Which of the following is an example of a bilateral treaty?

• A. An agreement between Indonesia and Australia on the framework for security cooperation
• B. The Charter of the United Nations
• C. The Universal Declaration on Human Rights
• D. A domestic security ordinance

Answer: (A)

Bilateral treaties are formal international agreements between two sovereign states that create legally binding obligations under international law. The example involving Indonesia and Australia fits this perfectly because it is an agreement directly between two countries to cooperate on security matters, tying those two states to mutual commitments.

The Charter of the United Nations, while a foundational international treaty, involves a large number of member states and establishes the framework and rules for the UN system, making it a multilateral treaty. The Universal Declaration on Human Rights is a declaration adopted by the UN General Assembly and, unlike a treaty, is not legally binding in the same way. A domestic security ordinance is internal legislation within one country and does not constitute an agreement between states, so it is not an international treaty at all.

So the bilateral example is the one that shows a formal agreement between two states.