EGAL RESEARCH GUIDE SERIES SPECIALIZED RESEARCH GUIDE # 6 A GUIDE TO UNITED NATIONS RESEARCH THE GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY LAW SCHOOL JACOB BURNS LAW LIBRARY UNITED NATIONS RESEARCH I. Introduction .................................................................................................................................................... 1 II. United Nations Resources ............................................................................................................................... 2 A. Types of Publications and Locations ........................................................................................................... 2 B. U.N. Affiliated Agencies .............................................................................................................................. 5 III. United Nations Document Symbols ................................................................................................................ 5 A. Basic Pattern of Symbols............................................................................................................................. 5 B. Selected Key Symbols ................................................................................................................................. 6 C. Guides to Documents Symbols ................................................................................................................... 7 IV. Indexes for United Nations Documents .......................................................................................................... 7 V. Selected Yearbooks and Compilations ............................................................................................................ 8 VI. General Assembly Resolutions ........................................................................................................................ 9 A. Numbering .................................................................................................................................................. 9 B. Publication .................................................................................................................................................. 9 1. Mimeographed (Masthead) Version ...................................................................................................... 9 2. Compilations of General Assembly Resolutions ................................................................................... 10 VII. Security Council Resolutions ..................................................................................................................... 12 A. Numbering ................................................................................................................................................ 12 B. Publication ................................................................................................................................................ 12 1. Mimeographed (Masthead) Version .................................................................................................... 12 2. Official Compilations ............................................................................................................................. 12 3. Unofficial Retrospective Compilations ................................................................................................. 13 4. Other Useful Security Council Reference Sources ................................................................................ 14 VIII. United Nations Charter ............................................................................................................................. 14 IX. Documents of the Founding Conference of the United Nations .................................................................. 15 X. United Nations Treaty Information .............................................................................................................. 15 A. Treaty Texts ............................................................................................................................................... 15 B. Indexes to UN Treaties .............................................................................................................................. 16 XI. International Court of Justice (ICJ) ................................................................................................................ 17 A. Sources of ICJ Documents: ........................................................................................................................ 18 XII. International Arbitration Awards .............................................................................................................. 19 XIII. United Nations Information on Bloomberg Law, Lexis, and Westlaw ...................................................... 20 XIV. United Nations Information on the Web .................................................................................................. 20 XV. Locating UN Materials Using JACOB, The Law Library's Catalog .............................................................. 22 A. Author or Subject Search .......................................................................................................................... 22 1 B. Keyword Search ........................................................................................................................................ 23 XVI. Legal and Non-Legal Periodical Indexes and Full Text Databases ............................................................ 23 XVII. Recommended Reading ............................................................................................................................ 24 A. International Organizations and the United Nations Generally ............................................................... 24 B. Reform and the Future of the United Nations: ........................................................................................ 25 C. The United Nations and Human Rights..................................................................................................... 26 D. Peacekeeping and Collective Security: ..................................................................................................... 27 2 I. Introduction The United Nations (U.N.) is according to Article 1 of the U.N. Charter an organization of countries dedicated to “maintaining international peace and security; developing friendly relations among nations; cooperating internationally in solving international economic, social, cultural, and humanitarian problems and promoting respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms; and harmonizing the actions of nations in attaining these common ends.” The U.N. Charter was signed June 26, 1945 in San Francisco at the conclusion of the United Nations Conference on International Organization. The Charter came into force on October 24, 1945. The text of the Charter can be found at: http://www.un.org/en/documents/charter/index.shtml. The U.N. consists of six principal bodies: General Assembly; Security Council; Economic and Social Council; the Trusteeship Council; the International Court of Justice; and the Secretariat. In addition, there are 14 specialized agencies working under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council in such diverse areas as health, finance, agriculture, civil aviation, and telecommunications. Information on the history and organization of the U.N. can be found in the following: Gorman, Robert F. Great Debates at the United Nations : an Encyclopedia of Fifty Key Issues 1945-2000. Westport, Conn. : Greenwood Press, 2001 [Location: Reference: KZ 4968 .G67 2001] Osmanczyk, Edmund Jan. Encyclopedia of the United Nations and International Agreements. 3rd ed. New York: Routledge, 2003. [Location: Reference KZ 4968 .O821 2003 v.1-4] The Oxford Handbook on the United Nations, Oxford : Oxford University Press, 2007. [Location: SL2: JZ4970 .O93 2007] United Nations at a Glance, New York : United Nations Publications, 2013. [Location: SL2: JZ4995 .U558 2013] Available online at: http://www.un.org/aboutun/index.shtml United Nations Handbook, Wellington, N.Z. : Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 1973-. [Location: Latest on Ready Reference: JZ 4970 .U65 2010-2011] Latest edition also available at: http://www.mfat.govt.nz/Media-and-publications/Publications/UN-Handbook/offline/UN-Handbook- 2012.pdf The United Nations Today. New York : United Nations, 2008. [Location: SL2: JZ 4970 .B375 2008] Yearbook of International Organizations. Brussels: Union of International Associations. [Location: Latest edition on Reference JZ 4836 .Y43] To determine if a source listed in this guide is available through LexisNexis or Westlaw: Lexis Advance: Select “Browse Sources” and enter the name of the source in the “Search Sources” box. WestlawNext: Enter the name of the source in the search box at the top of the page and select the source from the list. 1 II. United Nations Resources A. Types of Publications and Locations According to Bluebook Rule 21.7, United Nations materials fall into six major categories: VERBATIM AND SUMMARY RECORDS (Rule 21.7.1): The minutes or full-text transcripts of the sessional meetings of various bodies of the UN can be found here. Complete transcripts of meetings or “verbatim” records as they are called by the Security Council, the General Assembly, and the Trusteeship Council are kept in the Official Records of those organs. The Economic and Social Council and the Trade and Development Board do