The Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (VCLT), also referred to as, “the treaty on treaties,” establishes guidelines for diplomatic relations between independent sovereign nations. The VCLT was adopted in Vienna on May 23, 1969 at the United Nations Conference on the Law of Treaties and went into force January 27, 1970. The United States signed the treaty in 1970, but never ratified the treaty.
The VCLT applies only to international conventions (treaties) which are written and agreed upon by States, including agreements between international organizations regardless of any relevant rules of the organization. The VCLT provides guidelines for terms and scopes of agreements, executions of agreements and consent to be bound by an agreement, applications and interpretations of agreements, and amendments to agreements. Most importantly, the VCLT states the process for terminating a treaty and grants the International Court of Justice authority over violations of these regulations.
[Last updated in July of 2024 by the Wex Definitions Team]
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