Regional bodies such as the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) set frameworks and protocols member states agree to -- on trade, free movement of people, or democratic standards -- without replacing the authority of national governments, who remain responsible for implementation. International agreements, such as a UN treaty, generally only become legally binding within a country after that country's own legislature ratifies them through domestic law, which is why a government can sign a treaty in principle while the obligations only take legal effect once incorporated nationally. Governance scholars distinguish 'hard law' (binding treaties and conventions with enforcement mechanisms) from 'soft law' (non-binding declarations, guidelines, and frameworks that carry normative or reputational weight but no direct legal enforcement) -- much of international governance in practice operates through soft law, which still shapes national policy through peer pressure and funding conditions even without legal force.