This edition of the Handbook has been prepared by the Treaty Section of the United Nations Office of Legal Affairs, which discharges the depositary functions of the Secretary-General of the United Nations under multilateral treaties. The Handbook incorporates recent developments in the practice of the Secretary-General as depositary of multilateral treaties with regard to matters normally included in the final clauses of these treaties. Many of these developments reflect considered responses by the Office of Legal Affairs of the United Nations to concerns expressed by the international community. The Handbook is a practical guide, intended to assist those who are directly involved in multilateral treaty-making.