Vienna Convention on Succession of States in Respect of Treaties

{{Short description|1978 international treaty}}{{Infobox Treaty | name = Vienna Convention on Succession of States in Respect of Treaties | long_name = | image =Vienna Convention on Succession of States in respect of Treaties parties.svg | image_width =250px | caption ={{leftlegend|#00AA00|Parties}} {{leftlegend|#EEEE00|Signatories}} {{leftlegend|#FF1111|Non-parties}} | type = | date_drafted = | date_signed = August 23, 1978 | location_signed = Vienna | date_sealed = | date_effective = November 6, 1996 | condition_effective = 15 ratifications | date_expiration = | signatories = | parties = 23<ref name=rat>{{cite web|url=http://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=XXIII-2&chapter=23&clang=_en|title=Vienna Convention on succession of States in respect of treaties|date=2013-07-26|access-date=2013-07-26|publisher=United Nations Treaty Series}}</ref> | depositor = Secretary-General of the United Nations | language = | languages = Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish | website = | wikisource = Vienna Convention on Succession of States in respect of Treaties }} thumb|200px|States succession in respect of treaties (1978) The '''Vienna Convention on Succession of States in Respect of Treaties''' is an international treaty opened for signature in 1978 to set rules on succession of states. It was adopted partly in response to the "profound transformation of the international community brought about by the decolonization process". It entered into force on 6 November 1996, which was triggered by the succession of the Republic of North Macedonia to the treaty giving it the requisite 15 parties.<ref name=rat/>

The treaty has proven to be controversial largely because it distinguishes between "newly independent states" (a euphemism for former colonies) and "cases of separation of parts of a state" (a euphemism for all other new states).

Article 16 states that newly independent states do not inherit the treaty obligations of the colonial power, whereas article 34(1) states that all other new states remain bound by the treaty obligations of the state from which they separated. Moreover, article 17 states that newly independent states may join multilateral treaties to which their former colonizers were a party without the consent of the other parties in most circumstances, whereas article 9 states that all other new states may only join multilateral treaties to which their predecessor states were a part with the consent of the other parties.

==Parties to the convention== As of February 2019, there are 23 state parties which have ratified the convention. A further 14 states signed the convention but have not ratified it.<ref name=rat/>

===List of parties=== {|class="wikitable sortable" ! State<ref name=rat/> ! Signed ! Deposited ! Method |- | {{flag|Bosnia and Herzegovina}} | | {{dts|1993|Jul|22}} | Succession from {{flag|Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia}} |- | {{flag|Brazil}} | {{dts|1978|Aug|23}} | {{dts|2019|Feb|7}} |- | {{flag|Croatia}} | | {{dts|1992|Oct|22}} | Succession from {{flag|Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia}} |- | {{flag|Cyprus}} | | {{dts|2004|Mar|12}} | Accession |- | {{flag|Czech Republic}} | {{dts|1993|Feb|22}} | {{dts|1999|Jul|26}} | Ratification<br/>Succession to the signature of {{flag|Czechoslovakia}} |- | {{flag|Dominica}} | | {{dts|1988|Jun|24}} | Accession |- | {{flag|Ecuador}} | | {{dts|2006|Jul|25}} | Accession |- | {{flag|Egypt}} | | {{dts|1986|Jul|17}} | Accession |- | {{flag|Estonia}} | | {{dts|1991|Oct|21}} | Accession |- | {{flag|Ethiopia}} | {{dts|1978|Aug|23}} | {{dts|1980|May|28}} | Ratification |- | {{flag|Iraq}} | {{dts|1979|May|23}} | {{dts|1979|Dec|5}} | Ratification |- | {{flag|Liberia}} | | {{dts|2005|Sep|16}} | Accession |- | {{flag|Moldova}} | | {{dts|2009|Feb|9}} | Accession |- | {{flag|Montenegro}} | | {{dts|2006|Oct|23}} | Succession from {{flag|Serbia and Montenegro}} |- | {{flag|Morocco}} | | {{dts|1983|Mar|31}} | Accession |- | {{flag|North Macedonia}} | | {{dts|1996|Oct|7}} | Succession from {{flag|Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia}} |- | {{flag|Saint Vincent and the Grenadines}} | | {{dts|1999|Apr|27}} | Accession |- | {{flag|Serbia}} | | {{dts|2001|Mar|12}} | Succession as {{flag|Federal Republic of Yugoslavia}} from {{flag|Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia}} |- | {{flag|Seychelles}} | | {{dts|1980|Feb|22}} | Accession |- | {{flag|Slovakia}} | {{dts|1993|May|28}} | {{dts|1995|Apr|24}} | Ratification<br/>Succession to the signature of {{flag|Czechoslovakia}} |- | {{flag|Slovenia}} | | {{dts|1992|Jul|6}} | Succession from {{flag|Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia}} |- | {{flag|Tunisia}} | | {{dts|1981|Sep|16}} | Accession |- | {{flag|Ukraine}} | | {{dts|1992|Oct|26}} | Accession |}

===List of signatory states=== {|class="wikitable sortable" ! State<ref name=rat/> ! Signed |- | {{flag|Angola}} | {{dts|1978|Aug|23}} |- | {{flag|Chile}} | {{dts|1978|Aug|23}} |- | {{flag|Côte d'Ivoire}} | {{dts|1978|Aug|23}} |- | {{flag|DR Congo}} | {{dts|1978|Aug|23}} |- | {{flag|Holy See}} | {{dts|1978|Aug|23}} |- | {{flag|Madagascar}} | {{dts|1978|Aug|23}} |- | {{flag|Niger}} | {{dts|1978|Aug|23}} |- | {{flag|Pakistan}} | {{dts|1979|Jan|10}} |- | {{flag|Paraguay}} | {{dts|1979|Aug|31}} |- | {{flag|Peru}} | {{dts|1978|Aug|30}} |- | {{flag|Poland}} | {{dts|1979|Aug|16}} |- | {{flag|Senegal}} | {{dts|1978|Aug|23}} |- | {{flag|Sudan}} | {{dts|1978|Aug|23}} |- | {{flag|Uruguay}} | {{dts|1978|Aug|23}} |}

==See also== *Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (1969) *Vienna Conventions

==References== {{reflist}} *[https://legal.un.org/ilc/texts/instruments/english/conventions/3_2_1978.pdf Vienna Convention on Succession of States in respect of Treaties]. *[https://www.un.org/law/ International Law website at the United Nations.] *[https://legal.un.org/avl/ha/vcssrt/vcssrt.html The Vienna Convention on Succession of States in respect of Treaties on the United Nations Audiovisual Library of International Law] with an introductory note by Anthony Aust.

Category:Decolonization Category:Successor states Category:Treaties drafted by the International Law Commission Category:Treaties concluded in 1978 Category:Treaties entered into force in 1996 Category:United Nations treaties Category:1978 in Austria Category:Treaties of Bosnia and Herzegovina Category:Treaties of Croatia Category:Treaties of Cyprus Category:Treaties of the Czech Republic Category:Treaties of Dominica Category:Treaties of Ecuador Category:Treaties of Egypt Category:Treaties of Estonia Category:Treaties of the Derg Category:Treaties of Ba'athist Iraq Category:Treaties of Liberia Category:Treaties of Montenegro Category:Treaties of Morocco Category:Treaties of Moldova Category:Treaties of Serbia and Montenegro Category:Treaties of Seychelles Category:Treaties of Slovakia Category:Treaties of Slovenia Category:Treaties of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Category:Treaties of North Macedonia Category:Treaties of Tunisia Category:Treaties of Ukraine Category:Treaties of Yugoslavia Category:Treaty law treaties