§ 181.9 - Publication of international agreements and qualifying non-binding instruments.

§ 181.9 Internet Web site publication.

The

Publication of international agreements and qualifying non-binding instruments.

(a) Publication of international agreements. Not later than 120 days after the date on which an international agreement enters into force, the Office of the Assistant Legal Adviser for Treaty Affairs

, with the cooperation of other bureaus in the Department, shall be responsible for making publicly available on the Internet Web site of the Department of State each treaty or international agreement proposed to be published in the compilation entitled “United States Treaties and Other International Agreements” not later than 180 days after the date on which the treaty or agreement enters into force.

[71 FR 53009, Sept. 8, 2006]

shall be responsible for making the text of the agreement, as that term is defined in § 181.10, available to the public on the website of the Department of State, unless one of the exemptions to publication in paragraph (d) of this section applies.

(b) Publication of qualifying non-binding instruments. Not less frequently than once every 120 days, the Assistant Legal Adviser for Treaty Affairs shall provide to the Bureau of Administration and the Bureau of Administration shall publish on the website of the Department of State the text, as that term is defined in § 181.10(c), of each qualifying nonbinding instrument that became operative during the preceding 120 days, unless one of the exemptions to publication in paragraph (d) of this section applies. In the case of a qualified non-binding instrument that is the subject of a communication from the Chair or Ranking Member of either of the appropriate congressional committees pursuant to section 112b(k)(5)(A)(ii)(II) of the Act, the Bureau of Legislative Affairs, in coordination with the Assistant Legal Adviser for Treaty Affairs, shall provide the text of the instrument, as that term is defined in § 181.1(c), to the Bureau of Administration for publication on the website of the Department of State, unless one of the exemptions to publication in paragraph (d) of this section applies.

(c) Publication of information related to international agreements and qualifying non-binding instruments. With respect to each international agreement published pursuant to paragraph (a) of this section and each qualifying non-binding instrument published pursuant to paragraph (b) of this section, and with respect to international agreements and qualifying non-binding instruments that have been separately published by a depositary or other similar administrative body in accordance with paragraph (d)(i)(v) of this section, the Assistant Legal Adviser for Treaty Affairs shall provide to the Bureau of Administration for publication on the website of the Department of State within the timeframes specified in those subsections a detailed description of the legal authority relied upon to enter into the agreement or instrument, and a statement describing any new or amended statutory or regulatory authority anticipated to be required to implement the agreement or instrument.

(d) Exemptions from publication.

(1) Pursuant to 1 U.S.C. 112b(b)(3), the following categories of international agreements and qualifying non-binding instruments will not be published:

(i) International agreements and qualifying non-binding instruments that contain information that has been given a national security classification pursuant to Executive Order 13526 (50 U.S.C. 3161 note; relating to classified national security information) or any predecessor or successor order, or that contain any information that is otherwise exempt from public disclosure pursuant to United States law. “Information that is otherwise exempt from public disclosure pursuant to United States law” includes information that is exempt from public disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act pursuant to one of the exemptions set out in 5 U.S.C. 552(b)(1) through (9);

(ii) International agreements and qualifying non-binding instruments that address military operations, military exercises, acquisition and cross servicing, logistics support, military personnel exchange or education programs, or the provision of health care to military personnel on a reciprocal basis;

(iii) International agreements and qualifying non-binding instruments that establish the terms of grant or other similar assistance, including in-kind assistance, financed with foreign assistance funds pursuant to the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151 et seq.) or the Food for Peace Act (7 U.S.C. 1691 et seq.);

(iv) International agreements and qualifying non-binding instruments, such as project annexes and other similar instruments, for which the principal function is to establish technical details for the implementation of a specific project undertaken pursuant to another agreement or qualifying nonbinding instrument that has been published in accordance with 1 U.S.C. 112b(b)(1) or (2);

(v) International agreements and qualifying non-binding instruments that have been separately published by a depositary or other similar administrative body, except that the information described in § 181.8(a)(3) and (6) relating to such international agreements and qualifying non-binding instruments shall be made available to the public on the website of the Department of State in accordance with paragraph (c) of this section; and

(vi) any international agreements and qualifying non-binding instruments within one of the above categories that had not been published as of September 19, 2023, unless, in the case of such a non-binding instrument, the instrument is the subject of a written communication from the Chair or Ranking Member of either the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate or the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives to the Secretary in accordance with 1 U.S.C. 112b(k)(5)(A)(ii)(II).

(2) Pursuant to 1 U.S.C. 112a(b), any international agreements and qualifying non-binding instruments in the possession of the Department of State, other than those in paragraph (d)(1)(i) of this section, but not published will be made available upon request by the Department of State.

(3) Pursuant to 1 U.S.C. 112b(l)(1), nothing in the Act may be construed to authorize the withholding from disclosure to the public of any record if such disclosure is required by law.