Table of Contents
- Research Guides and Bibliographies
- Background Information (or Places to Start)
- Documents and Publications
- Document Symbols
- Document Indexes
- Resolutions
- Treaties
- International Court of Justice
- Other International Tribunals
- Periodicals
- Current Awareness
- Other UN Internet Sites
- Bluebook Citation
The Law Library has a basic collection of United Nations documents,
and the Wilson Government Publications
Library (basement of Wilson Library) is a full United Nations
depository. Beginning in about 1996, the UN began making documents
available on the internet. Late in 2004, the UN made its online document
service, ODS, freely available to the public at http://documents.un.org. This database
includes documents back to 1993, with older documents being added. Some
types of older documents, such as resolutions, are available on the
internet back to the UN's founding.
Documents issued by subsidiary bodies within the UN (e.g., UNICEF, the World
Health Organization, UNESCO) can be hard to find on paper or on the web.
The United Nations replaced the League of Nations in 1945. The United Nations
Charter was signed on June 26, 1945 at San Francisco (3 Bevans 1153, UN
Yearbook). The mandate
of the United Nations includes peace and security, economic and social
development, human rights, decolonization and international law. It is composed
of six principal organs:
the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, the
Trusteeship Council, the International Court of Justice, and the Secretariat.
Currently there are 191
member nations.
A. Research Guides & Bibliographies
Research guides and bibliographies can provide good information for the person starting UN research. Listed below are a few sources which deal with the UN specifically, but they may also be helpful for research on other intergovernmental organizations. See MNCAT for other guides or bibliographies under the subjects united nations--bibliography or international organization--bibliography.
United Nations Documentation: Research Guide (http://www.un.org/Depts/dhl/resguide/index.html). This guide was prepared by the UN Dag Hammarskjöld Library.
The EISIL project (http://www.eisil.org) of the American Society of International Law (choose International Organizations, United Nations).
B. Brimmer, L. Wall, W. Chamberlin, & T. Hovet, Jr., A Guide to the Use of United Nations Documents (1962) (Z6481.B74 1962).
M. Cohen & R. Berring, How to Find the Law, pps.496-504 (9th ed. 1989) (Reference Office and Reserve KF240.C538 1989).
M. Fetzer, United Nations Documents and Publications: A Research Guide (1978). (Z6481.F47 1978).
C. Germain, Germain's Transnational Law Research, IV-346, (1991-) (Reference Office K85.G47 1991).
Guide to International Legal Research (5th ed., 2003). (Reserve and Reference Office KZ 1234 .G85x 2003).
P. Hajnal, Guide to United Nations Organization, Documentation and Publishing for Students, Researchers, Librarians (1978). (JX1977. H22 1978).
International Information: Documents, Publications, and Electronic Information of International Organizations (P. Hajnal ed. 1997) (Reserve and Reference Office JZ4850.I58 1997).
Introduction to International Organizations, pps. 207-391 (Louis-Jacques and Korman eds., 1996) (Reserve JX1954.I57 1996).
Accidental Tourist on the New Frontier: An Introductory Guide to Global Legal Research (Littleton, CO: Rothman, 1998). Reserve K85.A27 1997. See chapter 7.
United Nations Scholars Workstation at Yale University (http://www.library.yale.edu/un).The United Nations Scholars' Workstation, developed by the Yale University Library and the Social Science Statistical Laboratory, is a collection of texts, finding aids, data sets, maps, and pointers to print and electronic information. Subject coverage includes disarmament, economic and social development, environment, human rights, international relations, international trade, peacekeeping, and population and demography.
ASIL Guide to Electronic Resources for International Law: United Nations (http://www.asil.org/RESOURCE/un1.htm). A very good research guide on electronic sources for the UN.
United Nations Documents and Publications (Stanford) (http://library.stanford.edu/depts/jonsson/collections/intl/un.html). A good basic guide to UN documents. Keep in mind that the call numbers do not apply to our law library.
B. Background Information (or places to start)
Other general sources may be found by searching MNCAT under the subject united nations. Periodicals are an excellent source of information; consult section J of this guide for more information.
Everyone's United Nations. Describes the structure, history, and procedures of the United Nations organs and specialized agencies; contains text of the Charter of the United Nations, the Statute of the International Court of Justice, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; covers over 20 years. (JZ4970.E94x). Latest edition is 1986.
Basic Facts About the United Nations. Handbook providing brief information. (JZ4970.B37x 1992)
Bennett, Historical Dictionary of the United Nations. Provides basic definitions. (Reference Office JX1976.B395 1995).
Yearbook of the United Nations. Detailed history for one year. Includes full text of key resolutions and gives useful references to important reports and documents. (JZ4947.U55x) (2003 is the most recent).
United Nations Handbook (New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs). Provides up to date information on all of the organs of the UN as well as the specialized agencies. Good source for information on the purpose and structure of a particular body or agency. (JZ4945 .N49x).
United States Participation in the United Nations: Report by the President to the Congress for the Year... Describes the participation of the U.S. in the UN. (US-DOCS S1. 70/8).
A Global Agenda: Issues Before the ... General Assembly of the United Nations. Provides an overview of the issues that will be discussed in the coming session. (JX1977A1.U5244a).
UN Chronicle. Good source for current information and also provides cites to important resolutions and documents. Selected articles are available on the web at http://www.un.org/Pubs/chronicle.
Europa World Year Book. Provides very detailed information about the UN and its bodies and specialized agencies. (Reference Office JA51.E98).
C. Parry, Parry and Grant Encyclopaedic Dictionary of International Law. Short articles on international law, including treaties and international organizations. (Reserve KZ1161.P37x 2004).
E. Osmancyzk, Encyclopedia of the United Nations and International Relations. Brief explanations of terms related to the United Nations as well as international law and economics. Provides full text of some documents plus full citations to documents. (Most current on Reserve and earlier edition in Reference Office JX1977.O8213).
About the United Nations (http://www.un.org/aboutun). Introduction to the structure and work of the UN.
Directory information such as the names, addresses, phone and fax numbers of some U.N. officials can be obtained from the UN website. The Law Library collects many books on the UN and its relationship to international law. Search MNCAT using keywords or the subject heading united nations to locate these materials.
C. Documents & Publications
There are four basic types of UN documents: periodicals, sales publications, mimeographed/masthead documents, and official records. Periodicals (like the UN Chronicle) can be located by searching the indexes mentioned in this guide. Sales publications include yearbooks and annuals (Yearbook of the United Nations and Yearbook on Human Rights) serials, monographs and special studies. Mimeographed documents include provisional records of meetings, reports, resolutions, and other working documents of the UN organs. Some are republished in final corrected form in the official records or sales publications. Official records contain the meeting records of the UN organs (usually summary records, with the exception of the records of General Assembly and First Committee and Security Council meetings which are verbatim--"proces-verbaux"), annexes contain the text of agenda items (papers submitted to the organs for discussion), and supplements contain reports of subsidiary organs and resolutions. For more information on documents, see the section above on research guides.
Many of these documents can be obtained from the READEX microfiche set (in the micro room) or at the Wilson Government Publications Library. To use the microfiche set, you must have the document symbol and the date of the document. (See Document Indexes, below.) Select the drawer with the year you need, then choose the appropriate organ (General Assembly, Security Council, etc.) and look for the symbol (located at the top right corner of the fiche). Fiche copiers are available. Keep in mind that the specialized agency documents are not included in either one of these document collections.
The Internet is a viable vehicle for locating the full-text of documents from about 1993 onwards.
D. Document Symbols
Most UN documents collections are arranged by the document symbol. The basic principle is that documents are identified by the issuing body. The symbols are composed of capital letters and numbers. The first letter(s) indicates the main body of the UN (A/ is the General Assembly, E/ is ECOSOC, etc.). Specific symbols after the first slash indicate the sub-body within the main body (/CN is a commission, /WP is working party, etc.).
The classification system of the United Nations is explained (with lists of the abbreviations) in many of the research guides mentioned above (for example How to Find the Law and Guide to International Legal Research). The UNDOC: Current Index (MFiche UN DOCS ST/LIB/SER.M/CUM) lists new document symbols. See also the Document Symbols section of the UN web site (http://www.un.org/Depts/dhl/resguide/symbol.htm#symbols).
E. Document Indexes
In order to locate a relevant UN document, you need the document
symbol. Use indexes to locate the symbol.
United Nations Documents Index (UNDI) (1950-62). Indexed
documents of specialized agencies; subject index leads to entry number; entry
number in documents list gives document symbol and bibliographic information.
(v.1-13) (Wilson Gov. Pub. (Ref) Quarto ST/LIB/SER.6; UN-DOCS ST/LIB/SER.E).
Commercial publication is Cumulative Index to Volumes 1-13 of the United
Nations Documents Index (1974) (4 volumes).
United Nations Documents Index (UNDI) (1963-1973). Omits coverage of
specialized agency documents; subject index provides the document symbol and
document symbol in documents list gives bibliographic information. (UN-DOCS
ST/LIB/SER.E).
UNDEX (1973-1978). Issued in three series: A = subject index, B =
country index, C = list of documents issued. Series C was commercially
published: UNDEX Series "C" Cumulative Edition 1974-77 and supplement
1978. (UN-DOCS ST/LIB/SER.IX)
UNDOC: Current Index (1979-1997). Provides access by subject, author,
and title. Provides comprehensive bibliographic information for documents; a
list of Official Records and sales publications; a list of documents
republished in the Official Records; and a list of new document series
symbols. (Issued quarterly in paper format and cumulated annually on fiche
starting with 1984). (Microform Room MFiche UN-DOC ST/LIB/SER.M/HDCP Index).
READEX has developed a web index for accessing U.N.
documents of the six principal bodies. Users can search by body, subject, title,
document symbol, etc. The web version of this index, available to U of M
users, is AccessUN
(http://www.lib.umn.edu/cgi-bin/aun.cgi)
and it covers 1948 to present.
A useful index available from the UN Dag Hammarskjöld Library is called UN-I-QUE (UN Info Quest) (http://lib-unique.un.org/lib/unique.nsf).
It is a database designed to provide quick access to document symbols/sales
numbers for frequently-used UN materials (1946 onwards). Full
bibliographic information is not provided; see the READEX index or UNBIS
Plus. UN-I-QUE focuses upon documents and publications of a recurrent
nature, such as annual/sessional reports of committees and commissions, annual
publications, reports periodically/irregularly issued, reports of major
conferences, statements in the General Debate, etc.
UNBIS Plus on CD-ROM (Chadwyck-Healey) contains ten different databases
providing bibliographic access to the documentary output of the United Nations
and to non-UN publications owned by the Dag Hammarskjöld Library in New York and
the Library of the United Nations at Geneva; access to full-text of UN
resolutions and to voting records; citations to speeches and agendas; and access
to authority files of names and subject terms. Covers publications
1975-date. Multiple discs; updated quarterly. Wilson Gov. Pubs. You can
also search UNBISnet at http://unbisnet.un.org
F. Resolutions
Resolutions of the major organs of the United Nations are printed in various sources. In official sources, they first appear as mimeographed documents (with "RES" as part of the document symbol; for example, A/RES/48/100 or S/RES/967) (mimeographed documents are available at Wilson Government Publications or in the Law Library's microfiche collection). These mimeographed documents are then republished in the Official Records of each organ.
General Assembly
General Assembly resolutions are compiled in the last supplement of its official records. (In this library, supplements containing resolutions through the 27th session of the General Assembly (1972) are shelved in UN-DOCS under A/64-; starting with the 28th session (1973), they are under A/1-). These materials are complete in the microfiche set as well. Resolutions can be located in the following places.
a. Official Record (in paper or Microfiche) by resolution number.
b. Resolutions and Decisions Adopted by the General Assembly... This press release is sometimes available 7-8 months before the official record supplement. (JX1977.A423 R47x; Wilson Quarto ST/DPI/RE/).
c. Yearbook of the United Nations. There is an "index of resolutions and decisions" which refers to the page where the full text of resolutions and decisions are reproduced (access is by resolution number). The Yearbook also has a subject index and a personal names index. (UN-DOCS).
d. United Nations Resolutions (1946-1986). (JX1977. A3155 D57).
e. READEX UN Index on CD-ROM. Full text of resolutions from 1974. More coverage may be added in the future. See above.
f. A good place to locate the full-text of resolutions is through the United Nations Documentation: Research Guide (http://www.un.org/Depts/dhl/resguide/index.html). See the full-text options section. See also ASIL Guide, United Nations (http://www.asil.org/RESOURCE/un1.htm#Section7). The more current resolutions are available on the GA web page at http://www.un.org/aboutun/mainbodies.htm [select General Assembly].
g. UN Chronicle. The full text of important resolutions may sometimes be found here. (UN-DOCS).
h. International Legal Materials. Full text of selected resolutions. (Per. I577) (Also available on LexisNexis and WESTLAW).
i. New York Times. Full text of some important resolutions. (Available on LexisNexis).
Security Council
The resolutions of the Security Council appear in an unnumbered supplement to its official records. It contains a list of resolutions and decisions by number and the page where the full text will be found. Unlike GA resolutions, SC resolutions are numbered in one continuous sequence since 1946. Resolutions can be located in the following places.
a. Official Record (in paper or Microfiche) by resolution number.
c. Resolutions and Decisions of the Security Council (U.N. Doc. S/INF/ ) is annual publication compilation issued as part of the Security Council Official Records (SCOR).
b. Resolutions and Statements of the United Nations Security Council. (JZ5006.5.165R47 2001).
c. Yearbook of the United Nations. There is an "index of resolutions and decisions" which refers to the page where the full text of resolutions and decisions are reproduced (access is by resolution number). The Yearbook also has a subject index and a personal names index. (UN-DOCS).
d. READEX ACCESS UN Index. Full text of resolutions from 1974. More coverage may be added in the future. See above.
e. A good place to locate the full-text of resolutions is through the United Nations Documentation: Research Guide (http://www.un.org/Depts/dhl/resguide/index.html). See the full-text options section. See also ASIL Guide, United Nations (http://www.asil.org/RESOURCE/un1.htm#Section7). Resolutions can be located on the Security Council's Resolutions page at http://www.un.org/Docs/sc/unsc_resolutions.html.
f. UN Chronicle. The full text of important resolutions may sometimes be found here. (UN-DOCS).
g. International Legal Materials. Full text of selected resolutions. (Per. I577) (Also available on LexisNexis and WESTLAW).
h. New York Times. Full text of some important resolutions. (Available on LexisNexis). There are also compilations of resolutions by subject: Human Rights: A Compilation of International Instruments (UN-DOCS ST/H/1/Rev. 6); United Nations Resolutions on Palestine and the Arab-Israeli Conflict, 1947-1974 (G. Tomeh ed., 3d ed.) (JX1977.2.P34H33 1975); and Human Rights Sourcebook (A Blaustein, R. Clark, & J. Sigler eds. 1987) (Human Rights Library K3238.H86 1987).
Resolutions are published in the first numbered supplement of the official records of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and of the Trusteeship Council. Recent ECOSOC resolutions are online at http://www.un.org/docs/ecosoc/resolutions.html
The READEX ACCESS UN Index also contains ECOSOC resolutions.
The United Nations published cumulative indexes to its early resolutions of United Nations:
Index to Resolutions and Other Decisions of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and of the Trade and Development Board, 1964-1972. (UN-DOCS ST/LIB/SER.H/2).
Index to Resolutions of the Economic and Social Council, 1946-1970. (UN-DOCS ST/LIB/SER.H/4).
Index to Resolutions of the General Assembly, 1946-1970. (UN-DOCS ST/LIB/SER.H/1).
Index to Resolutions of the Security Council, 1946-1970. (UN-DOCS ST/LIB/SER.H/3). For resolutions from about 1971 to the present, use the indexes mentioned in the section D of this guide.
H. International Court of Justice
The International Court of Justice (or World Court) is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations. The ICJ Statute (http://www.icj-cij.org/icjwww/ibasicdocuments/Basetext/istatute.htm) is an annex to the Charter of the United Nations.
Reports of Judgments, Advisory Opinions and Orders. Published in both French and English, 1947-. (JX1971.6.A244)
Pleadings, Oral Arguments and Documents. Motions, briefs, and oral arguments, 1947-. (Separately cataloged and classified in JX).
Communiques. Contains current information about the activities of the Court. (JX1971.6.C666x).
Yearbook. Contains summaries of judgments, advisory opinions and orders of the Court, 1947-. (JX1971.6.A25).
Digest of the Decisions of the International Court of Justice. Summaries of cases, covers 1959-1975. (JX64.F6).
Digest of the Decisions of the International Court of Justice, 1976-1985. (JX64.F6).
Digest of the Decisions of the International Court. 1974-. (JX1971.H26 1974).
World Court Digest. The first volume covers 1986-1995. (JX68.W57 1993). See the Max Planck web site for the an electronic version of the Digest (http://www.mpil.de/ww/en/pub/research/details/publications/institute/wcd.cfm).
International Law Reports. Republishes judgments with citations to the official ICJ set. (JX68.A56).
Full-text judgments are available on WESTLAW in the INT-ICJ database from 1947 to date.
ICJ official web site at http://www.icj-cij.org/. Has opinions, but older ones are only summaries.
ICJ opinions are available now on the web (not comprehensive) (http://www.icj-cij.org/docket/index.php?p1=3). See also Germain's International Court of Justice Research Guide (http://library.lawschool.cornell.edu/WhatWeDo/ResearchGuides/ICJ.cfm). For judgments, documents, etc. from the Permanent Court of International Justice, conduct an author search on MNCAT using Permanent Court of International Justice.
K. Current Awareness
UN Chronicle. Good source for current information and also provides cites to important resolutions and documents. Selected articles are available on the web at http://www.un.org/Pubs/chronicle/.
UN News; this web page provides access to the Daily Journal, Press Releases, Briefings, etc. at http://www.un.org/News/.
What's New on the UN Web site (http://www.un.org/NewLinks/). To keep abreast of new documents and information on the UN web site, check the "What's New" feature on a regular basis.
UN Pulse
(http://unhq-appspub-01.un.org/lib/dhlrefweblog.nsf) A blog of the Dag Hammarskjöld Library to alert users to selected just-released UN online information, major reports, publications and documents.
M. Bluebook Citation
The Bluebook has special instructions for citing UN resolutions (see Rule 21.7.2), but it also permits, in the alternative, citing to an online version. The instructions below are useful only if you need to find a citation to the official records.
In addition to the resolution number, you need to find a page citation to the UN official records (e.g., for General Assembly resolutions, you need a citation to UN GAOR). To find this citation, you first need to find what UN document contains resolutions for the time period in which your resolution was passed. This UN document number is not the same as the number of the resolution.
To find the UN document containing your resolution, you can use either UNBisnet or UN-I-QUE. Search for the terms resolutions adopted by the general assembly in the title field. Specify the session in the title field also--e.g., 20th. You should get a list of documents with links to the full text in .pdf format. At the end of the document is an index to the resolutions and decisions contained in the document, giving the page number on which each one appears. Do NOT use the .pdf "find" function to look for your resolution, because the older .pdf documents are only images, with no functional text search.
If you need help, ask at the Reference Office.
Updated 8/06. Links verified 5/14/2008
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