Depositary

In international law, a depositary is a government or organization to which a multilateral treaty is entrusted. The principal functions of a depositary are codified in Article 77 of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties. Belgium's Ministry of Foreign Affairs serves as the depositary for multilateral treaties such as the treaty establishing Eurocontrol. Canada's Global Affairs Canada Treaty Law Division serves as the depositary for multilateral treaties such as the Arctic Search and Rescue Agreement. France's Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs serves as the depositary for multilateral treaties such as the Geneva Protocol. Italy's Ministry of Foreign Affairs serves as the depositary for multilateral treaties such as the Treaty of Rome, which established the European Economic Community (a predecessor to the European Union). New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade serves as the depositary for multilateral treaties such as the Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership Agreement and Trans-Pacific Partnership. Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs serves as the depositary for multilateral treaties such as the Biological Weapons Convention, Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. Switzerland's Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland serves as the depositary for 78 multilateral treaties including the Geneva Conventions. The United Kingdom's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office currently acts as the depositary for documents such as Agreement on the Rescue of Astronauts, the Return of Astronauts and the Return of Objects Launched into Outer Space, Constitution of UNESCO, and the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on their Destruction. Public copies are supplied by The Stationery Office and the British Library.