Dag Hammarskjöld Library Introduction to UN documents

United Nations Reference Services

Why?

Goal

To enable people to connect to the documents you need for your work at the UN

Objectives•Be familiar with the types of documents the UN produces;•Identify the databases available for researching UN documents;•Choose an appropriate resource to find the needed document;•Know about additional resources for assistance and training.

Type of Documents

• Resolutions

• Secretary-General’s Reports

• Sessional / Annual Reports

• Meeting records

• Letters

Access to UN Documents

• Access from the Documents link on the UN homepage : http://www.un.org

United Nations Document

• "A document is a text submitted to a principal organ or a subsidiary organ of the United Nations for consideration by it, usually in connection with item(s) on its agenda." (ST/AI/189/Add.3/Rev.2)

reflect the work of the UN

Document Symbols

• Combination of numbers and letters• Unique identifier for a UN document. • Composed of several components

Document Symbols

• The first component indicates the organ to which the document is being submitted– A : General Assembly (A/63/712)– S : Security Council (S/2009/391)– E : Economic and Social Council (E/2009/10)– ST : Secretariat (ST/SGB/2009/7)– …

Document Symbols

• Secondary and tertiary components indicate subsidiary bodies– AC : Ad hoc committee (S/AC.47/2010/7)– C : Standing, permanent, or main committee

(A/C.1/62/23)– CN : Commission (E/CN.17/2009/19)– CONF : Conference (A/CONF.151/26/Rev.)– …

Document Symbols

• Special components– L : Limited distribution - draft resolutions

(A/60/L.61)– RES : resolutions (A/RES/60/284)– PRST : Statements by the President of the

Security Council (S/PRST/2010/6)– PV : Verbatim Records (A/62/PV.5)– SR : Summary Records (A/C.3/62/SR.35)– …

Document Symbols

• Final component– Add : addendum (A/64/573/ADD.1)– Rev : revision (E/CN.7/2007/16/REV.1)– Corr : Correction (E/CN.4/2005/135/CORR.2)– …

• More information on document symbols in the UN documentation Research Guide– http://

www.un.org/Depts/dhl/resguide/symbol.htm

Finding UN Documents Using a Document Symbol

• Official Document system– UN documents from 1993– Resolutions and Security Council documents from

1946– http://documents.un.org

• United Nations Bibliographic Information System– Everything you find in ODS + bibliographic

information on UN documents from 1979– http://unbisnet.un.org/

Finding UN Resolutions

• By dates or session– UN Documentation Research Guide– http://www.un.org/Depts/dhl/resguide/

index.html (Quick Links)

• By title or subject– UNBISnet : Bibliographic Records

• Security Council Resolutions on Iran• General Assembly resolutions on revitalization of

the work of the General Assembly

Finding Voting Records

• UNBISnet : Voting Records– By resolution number

• Security Council Resolution 1907– S/RES/1907

– By keywords• General Assembly resolutions on embargo against

Cuba

Finding Reports

• By Title or Subject– UNBISnet : Bibliographic Records

• SG’s reports on violence against women• SG’s reports on millennium development goals• Report of the African-Union High Level Panel on

Darfur

• By Full text– ODS

• SG report that mention “Algiers bombing”

Meeting Records

• Statements and speeches made and actions taken during UN meetings are recorded in meeting records.– Verbatim records (proces verbal)

• Symbol has .../PV.- (A/63/PV.44)

• Contains full, first-person account of the proceedings of a meeting.

– Summary records • Symbol has .../SR.-

(A/C.5/63/SR.25)• Contains a third-person condensed version of the

proceedings of a meeting

Finding Meeting Records

• By State– Member States On the Record

• http://www.un.org/depts/dhl/unms/

– UNBISnet : Index to Speeches

• By Speeker– UNBISnet : Index to Speeches

• Hugo Chavez

UNBISnet vs ODS

• Use UNBISnet to search– By title– By subject– By type of document

• USE ODS to search– In the full text– By Agenda Item– By Session

UN-I-QUE

• UN-I-Que provides access to document symbols/sales numbers for UN materials from 1946 onwards. – Information about UN documents of a recurrent nature– Each record is comprehensive historically– Provides the symbols only– Types of documents include:

• annual/sessional reports of committees/commissions• reports periodically/irregularly issued• reports of major conferences• statements in the General Debate

• Search by title only.• http://lib-unique.un.org/lib/unique.nsf

Learning about UN Documents

• Online Tutorials on how to search UN documents: http://www.un.org/depts/dhl/training/training.htm– By symbol– Resolutions and voting records– SG’s Reports– Meetings records

• United Nations Documentation Research Guide: http://www.un.org/depts/dhl/resguide/index.html

Reference

• Reference librarians:– Answer any question on UN documentation– Offer research assistance– Offer one-one or small group training

• unreference@un.org• 212-963-7412

• Stay informed– UN Pulse

http://unhq-appspub-01.un.org/lib/dhlrefweblog.nsf– Follow us on Twitter @UNLibrary

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