Research Guides: Traditional Knowledge and Intellectual Property: Treaties and Agreements

Treaties, Conventions, and United Nations Documents

United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (A/61/2297 (2007))
Article 31
1. Indigenous peoples have the right to maintain, control, protect and develop their cultural heritage, traditional knowledge and traditional cultural expressions..... 2. In conjunction with indigenous peoples, States shall take effective measures to recognize and protect the exercise of these rights.
(UNESCO) Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (2005)
Convention, recommendations and declarations, country and region information
Convention on Biological Diversity (1992)
The Convention, the Cartagena Protocol, the Nagoya Protocol, and associated news, decisions & recommendations, meetings, and notifications
(UNESCO) Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage (1972)
Convention, recommendations and declarations, country and regional information
TRIPS Article 27.3b, traditional knowledge, biodiversity
World Trade Organization's site: news, briefing, Secretariat documents, and additional documents
(UNESCO) Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage
Guide to Treaty Research
research guide provided by the Arthur W. Diamond Law Library (Columbia Law School), updated April, 2015

WIPO Lex
IP laws of WIPO, WTO, and United Nations member countries
Mini-Lesson on Foreign Legal Research
CWRU Law Library blog entry from 2011
List of Foreign Governments (Northwestern University)
This site provides links to the official site of the governments of most countries of the world.
Article 38, Statute of the International Court of Justice sources of international law
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a. international conventions, whether general or particular, establishing rules expressly recognized by the contesting states;

b. international custom, as evidence of a general practice accepted as law;

c. the general principles of law recognized by civilized nations;

d. subject to the provisions of Article 59, judicial decisions and the teachings of the most highly qualified publicists of the various nations, as subsidiary means for the determination of rules of law.