Introduction
Once one has a document number, such as E/CN.4/RES/1982/29, the next step is to find the document itself. It is important to note that not all United Nations publications are made public. However most UN Documents are available to the public.
Documents can be found in several formats: the ODS, online, in paper or in microfiche. No one source is complete. Many types of documents (such as Resolutions) can be found in each of these sources. When selecting a resource to use, one must consider the document type and date, the obscurity of the document, how quickly one needs it, and whether one needs an official version. Generally, more recent documents can be found in the ODS or online. For older documents, paper and microfiche might be the only option.
The United Nations Depository System
The United Nations facilitates the distribution of UN documents by using a system of Depository Libraries. Various libraries are given UN documents in exchange for making them available to the public. The Diamond Law Library is a depository library and receives all items that are part of the depository system. However, depository libraries do not receive all United Nations publications. Some documents are not made available to the public, and therefore cannot be found at the Diamond Law Library. Depository libraries receive "generally distributed documents and publications of the United Nations."
Some examples of documents that depositories do not receive include the following: limited and restricted documents, or documents "for participants only"; the documents of related UN organizations such as the UNICEF, UNIFEM, UNEP and the ICJ; the documents of specialized agencies such as the IMF, WHO, WIPO and the WTO, which have their own documentation systems; preliminary documents eventually produced elsewhere, such as verbatim records of plenary meetings of the Security Council, which will appear in printed final form as part of the Official Records); sales publications; press releases; and ephemeral material issued during sessions of UN bodies, such as working papers, conference room papers, journals, orders of the day.10
Note that in addition to the Depository System, the Diamond Law Library purchases additional publications, including UN Treaties, UN Sales Publications and commercial publications, to supplement its UN collection. Also, the Internet provides even greater access to UN publications.
Documents on the UN Official Document System (ODS) on the Web
- UN Official Document SystemDates covered: 1993 - current (complete); 1946-1992 (partial)
This is the official repository of UN documents and includes full-text images (.pdfs) of UN documents. It is free and open to the public. The ODS covers all types of official UN documentation, beginning in 1993 (documents that were born digital). Many older documents have been scanned and added and continue to be added to the system on a daily basis. The database includes resolutions from 1946 onwards. Note that resolutions before 1993 are in a separate database that must be accessed from the Advanced Search screen. The system does not contain press releases, UN sales publications or UN treaties. The system allows for both simple and advanced searching, but the results have sometimes been inconsistent. If you are unable to find your document with this system, try searching for the document in the AccessUN index (which goes back further than the ODS) or UNBISNET (the UN catalog). Then, use the UN document number to search in the ODS.
Other Documents on the Web
- United Nations Digital LibraryThis platform provides access to UN-produced materials, including documents, maps, open access publications and speeches.
- OHCHR DatabasesThe High Commissioner for Human Rights site is the best place to look for UN human rights related documents. It includes selected human rights documents in full-text. One must choose between using the Charter-based database (which contains the documents of bodies created by the UN Charter such as the Commission on Human Rights), or the Treaty-based database (which contains the documents of bodies created by UN treaties, such as the Human Rights Committee, created by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights). These databases are very sophisticated and documents can be viewed in many different arrangements, including by date, by document number, by country and by treaty. There is a concept-based search engine that searches all UNHCHR web documents, but it is not very sophisticated.
- Refworld (UNHCR)Includes the text of relevant refugee legislation and case law from around the world.
- The United Nations' Women WatchA good site for UN documents regarding women.
- UN SystemProvides links to funds, programmes and specialized agencies within the UN System.
- University of Minnesota Human Rights LibraryProvides access to human rights documents and materials.
Documents in Microform
The Diamond Law Library provides access to AccessUN and the United Nations documents and publications : Readex microfiche edition checklist. Although many people do not like to use microform, it is the most complete collection of UN documents that the Diamond Law Library owns. For older documents (documents not yet published in the ODS) it is an excellent source. It includes all official UN Documents and is located in closed stacks.
Requests for microform documents can be made via Pegasus. The microform will be paged, generally within 24 hours. Please see the reference librarians if you need assistance. Before requesting documents from the microform set, be sure to check the document on AccessUN in order to determine that the document is in the collection. Also, be sure to note the Readex year in the record. The Readex year is the year that the company assigns to the document, and it might be different than the date of the document. Confirming the Readex year is essential, since the microfiche is organized by Readex year, not by the date on the document. Include the entire document number in your request.
Documents in Paper
Due to the publication of UN documents online, the library keeps relatively few recent UN documents in paper. We do keep the Official Records (meeting records, resolutions and decisions, and committee reports) of the main organs in paper. Also, paper copies of older materials are still available and can be found via Pegasus.
Official Records of the Economic and Social Council by Call Number: JX1976.A25 Of23Publication Date: 1946-- Official Records of the Trusteeship Council by Call Number: Call NumberJX1976.A29 Of23Publication Date: 1947-
Documents beyond the Diamond Law Library
Sometimes documents cannot be found at the Diamond Law Library. Reference librarians can assist in determining whether documents are available in the law library.
Often, documents of subsidiary bodies are internal documents, not official UN Documents, and thus not available at the Diamond Law Library. In this case, it is sometimes possible to contact the subsidiary organization directly to inquire about documents. Contact information for these organizations is available through the UN Systems Website for the United Nations System or using the handbooks and directories described in the "About Us" section of the website.