Geneva Conventions
A flag on the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland on December 4, 2018. The Geneva Conventions tasked the committee with protecting victims of armed conflicts and monitoring countries' compliance with the conventions.
Source: Denis Balibouse/Reuters
Who does it cover? 196 parties.
What does it do? The four conventions gave wartime protection to the sick, the wounded, the shipwrecked, prisoners of war, and all civilians.
When did it take effect? The conventions took place between 1864 and 1949. The fourth and last one took effect in 1950.
Why does it matter? The fourth Geneva convention, which updated the terms of the previous conventions, in particular represented an effort among world leaders to define human rights in the wake of World War II, the deadliest conflict in human history.
How does it work? The conventions place responsibility on countries to implement and enforce the protocols, including the prosecution of violators.
Genocide Convention
Pictures of victims of Rwanda's 1994 genocide, in which 800,000 Tutsi and politically moderate Hutus died, are installed on a wall inside the Gisozi memorial in Kigali on April 5, 2004.
Source: Radu Sigheti/Reuters
Who does it cover? 152 parties.
What does it do? It defines genocide as “acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group.” It also classifies genocide as a crime against humanity.
When did it take effect? 1951
Why does it matter? This was the first human rights treaty adopted by the UN General Assembly.
How does it work? Today, the International Criminal Court and other tribunals assess cases of genocide. However, a country may not surrender a person accused of genocide if its national laws don’t allow for extradition.
Law of the Sea Convention
A Chinese fishing vessel that ran aground in Tubbataha Reef, a UNESCO World Heritage site, on Monday is pictured in Palawan Province, west of Manila, Philippines, on April 10, 2013.
Source: Philippines Naval Forces West via Reuters
Who does it cover? 168 parties. (The European Union as a whole is one party.)
What does it do? The convention covers a country’s sovereignty over its territorial waters, as well as navigation and economic rights in other waters, like the high seas, and over unclaimed territory, like deep sea beds and continental shelves.
When did it take effect? 1994
Why does it matter? Because oceans are inherently transnational, governance of oceans needs to be transnational as well.
How does it work? Disputes among parties can be resolved by the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea. However, several important seafaring countries (including the United States) are not party to the treaty.
Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty
A dense column of smoke rises more than 60,000 feet into the air over the Japanese port of Nagasaki, the result of an atomic bomb, the second ever used in warfare, dropped on the industrial center on August 9, 1945.
Source: U.S. National Archives
Who does it cover? 191 parties.
What does it do? The five treaty parties with nuclear weapons (the United States, China, France, Russia, and the United Kingdom) pledge to not supply nuclear weapons to nonnuclear weapons states. Each nonnuclear country pledges to follow standards set by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and to not to develop nuclear capabilities for non-peaceful purposes.
When did it take effect? 1970
Why does it matter? Nuclear war could end life on earth. The goals of nonproliferation and disarmament depend on the “grand bargain” that nuclear weapons states will fulfill their promise to work towards those goals.
How does it work? The IAEA is tasked with ensuring compliance among treaty parties. However, several nonnuclear weapons states that are parties to the treaty have been accused of pursuing nuclear weapons anyway. Moreover, several countries with nuclear weapons have never signed the treaty, and North Korea withdrew from it in 2003.
Outer Space Treaty
Tropical Storm Bill in the Gulf of Mexico is seen approaching the coast of Texas in this picture from NASA astronaut Scott Kelly on the International Space Station, taken June 15, 2015.
Source: NASA via Reuters
Who does it cover? 110 parties.
What does it do? It declares that outer space is an area of common global interest for exploration and scientific development and prohibits any national claims over it.
When did it take effect? 1967
Why does it matter? Outer space—like the earth’s oceans—may have untapped resources that countries will compete over in the future.
How does it work? Under the treaty, countries are tasked with regulating space activities by non-government entities. However, if a country accuses another country of a violation, the treaty only provides that the accusing country “may request consultation concerning the activity or experiment.”
Paris Agreement
A view of the Runge reservoir in the town of Runge, some 60 kilometers (37 miles) north of Santiago, Chile, on February 3, 2012.
Source: Ivan Alvarado/Reuters
Who does it cover? 189 parties.
What does it do? In an effort to address climate change, parties committed to voluntary reductions in carbon emissions, with the goal of keeping the rise in global temperature below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
When did it take effect? 2016
Why does it matter? Climate change triggers disasters like rising sea levels, deadly storms, droughts, famine, and conflicts over dwindling resources. The Paris agreement represents a collective effort to mitigate those effects.
How does it work? Beginning in 2020, parties will submit updated carbon reduction plans every five years. However, commitments under the Paris Agreement are voluntary; there are no rules for how and by how much countries should cut their emissions.
Refugee Convention
A Syrian refugee woman walks between tents in the Nizip refugee camp, near the Turkish-Syrian border in the Gaziantep province of Turkey on November 30, 2016.
Source: Umit Bektas/Reuters
Who does it cover? 146 parties.
What does it do? It defines what a refugee is, what rights refugees have, and what legal obligations countries have to refugees.
When did it take effect? 1954.
Why does it matter? Today there are about 79.5 million forcibly displaced people in the world, the most there’s ever been. The labels that countries give to these people can affect the rights and protections that host countries bestow on them.
How does it work? The office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) coordinates international actions to address refugee issues. However, it cannot enforce compliance with the convention. And the convention does not address the issue of internally displaced people.
Rome Statute
Presiding Judge Robert Fremr in the courtroom during the trial of Congolese warlord Bosco Ntaganda at the International Criminal Court in the Hague, the Netherlands, on August 28, 2018.
Source: Bas Czerwinski/Pool via Reuters
Who does it cover? 123 parties.
What does it do? It created the International Criminal Court, the first permanent international treaty-based court.
When did it take effect? 2002.
Why does it matter? The prosecution of war criminals by the International Criminal Court (ICC) demonstrates that those who commit atrocities don’t always operate with impunity or get let off the hook with negotiations. And the Rome Statute set important precendents--for example, the definition of targeted rape as a war crime and a crime against humanity.
How does it work? The International Criminal Court prosecutes four crimes: genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and crimes of aggression. However, its ability to prosecute relies on country compliance. All cases so far have been against nationals of African countries, and several powerful countries—including the United States—are not parties to the treaty.
Terrorist Financing Convention
Militants of al Shabaab train with weapons on a street in the outskirts of Mogadishu, Somalia, on November 4, 2008.
Source: Feisal Omar/Reuters
Who does it cover? 189 parties.
What does it do? It declares that country have a duty to criminalize the funding of terrorism and mandates that governments freeze and confiscate funds used to finance terrorist activities.
When did it take effect? 2002
Why does it matter? Terrorist groups like al-Qaeda, the self-proclaimed Islamic State, and their affiliates have killed thousands of people around the world. Cutting off their funding sources is a challenge for countries because these groups are often funded through criminal activities, not formal, regulated channels.
How does it work? Jurisdiction over terrorism financing offenses is given to the country in which the offense is committed. However, there is no enforcement mechanism to make sure that countries comply.
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Eleanor Roosevelt holds a poster of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Lake Success, New York, in November 1949.
Source: Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum
Who does it cover? The 193 UN members.
What does it do? The declaration affirms that all people “are born free and equal in dignity and rights” and outlines some of the political, economic, and social rights of men, women, and children.
When did it take effect? 1948
Why does it matter? The declaration is almost globally accepted, and it emphasizes the importance of “the general welfare in a democratic society.” However, democracy would not become the world’s most popular system of government until several decades after the writing of the declaration.
How does it work? While components of the declaration have been integrated into the laws of countries around the world, the declaration itself is not legally binding for members, and there is no enforcement mechanism for it.