self-executing treaty

A self-executing treaty is a binding international agreement that, upon ratification, directly becomes part of a country's domestic law without requiring further legislative action. This means individuals can directly invoke its provisions in national courts. In contrast, non-self-executing treaties need domestic legislation to be enacted before they can be enforced within a country. The determination of whether a treaty is self-executing depends on the intent of the signatories and judicial interpretation. The principle of pacta sunt servanda, meaning "agreements must be kept," underscores the binding nature of all treaties.123