Educational outreach services provided by UNIC Canberra to researchers, educators and students promote awareness of the role and work of the United Nations on priority issues. Learning about the UN can increase knowledge about the global dimensions of local issues and the local dimensions of global issues.
UN documents are organized and catalogued in a particular way. To better understand how this is done you should consult the United Nations Research Guides & Resources page or the online training tutorials.
The best place to start with your research is either the Dag Hammarskjöld Library website or the UN Documents website or the UN Databases website. If you have any UN research related questions you can always email the library directly email@example.com or use the online Ask DAG reference service.
Official Document System (ODS) – the UN’s official document repository and provides full text search of documents issued since 1993. Resolutions 1946-1993 and the Daily Journals are available through the Advanced Search option.
UNBISnet – library catalogue of the UN Library in New York. In addition to the holdings of the Library, it provides access to full text links to all language versions of recent documents 1993-present, and citations to documents 1979-present, which may or may not be available online. UNBISnet includes two specialized databases, the Index to Speeches and Voting Records.
UN-I-QUE (UN Info Quest) – ready-reference file created by the Dag Hammarskjöld Library to respond to frequently asked questions, is designed to provide quick access to document symbols/sales numbers for UN materials (1946 onwards). It does not give full bibliographic details nor does it replace existing bibliographic databases (UNBISnet) produced by the Library.
UN Member States On the Record – links to pre-set, standard searches for each Member State in UNBISnet, UN-I-QUE, and the Press Release database. Searches available for each Member State include: the key documents related to its membership in the UN; statements made before the Principal organs; draft resolutions sponsored; periodic reports submitted on Human Rights conventions, and more.
Yearbook of the United Nations – is the principal reference work and provides a detailed overview of the Organization’s activities during the course of a year. All the Yearbooks, 1945 to the most recent, are available online and provide citation to the documentation and include the full text of resolutions. The Yearbook helps researchers to identify relevant documentation.
UNHCR RefWorld – online protection and research tool which provides crucial country of origin and legal information that UNHCR staff, government officials and judges need to decide whether an asylum-seeker is a refugee.
UNHCR Statistics & Operational Data – explore more about UNHCR and partners’ response to the current emergencies and other protracted refugee crises. Access the information sharing portals.
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) – the primary source for cross-nationally comparable statistics on education, science and technology, culture, and communication for more than 200 countries and territories.
The UNESCO Library collections offer an overview of the Organization’s current and past activities and programmes as recorded in publications and other resources.
UN Treaty Collection – the Treaty Section of the Office of Legal Affairs of the United Nations provides the most up-to-date information available on its website which includes the status of over 500 major multilateral instruments deposited with the Secretary-General of the United Nations and other related information.
United Nations Multilingual Terminology Database – provides United Nations nomenclature, technical or specialized terms and common phrases in all six official UN languages – English, French, Spanish, Russian, Chinese and Arabic.
Glossary of Terms for United Nations Delegates – includes over 700 terms, abbreviations and acronyms frequently heard at United Nations conferences.
Audiovisual Library – a multimedia resource which allows the United Nations to provide high quality international law training and research materials to an unlimited number of users. Available resources include historic archives, lectures, and an online international law research library.
United Nations Cartographic Section and the Dag Hammarskjöld Map Library – provides access to general maps as well as a range of peacekeeping operations, political and peacebuilding, and mission maps.
United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD) – the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) provides an internet based data service for the global user community. It brings UN statistical databases within easy reach of users through a single entry point.
WHO’s Global Health Observatory – world’s one-stop shop for quality health information, with data for more than 1000 indicators.
UN Office at Geneva Library Resource Guides – central gateway for access to print and online resources on topics of interest produced by the UN library in Geneva.
International Court of Justice Peace Palace Library – one of the oldest and most prestigious libraries specialized in international law. Its principal objective is to service the institutions that reside in the Peace Palace, including the International Court of Justice, the Permanent Court of Arbitration, and the Hague Academy of International Law.
UN Gateway information:
- Peace and Security: www.un.org/peace
- Economic and Social Development: www.un.org/esa
- Human Rights: www.un.org/rights
- Humanitarian Affairs: www.un.org/ha
- International Law: www.un.org/law
United Nations Archives and Records Management Section (ARMS) – brings together into a single location information about the United Nations archives collections and services with resources and tools to support records management programmes.
United Nations Editorial Manual – the online manual is intended to serve as an authoritative statement of the style to be followed in drafting, editing and reproducing United Nations documents, publications and other written material. Although based mainly on the practices and policies that have evolved at Headquarters, the present manual is meant to provide editorial guidance for all parts of the Secretariat. The directives set forth in the manual supersede all earlier guidelines on the subjects dealt with herein. For topics not yet addressed in the present manual, the United Nations Editorial Manual (Sales No. E.83.I.16) remains the primary authority for United Nations editorial policy.
UN Peacemaker – online mediation support tool developed by the UN Department of Political Affairs. Intended for peacemaking professionals, it includes an extensive database of peace agreements, guidance material and information on the UN’s mediation support services. UN Peacemaker is part of the UN’s overall efforts to support UN and non-UN mediation initiatives.