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United Nations Documentation
Téa Rokolj
Geographic, Statistical & Government Information CentreMorisset Library, room 308
Agenda
• United Nations collection at uOttawa libraries• Structure of the United Nations• International Court of Justice and related legal bodies of
the United Nations• Document symbols• Research tools• Questions• Tour of the UN collection
uOttawa Libraries
• Depository library since 1968
• Receive a copy of United Nations’ official records and major publications in English and French– some exceptions apply
http://www.un.org/Depts/dhl/deplib/aboutdeposit.htm
Locations
Morisset Library (MRT)Official records, reports, statistics, yearbooks etc.
Brian-Dickson Law Library (FTX) International Court of Justice, treaties and related legal documents
OnlineUN documents published after 1993, all resolutions of
the principal bodies
History of the United Nations
• Came into existence on October 24th, 1945• 192 member states• The Charter is UN’s constituting instrument• Six main bodies
General AssemblySecurity CouncilEconomic and Social CouncilInternational Court of JusticeSecretariatTrusteeship Council (suspended operation in 1994)…plus 15 agencies, several programmes and bodies.
Source: United Nations Today
General Assembly
• Chief deliberative organ of the United Nations• Discusses, initiates studies and makes
recommendations on questions regarding security, peacekeeping, international law, international cooperation (economic, social, political etc.)
• Approves UN budget• Composed of various subsidiary organs: boards,
commissions, committees, councils, panels and working groups
• Legal issues at the General Assembly are primarily dealt with by its Sixth Committee
More information: About the General Assembly
Legal Units within General Assembly
• International Law Commission systematizes rules of international law and drafts conventions on subjects not yet regulated by international law
• United Nations Commission on International Trade Law modernizes and harmonizes rules on international business
Security Council
• Primarily responsible for maintenance of international peace and security
• Investigates, makes recommendations and formulates plans regarding international disputes and conflicts, which, in consultation with its membership, may include– Economic sanctions– Military action
• Composed of standing, sanctions and ad hoc committees, various working groups, peacekeeping operations and two international tribunals (former Yugoslavia and Rwanda)
More information: UN Security Council Web Site
Economic and Social Council
• Coordinates economic and social activities of 14 specialized agencies, functional commissions and five regional commissions
• Central forum for discussing international social and economic questions as well as formulating policy recommendations
• Occupies about 70% of the entire UN system in terms of human and financial resources
• Consults with academics, representatives from business sector and over 3,400 NGOs
More information: Information about the Council
International Court of Justice
• Principal judicial organ of the United Nations• Created after the dissolution of its predecessor, the
Permanent Court of International Justice (1922-1946)• Deals with disputes between states only• Provides advisory opinions on legal questions submitted
by other UN bodies and agencies• Composed of 15 judges who are elected to nine-year
terms by the General Assembly and the Security Council
More information: The Court
Trusteeship Council
• Had a major responsibility for supervising the administration and promoting the development of territories under its system
• Suspended its operation in 1994 when Palau, the last remaining territory under its supervision, gained independence
• Made up of five permanent members of the Security Council: China, United States, United Kingdom, France and Russian Federation
More information: Trusteeship Council Web Site
Secretariat
• Carries day-to-day operations of the United Nations• Provides service to other principal bodies of the
organization and administers policies and programmes laid out by them
• Responsible for interpreting speeches and translating United Nations’ documents into its five official languages
More information: Secretariat Web Page
Tribunals and Courts
• International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS)• International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia
(ICTY)• International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR)• International Criminal Court (ICC)
– Established in 1998– an independent judicial body with jurisdiction over
persons charged with genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes
Tribunals
• United Nations Dispute Tribunal• United Nations Appeals Tribunal
Established in 2008, these bodies deal with internal disputes and disciplinary matters in the United Nations.
More information: The Office of Administration of Justice
Document Symbols
• Consist of letters and numbers
• First letter indicates the principal UNbody responsible for it
A/ (General Assembly)E/ (Economic and Social Council)S/ (Security Council)ST/ (Secretariat)T/ (Trusteeship Council) *inactive
More information: United Nations Research Guide
Document Symbols
• Certain organs retain their own symbol, independent of the parent body:
CRC/C/ Committee on the Rights of the ChildDP/ United Nations Development ProgrammeTD/ United Nations Conference on Trade and DevelopmentUNEP/ United Nations Environment Programme
More information: United Nations Research Guide
Document Symbols
• Secondary and tertiary elements indicate subsidiary bodies:
-/AC. ... Ad hoc committee-/C. .../ Standing, permanent, or main committee-/CN. .../ Commission-/CONF. .../ Conference-/GC. .../ Governing council-/PC/. .../ Preparatory committee-/SC. .../ Subcommittee-/Sub. .../ Subcommission-/WG. .../ Working group
More information: United Nations Research Guide
Document Symbols
• Certain elements reflect the nature of the documents:
-/CRP Conference room paper-/INF/ Information series (e.g., lists of participants)-/L. Limited distribution (e.g. draft documents)-/NGO/ Statements by non-governmental organizations-/PET/ Petition-/PRST/ Statements by the President of the Security Council-/PV Verbatim records of meeting-/R Restricted distribution/access-/RES/ Resolutions-/SR. Summary record of meetings-/WP. Working papers
More information: United Nations Research Guide
Document Symbols
• The final element indicates modifications to the original text:
-/Add. ... Addendum-/Amend. ... Alteration -/Corr. ... Corrigendum-/Rev. ... Revision (replaced previously issued texts) -/Summary Summarized version-/-* Reissuance of a document for technical reasons
More information: United Nations Research Guide
Official UN Documents in Our Collection(MRT Government Pubs - MRT 3th floor)
Call numbers:
UN2 A… General Assembly
UN2 E... Economic and Social Council
UN2 S… Security Council
UN2 ST… Secretariat
UN2 T… Trusteeship Council
For Example…
Strengthening International Cooperation in Preventing and Combating Trafficking in Persons and Protecting Victims of Such Trafficking
E/CN.15/2006/L.9/Rev.2
Economic and Social Council/ Commission on Crime Preventionand Criminal Justice/ Fifteenth session/ Limited distribution/ Second revision
Locating UN Documents
Useful Reference Materials
• Yearbook of the United Nations • Yearbook of the International Court of Justice• United Nations Documents Index• Index to Proceedings of the General Assembly• Index to Proceedings of the Economic and Social Council• Index to Proceedings of the Security Council• Index to Proceedings of the Trusteeship Council
See also…
• Audiovisual Library of International Law
• UN Documentation on International Law
• UN Documentation on Human Rights
• UN News Centre
• UN Meetings Coverage and Press Releases
A Few Questions
• Locate all UN resolutions on the subject on women’s rights. Are there any resolutions on women’s rights in Afghanistan?_______________________________________________
• Locate speeches by Canadian representatives on the subject of Haiti. Under which action body most of them were made?________________________________________________
• Locate a resolution adopted on January 28, 1949 by the Security Council. What is its subject? What was the total voting membership?________________________________________________
