The first international agreement to formally recognize the disadvantaged position of land-locked states in global trade, establishing transit rights through coastal territories.
Key Facts
- Signed
- 8 July 1965
- Entered into force
- 9 June 1967
- Ratifying states (as of June 2014)
- 43 states
- Established by
- UN General Assembly conference on land-locked countries
- Superseded by
- UN Convention on the Law of the Sea
By the Numbers
Cause → Event → Consequence
Land-locked countries historically lacked guaranteed access to seaports for international trade, placing them at a structural disadvantage. The United Nations General Assembly recognised this inequity and convened a dedicated conference to create binding international rules addressing transit trade rights for land-locked states.
The Convention on Transit Trade of Land-locked States was concluded and signed on 8 July 1965. It obligates ratifying coastal states to arrange transit passage for land-locked states' goods without discrimination based on origin or destination, while land-locked states bear costs of supervision and protection incurred by transit states.
The treaty entered into force in 1967 and attracted 43 ratifications. It was later largely superseded by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which incorporated comparable transit provisions. The convention nonetheless established a precedent by formally acknowledging the special trade disadvantages faced by land-locked nations in international law.
Political Outcome
Treaty entered into force on 9 June 1967; ratified by 43 states; later superseded by the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.