GW Law Library: Library Guides: International Environmental Law: United Nations (U.N.) Documents

About the U.N.

The United Nations (U.N.) is an international organization founded in 1945 after World War II by 51 countries committed to maintaining international peace and security, developing friendly relations among nations, and promoting social progress, better living standards, and human rights.

Directory of United Nations System Organizations
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A directory of the UN system and related organizations.

U.N. Documents Online

United Nations: Documents
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Quick links to many U.N. documents collections, such as General Assembly, Security Council and Trusteeship Council resolutions.
ODS: Official Document System of the United Nations
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Coverage: 1946 to date.
An online database of full-text, born-digital U.N. documents published from 1993 onward, including documents of the Security Council, the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council and their subsidiaries, as well as administrative issuances and other documents.
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The database also includes scanned documents published between 1946 and 1993, including all resolutions of the principal organs, all documents of the Security Council and the General Assembly Official Records. Documents are available in the official languages of the U.N.; some documents are also available in German.

ODS does not have the following types of materials: documents issued before 1993 that have not yet been digitized, press releases, sales publications, such as the Yearbook and the Treaty Series, and documents that do not have a UN symbol.
United Nations Digital Library
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Coverage: 1946 to 1979: selected documents; 1993 to date: all documents issued.
Includes UN documents, voting data, speeches, maps, and open access publications. The platform provides access to UN-produced materials in digital format and bibliographic records for print UN documents starting in 1979.
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System features include linked data between related documentation such as resolutions, meeting records and voting, and refining of searches by UN body, agency or type of document.
The Yearbook of the United Nations
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The Yearbook, arranged by broad subject areas such as human rights, environment, etc., is an excellent source for reviewing U.N. activities.
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The Yearbook, while "based on official sources, is not an official record." It contains numerous references to primary documents. Often the texts of resolutions and decisions made during a particular year are included. If the text is not reprinted, sometimes there will be a summary of the document. A separate "Index of Resolutions and Decisions" lists where a text, summary or discussion of a document may be found. A detailed subject index is included.

Related Guides

About UN Documents
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(U.N. Dag Hammarskjöld Library)
Presents an overview of selected UN documents, publications, databases and websites.
United Nations Research
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(GW Law Library)

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