Plurilateral

Plurilateral refers to a type of international agreement or negotiation in which more than two states participate, but not all members of a given organization or system. It sits between bilateral arrangements and universal multilateral treaties: participants are a selected subset that shares common interests or commitments.

Key characteristics include voluntary participation, negotiated commitments on specific issues, and binding effect among the signatories. Accessions are possible under agreed rules, and the arrangement may operate within or alongside a broader framework, such as the World Trade Organization (WTO). Plurilateral deals can be faster to negotiate and implement than universal treaties, but they can also create fragmentation if non-participants adopt divergent measures.

In practice, plurilateral arrangements are common in international trade. Within the WTO, included examples are the Information Technology Agreement (ITA), which covers tariffs on information technology products and is open to WTO members on agreed terms, and the Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA), a plurilateral accord governing procurement markets among a subset of WTO members. Other sectors and issue areas—such as services, chemicals, or environmental measures—may also employ plurilateral formats, especially when consensus among all potential participants is difficult to achieve.

Plurilateral agreements are distinct from bilateral deals (two parties) and universal multilateral treaties (open to all relevant states). They offer a flexible mechanism for deeper cooperation among like-minded states while continuing to engage with broader international regimes.