For thousands of years international law and treaties have provided legal rules and processes, generally generated by more than one state, to regulate the international transactions of both states and private parties.
The United Nations Charter (1945) is both a multilateral treaty and the constituent instrument of the United Nations. An example of a regional agreement that operates as a constituent agreement is the charter of the Organization of American States (Charter of Bogotá), which established the organization in 1948.
The Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties defines a 'treaty' as 'an international agreement concluded between states in written form and governed by international law, whether embodied in a single instrument or in two or more related instruments and whatever its particular designation' (Article 2(1)(a)).
A treaty is negotiated by a group of countries, either through an organization set up for that specific purpose, or through an existing body such as the United Nations (UN) Council for Disarmament.
International trade agreements are formal s between countries that establish the rules and guidelines for trade between them.
Geneva Protocol. Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BWC) ... United Nations Security Council Resolution 1540 (UNSCR 1540) ... Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) ... International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR (2005)) ... International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) ... Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI)
Some common types of international contracts include sales agreements, distribution agreements, licensing agreements, joint venture agreements, and employment contracts.