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International Relations & Diplomacy vocabulary · Treaties & Agreements

Reservation

Meaning in international relations & diplomacy, with examples

/ˌrezəˈveɪʃən/nounAdvanced term

In international relations & diplomacy, reservation means: A formal statement made by a state when joining a treaty, saying that it will not apply certain provisions, or will apply them in a limited way.

In Turkish: çekince

How it is used

States 'enter', 'make', 'withdraw' or 'object to' reservations. A reservation may not be incompatible with the object and purpose of the treaty. 'Interpretative declarations' are similar but only explain how a state understands a provision.

Example sentences

  1. The government ratified the convention with a reservation on article 12.

  2. Several states objected to the reservation.

  3. The country withdrew its reservation after changing its domestic law.

Common collocations

  • enter a reservation
  • withdraw a reservation
  • object to a reservation
  • reservations and declarations
  • treatyA formal written agreement between states, or between states and international organisations, that is governed by international law and creates legal obligations.
  • ratifyTo give formal final approval to a treaty, usually after a parliament agrees, so that the state becomes legally bound by it.
  • conventionA 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.
  • 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.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Treaties & Agreements

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