Okuzeka
International Relations & Diplomacy vocabulary · Treaties & Agreements

Convention

Meaning in international relations & diplomacy, with examples

/kənˈvenʃən/nounCommon term

In international relations & diplomacy, convention means: A formal multilateral agreement between states on a specific subject, such as human rights or the law of the sea; legally it is a type of treaty.

In Turkish: sözleşme, konvansiyon

How it is used

Many key texts are conventions: the Geneva Conventions, the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. States sign, ratify and accede to conventions and become 'parties' to them.

Example sentences

  1. The convention has been ratified by more than 180 states.

  2. Both countries are parties to the convention on migratory birds.

  3. The new convention sets common rules for cross-border data sharing.

Common collocations

  • sign a convention
  • ratify a convention
  • party to the convention
  • Geneva Conventions
  • under the convention
  • treatyA formal written agreement between states, or between states and international organisations, that is governed by international law and creates legal obligations.
  • protocolThe formal rules of behaviour and ceremony in diplomacy, such as order of precedence and forms of address; also an additional agreement that amends or adds to a treaty.
  • ratifyTo give formal final approval to a treaty, usually after a parliament agrees, so that the state becomes legally bound by it.
  • accessionThe act of a state becoming a party to a treaty that it did not sign earlier, or joining an international organisation such as the EU or NATO.
  • signatoryA state or person that has signed an agreement; in treaty law, a state that has signed a treaty but may not yet have ratified it.

More terms: Treaties & Agreements

Practise with graded reading

Reading at the right level is the fastest way to make new words stick. Pick free English books by level: