UNCAT Ratification Tool
instrument, such copy may be accepted for deposit but that State must also provide the original as
soon as possible thereafter to the Treaty Section.
The contact information for the Treaty Section is as follows:
Treaty Section
Office of Legal Affairs
United Nations
New York, NY 10017
USA
Tel: 1‐212 963 5047
Fax: 1‐212‐963‐3693
Email: treaty@un.org,
TreatyRegistration@un.org
ENTRY INTO FORCE
The Convention enters into force on the thirtieth day after the date of the deposit of the instrument
of ratification or accession (see UNCAT article 27(2)).
Reservations and declarations
Reservations to treaties modify or exclude the legal effect of its provisions. As provided in the 1969
Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, where they are allowed, reservations must be specific and
must not be incompatible with the object and purpose of the treaty.10
The Convention against Torture (UNCAT) does not exclude the possibility that States may make
reservations at ratification or accession. Indeed, the Convention explicitly provides that reservations
may be made to exclude certain provisions related to visits described in article 20 (per article 28) and
the resolution of disputes (article 30(1)). Further voluntary declarations may be made at any time
after ratification or accession to allow for State and individual communications to the Committee
against Torture.
Examples of reservations explicitly permitted:
China:
“(1) The Chinese Government does not recognize the competence of the Committee against Torture
as provided for in article 20 of the Convention.
“(2) The Chinese Government does not consider itself bound by paragraph l of article 30 of the
Convention.”
France:
“The Government of France declares in accordance with article 30, paragraph 2, of the Convention,
that it shall not be bound by the provisions of paragraph 1 of [article 30].”
In addition to explicitly permitted reservations, recent reservations to human rights treaties,
including the UNCAT, reveal a tendency for States to enter reservations which attempt to modify or
exclude the legal effect of important treaty provisions. Such reservations could serve as stumbling
10
For more advice on the lawfulness of reservations to treaties, see the UN Guide to Practice on Reservations
to Treaties (2011), adopted by the International Law Commission 63rd session.
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