The chapter focuses on a technical and yet imperative question of why organisation of treaty work matters. It discusses what can go wrong if a State or IO has poor treaty organisation. The chapter also address questions related to the functions of the Treaty Office, where it should be located, who should work in it and its important role in in maintaining good organisation of treaty work.

For any State or IO, the accurate and efficient management of treaty records is of fundamental importance. This chapter looks at the how’s and whys of keeping treaty records, where the information comes from and what treaty officials do with it. It looks at ways of managing all treaty-related information and permanently preserving treaties and associated documents, and what one needs to consider when doing so. It addresses what different users might need treaty information for, and the ways in which they might use it. It looks first at internal users such as the Treaty Office and those closely associated with it, such as legal advisers and policy makers within the government or IO. It then considers the needs of ‘external users‘ in effect, everyone else. Lastly, it considers the role of depositaries.