treaty Collection Each volume of the Cumulative Index to the U.N.T.S. can be downloaded in PDF format. It is also possible to search by keyword across all volumes of the index. For greater precision when searching the Cumulative Index, it is preferable to use HeinOnline (see below). HeinOnline's World Treaty Library The Cumulative Index to the U.N.T.S. is one of several treaty indexes and collections included in Hein's World Treaty Library. By default, all available sources are searched. To search only the Cumulative Index to the U.N.T.S., you must highlight it in the list of sources. Citations retrieved in the search results include direct links to treaty texts. |
| FLARE Index to Treaties Hosted by the Institute for Advanced Legal Studies in London, FLARE's searchable database includes more than 2,000 of the most significant multilateral treaties concluded from 1353 onward, as well as key bilateral treaties concluded between 1353 and 1815. Each record in the database includes basic information about the treaty, including citations to full-text sources, and links for accessing the full text online, if available. |
1353-present. | Online only. | FLARE website The database may be searched by keyword (free text), by date of conclusion, and by the location at which the treaty was concluded. |
| Multilateral Treaty Calendar (Wiktor) This single volume index covers multilateral treaties concluded between 1648 and 1995. Treaties are arranged chronologically by date of signature. Each entry provides basic information about the treaty, including the subject matter, the parties, and the date of entry into force, along with one or more citations to full-text sources. Also includes a general subject index and a glossary of main subjects in English and French. |
1648-1995 | REF KZ118 .W55 1998 | HeinOnline's World Treaty Library The Multilateral Treaty Calendar is one of several treaty indexes and collections included in Hein's World Treaty Library. By default, all available sources are searched. To search only the Multilateral Treaty Calendar, you must highlight it in the list of sources. |
| Multilateral Treaties: Index & Current Status (Bowman & Harris) Covers more than a thousand multilateral treaties concluded between 1853 and 1993. Treaties are arranged chronologically by date of signature. Each entry provides basic information about the treaty and one or more citations to full-text sources. Also includes brief subject and keyword indexes. The last supplement was published in 1995. |
1853-1993 | REF KZ118 . M8 1984 | Content from the Bowman & Harris index is included in the FLARE Index to Treaties online database (see above). |
| Rohn's World Treaty Index (2d edition) This five-volume set includes both multilateral and bilateral treaties concluded between 1900 and 1980, along with a few treaties concluded in the 19th century. Treaties are arranged chronologically by date of signature. Each entry provides basic information about the treaty and citations to one or more full-text sources. Volume IV contains a party (country) index, and Volume V contains a subject (keyword) index. This resource has not been updated since the second edition was published in 1983 |
1900-1980. | REF KZ173 .R63 1983 | HeinOnline's World Treaty Library Rohn's World Treaty Index is one of several treaty indexes and collections included in Hein's World Treaty Library. By default, all available sources are searched. To search only Rohn's World Treaty Index, you must highlight it in the list of sources. |