international agreement

international agreement

Instrument by which nation-states and international organizations regulate matters of concern. They are governed by international law, and their purposes include the development and codification of international law, the creation of international bodies, and the resolution of actual and potential international conflict. The most comprehensive agreement is a treaty; others, including conventions (e.g., the Geneva Conventions), charters (e.g., the UN charter), and pacts (e.g., the Kellogg-Briand Pact), are less formal and rely primarily on goodwill. Agreements may be negotiated between states, between an organization and a state, between organizations, or between any of those and a nongovernmental organization.