Treaty Structure & Annexes

Freeze–Vote–Rebuild is easier to implement when agreements are drafted as modular instruments: a core text for high-level commitments, with annexes for technical detail that can be updated without reopening the entire agreement (subject to agreed procedures).

This chapter describes a recommended drafting architecture.

Objectives

Reduce veto points by keeping the core instrument lean.
Make operational details precise through annexes and SOPs.
Enable updates and learning without renegotiating everything.
Improve auditability by clearly separating commitments from implementation procedures.

Recommended Structure

1. Core Instrument (The “Political-Legal Spine”)

Should contain:

Statement of objectives and principles (verification-first, sequencing).
Definitions of key terms.
Governance structure and decision rules.
Verification-first gates concept and certification authority.
High-level obligations by phase (Freeze, Vote, Rebuild).
Conditional incentives and rollback logic (at principle level).
Dispute resolution authority and timelines (high level).
Entry into force / domestic approvals activation clauses.
Amendment and annex-update procedures.

Goal: Keep it short enough to be ratifiable and readable.

2. Technical Annexes (Detailed and Operational)

Attach annexes such as:

Maps and geographic definitions.
Prohibited/permitted actions list.
Incident classification rubric and reporting templates.
Deconfliction SOP (hotlines, liaison trees).
Corridor and protected infrastructure registers.
Vote Rulebook (eligibility, modalities, audits, observation).
Dispute resolution procedures (filing rules, evidence standards, remedies).
Reconstruction procurement standards and audit terms.
Data governance and publication policy.
KPI definitions and dashboard specs.

3. SOPs and Playbooks (Operational Manuals)

These can be annexed or referenced:

Monitor deployment and security SOPs.
Election worker SOPs.
Reconstruction project lifecycle SOPs.
Fraud response and debarment procedures.

Annex Update Rules (Critical)

Define:

Who can propose annex updates.
What approval threshold is required.
How changes are published and versioned.
“No surprise” rules (minimum notice periods).
Emergency change procedures (rare, time-bounded, logged).
How disputes about annex changes are adjudicated.

Design Rule: Core obligations should not be alterable via annex updates; annex updates refine implementation details.

Version-Locking as a Legal Concept

For Vote-related procedures (and any vote-to-border algorithm if used):

Publish the version-locked rules before execution.
Define a strict change-control process.
Record hashes or equivalent identifiers to prove integrity of versions.

Linking Treaty Structure to Gates

Each annex should map directly to specific gates:

Freeze Annexes $\rightarrow$ Freeze stability gate indicators.
Vote Annexes $\rightarrow$ Vote readiness and certification gates.
Rebuild Annexes $\rightarrow$ Reconstruction tranche and integrity gates.

(See: Verification-First Gates)

Domestic Approvals Integration

The core instrument should include activation clauses:

Obligations activate only after certified domestic approvals.
Incentives activate only when legal authority exists.

(See: Domestic Approvals Gate)

Drafting Note

When populating this chapter with full content, include:

A sample Table of Contents for the core instrument.
A sample annex list with “Owned By” and “Update Rule” columns.
A mapping table from Annexes $\rightarrow$ Verification Gates $\rightarrow$ Consequences.