International and treaty law: where to read the law
A cross-border matter usually turns on facts nobody can reason their way to: whether a state is a party to an instrument, what it reserved when it acceded, and when the thing entered into force for that state. The UN Treaty Collection is the authoritative answer to all three. The specialised bodies below publish the regimes a commercial matter reaches most often — arbitration, intellectual property, and the interpretation of both.
This is a directory, not a summary of the law. Nothing here tells you what a rule says - it tells you where the authoritative text lives so you can read it yourself. Links last checked .
1 of these sources did not answer an automated check. They are canonical and they open in a normal browser - the note on each says which case it is.
The sources
- United Nations Treaty CollectionPrimary lawTreaty texts, parties, reservations and entry-into-force dates. Authoritative, and free.
- UNCITRALPrimary lawThe model laws and conventions most commercial and arbitration regimes in this region are built on, plus the case law interpreting them.
- WIPO LexPrimary lawIP legislation, treaties and judgments by country. The best single source for comparative IP.
- International Court of JusticeCourtsContentious cases and advisory opinions, with the pleadings.
- OHCHR — international human rights instrumentsPrimary lawThe core instruments and their ratification status, state by state.
- WorldLIIResearch guideAggregates the national LII projects. The widest free net when you do not know where to start.Cloudflare challenge on automated requests; loads normally in a browser.
- ICLG — comparative legal guidesComparativePractice area by jurisdiction, written by local firms. Useful for orientation; always verify against primary law.