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About Globalex

UPDATE: Researching the United Nations: Finding the Organization's Internal Resource Trails

By Linda Tashbook

Linda Tashbook is the Foreign International Comparative Law Librarian at the University Of Pittsburgh School Of Law's Barco Law Library, a Fulbright Senior Specialist, and an attorney in private practice.  Prior to becoming the foreign and international librarian, she was the Barco Law Library's Electronic Services Librarian.  Before law school, she worked as a public librarian. Her Juris Doctor and Master of Library Science degrees are from the University of Pittsburgh.  Her Bachelor of Science degree is from Texas Woman's University.

Published June 2009
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Table of Contents

 

1. Introduction

2. Standard Queries

3. Types of Research Tools

3.1 Persons Involved with the U.N.

3.2 Issues that the U.N. Works On

3.3 Works of a Particular U.N. Entity

4. Handbooks, Toolkits, and Other Instructional Sources from U.N. Entities

5. Researching Treaties Deposited with the U.N.

6. Glossaries for U.N. Functions

7. Finding Official Operating Documents of U.N. Entities

8. Topical Research Guides and Resource Collections

9. Guides to U.N. Research from Non-U.N. Entities

10. U.N. Entities’ Compilations of National Laws

11. Databases from Throughout the U.N. System

12. Database Training Manuals

13. Directories of U.N. Staff and Components 

1. Introduction

The United Nations is such a massive organization that its wide array of processes and products require enough reference sources to warrant a map and compass for navigation. As a map, here are suggested search techniques for several standard types of queries and, as a compass, here are the U.N.'s many diverse search tools organized into resource types.

2. Standard Queries

 

 

3. Types of Research Tools

For more information about the search tools and primary sources that are published by the U.N., one can use research guides by non-U.N. entities

3.1 Persons Involved with the U.N.

3.2 Issues that the U.N. Works On

  • Use the document research guides for each of the U.N.'s broad categories of UN work:

·        Peace & Security Documents Research Guide

·        Economic & Social Development Reports & Databases

·        Human Rights Documents Research Guide

·        International Law Documents Research Guide

  • Select from the list of Issues on the U.N. Agenda. Once you are in the Web page for the particular issue, you will see tabs at the top of the screen for research tools including "documents," "events," "learning," and "speeches" which all have important information.
  • Use your browser's edit and find functions to jump through the alphabetical list of U.N. organizations using the names of places or subject words. Once in any of those organization pages, click on the link to publications.
  • Look through the list of U.N. news outlets to find any that follow the topic you are investigating.
  • See if there is specialized topical research guide produced by a unit of the U.N.

3.3 Works of a Particular U.N. Entity

  • Look in UNBISnet using the name of the committee, office, organization, council, etc, as a keyword phrase. Using the committee's name as author does not usually yield thorough results in this particular database.
  • Browse through the alphabetical list of U.N. organizations. The committees are usually components of the organizations in this list. So, you will have to navigate.
  • Use the index to the U.N. Website to search for the committee by name or else by the main areas of its work.
  • Search the  U.N. Official Documents System database and use words from the committee name as search terms.

4. Handbooks, Toolkits, and Other Instructional Sources from U.N. Entities

  • U.N. Security Council – Database of counter-terrorism assistance resources
  • U.N. Security Council – Database of best practices in counter-terrorism
  • Department of Peacekeeping Operations – peacekeeping guides and manuals
  • Peace & Security – landmine action standards
  • Peace & Security – landmine strategy & guidance resources
  • Peace & Security – toolkit regarding the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
  • Public Administration Network – electronic government training materials
  • Human Rights- handbooks for U.N. staff, judges, police, social workers, and governments
  • High Commissioner for Refugees – guidelines & manuals for emergencies, repatriation, self reliance, etc.
  • UNCITRAL – legislative guides & model laws related to trade and commerce
  • Office of Legal Affairs – handbook, reference guide and other treaty participation assistance
  • Division of Ocean Affairs and Law of the Sea – practical guidelines for maritime law

5. Researching Treaties Deposited with the U.N.

  • Search in the U.N. Treaty Collection which "contains the texts of over 50,000 bilateral and multilateral treaties and subsequent treaty actions in their authentic language(s), along with a translation into English and French, as appropriate."
  • Select a topic on the Documents by Global Issue page to get to the main international agreements involved with that topic.
  • Read the decisions of the International Court of Justice interpreting the treaty that interests you.
  • The International Law Commission has drafts of related conventions and helpful explanations about the work of codifying international law.
  • The U.N. Office of Legal Affairs provides technical assistance and general information about treaties: stages in the treaty-making process, instructions for joining into an agreement and registering it, a treaty reference guide, and U.N. requirements and practices for treaty making.
  • Search for press releases about the treaty.

6. Glossaries for U.N. Functions

7. Finding Official Operating Documents of U.N. Entities:

  • Research Guide - tells about the types of documents produced by the U.N. and any symbols or techniques necessary for understanding those documents.
  • Official Document System - a collection of parliamentary writings and other administrative records.
  • U.N. Documentation Centre - a browsing table showing the main bodies of the U.N. with hyperlinks to all of the records, decisions, press releases, etc, produced by each.
  • Landmark General Assembly Documents - digitized versions of prominent documents from the organization's history. 

8. Topical Research Guides & Resource Collections

This list is only intended to contain true finding aides that point to assorted information sources in a subject area. An alternative way to find subject-based resources is to click on the 'Publications' link on the home page of any U.N. department or other office or program.

General Matters:

  • International Law - reports about and text of the U.N.'s instruments of international law, such as the Vienna Convention on Treaties, obligations to extradite, diplomatic immunities, etc.
  • U.N. Public Information - answers to the most commonly asked questions about U.N. programs and services for schools and public visitors.

Business:

  • Intellectual Property - Digital library of patents, trademarks, etc. (WIPO World Intellectual Property Organization).
  • Labor & Employment- conventions, journals, statistics, studies, etc (ILO International Labor Organization).
  • Labor Databases - child labor, trade union complaints, comparative national laws, Triblex case law, etc (ILO).
  • Investment Disputes - reports, treaties, cases, and bibliographic references (World Bank).
  • Financial Management - research about investments, banking, currency control, and other fiscal matters (IMF International Monetary Fund).
  • World Trade - digital library of primary and analytical sources (UNCTAD Conference on Trade and Development). 

Development:

  • Humanitarian Affairs- Natural disasters and complex emergencies.
  • Refugee Law and Protection Policy - The UNCHR's policy papers and expert meeting proceedings.
  • Food & Agriculture - descriptive alphabetical listing of more than fifty databases about planting, growing, and producing food (From FAO the Food and Agriculture Organization).
  • Economics & Development - research, prospects, and data about education, business, and sociology in individual countries and regions from the World Bank.
  • World Bank Documents & Reports - topical listing includes social & economic issues.
  • Social Development - the vast resources of the UN Research Institute for Social Development.
  • Rural Poverty Knowledgebase - introductory explanations of major poverty issues with links to documents, reports, examples, and more (International Fund for Agricultural Development). 

Health:

  • Health Research - WHO statistics and other research publications.
  • Nutrition - country studies, policy papers, news from SCN (the Standing Committee on Nutrition).
  • Illegal Drugs - trends, country reports, criminal law enforcement data and analysis from UNODC (Office of Drugs and Crime).

People:

  • Women- Women Watch guide to resources on gender equality and empowerment.
  • Children- studies, statistics, and numerous databases about child welfare from UNICEF (the UN Children's Emergency Fund).
  • Population- data reports about population characteristics and behaviors. 

Science:

  • Climate- national reports, primary documents, "issues quick-finder," technology from UNFCCC (Framework Convention on Climate Change).  
  • Nuclear Science - access to databases, statistics, and information services from IAEA (International Atomic Energy Association).
  • Maritime issues - (click on link to information and then Infogate) resources about shipping, marine safety, piracy, ocean pollution, from the IMO (International Maritime Organization).
  • Flight Safety - national regulations, safety management data, airworthiness information, etc. (International Civil Aviation Organization). 

9. Guides to U.N. Research from Non-U.N. Entities

10. U.N. Entities’ Compilations of National Laws

  • FAOLEX, from the U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization, links to national agricultural laws.
  • NATLEX, from the International Labor Organization, collects national labor and employment laws.
  • ECOLEX has environmental laws.
  • UNESCO collects national copyright laws.
  • WIPO links to patent, trademark, design, and copyright laws.
  • The WTO has summaries of countries' trade policies. 
  • The Security Council compiles national laws about weapons of mass destruction (WMD). 

11. Databases From Throughout the U.N. System

  • UNBISnet - The U.N. Bibliographic Information System serves as a portal as well as the catalog of all U.N. publications and other holdings in the U.N. library. All Web versions of U.N. publications can be accessed from this site.
  • UN-I-QUE - (U.N. Info Quest) searchable index database of regularly published reports. Search results show proper titles, publication dates, U.N. classification numbers and, occasionally, hyperlinks for documents.
  • Yearbook of the United Nations- Search collectively or individually through these annual summaries of work done throughout this vast organization.
  • Infonation- Comparative and collective statistics for all U.N. member countries on many issues.
  • ODS- Official Document System- reports and publications from headquarters and major divisions.
  • Index to Speeches (Library)
  • Press Releases (public information)

12. Database Training Manuals

13. Directories of U.N. Staff and Components

These directories primarily list national representatives who participate in the named entities. Where possible, staff directories are also linked. Generic "contact us" links are purposely omitted because those are not informational in themselves and they can already be efficiently located. 

Units subsidiary to the General Assembly:

Units under the Security Council:

Units under the Economic and Social Council: (This list only includes the units that have online directories).

International Court of Justice

  • Members of the court (chambers and committees).