§ Mr. GillTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many international(a) conventions and (b) charters have been (i) signed and (ii) ratified by the United Kingdom since 1972. [85278]
§ Mr. Tony LloydTreaties (agreements binding in international law) are known by a variety of names, such as; Convention, Charter, Treaty, Protocol, Agreement, Final Act. etc. The term "charter" is also used to describe non-legally binding instruments.
The United Kingdom has signed a total of 587 multilateral treaties since 1972, and has ratified 387 in the same period. Of the multilateral treaties signed, 274 are conventions and 3 are charters. Of those ratified, 244 are conventions and 2 are charters. (The above figures for conventions include amending protocols to conventions, which are treaties in their own right and require separate signature and ratification). Corresponding information for bilateral conventions and charters can be provided only at disproportionate cost.