The United Nations
The League of Nations (1919 - 1946) was the forerunner to the United Nations.
The United Nations is an international organisation founded in 1945 after the Second World War by 51 countries committed to maintaining international peace and security, developing friendly relations among nations and promoting social progress, better living standards and human rights. More about the UN.
See also:
- United Nations Issues: Overview of the United Nations System byCall Number: eBookPublication Date: 2023
The United Nations: a very short introduction by Call Number: KC 405 HANHPublication Date: OUP, 2015
The Oxford Handbook on the United Nations by Call Number: Law KC 405 OXFOPublication Date: OUP, 2018
League of Nations
The League of Nations (1919 - 1946) was the forerunner to the United Nations. It was established in 1919 under the Treaty of Versailles 'to promote international cooperation and to achieve peace and security'.
- League of NationsIncludes information on the Establishment and Organisation of the League of Nations
League of Nations treaties
- League of Nations Treaty Series1920-1944
League of Nations documents
- Avalon ProjectSelected founding documents of the League are freely available at the Avalon Project website of the Yale Law School.
- HeinOnlineThe League of Nations Official Journal is available on HeinOnline (vols 1-21 (1920-1940)), within its Law Journal Library and United Nations Law Collection respectively.
- League of Nations Statistical and Disarmament DocumentsThe League of Nations Statistical and Disarmament Documents digital library, produced by Northwestern University Library, contains the full text of 260 League of Nations statistical publications and documents related to international disarmament. This collection can be browsed by year, title, and sales number, or searched by keyword.
- League of Nations Photo ArchivesThe League of Nations Photo Archives at Indiana University contains photos and visual material from the collection of the League of Nations Archives.
League of Nations Research Guides
- League of Nations: Guide to documents and publicationsBodleian Libraries, University of Oxford LibGuides
- League of Nations DocumentsHarvard College Library
- Researching League of Nations DocumentsGlobaLex, 2020
- United Nations Treaty Series (UNTS)The United Nations Treaty Series (UNTS) 1946+ is available freely on the UN Treaties website.
Finding UN Documents
Finding UN documents is not always easy or straightforward! The UN's Dag Hammarskjöld Library has produced an extremely helpful research guide on UN System documentation.
- UN System DocumentationFor each of the programmes, funds, specialized agencies and regional commissions, the guide provides information about:
~ Founding documents
~ Governing body’s pattern of documentation
~ Flagship publications
~ Information resources, databases
~ Chief Administrative Officers
The UN website includes the following:
- United Nations Rule of Lawthe principle that everyone – from the individual right up to the State itself – is accountable to laws that are publicly promulgated, equally enforced and independently adjudicated, is a fundamental concept which drives much of the United Nations work.
~ UN Rule of Law Documents - United Nations Official Document System (ODS)Includes all types of official United Nations documentation, beginning in 1993. Older UN documents are being constantly added. The ODS also provides access to the resolutions of the General Assembly, Security Council, Economic and Social Council and the Trusteeship Council from 1946 onwards.
- The Yearbook of the United Nationsfull text, free and complete collection 1946 to date (note: publication is several years behind - for example the 2007 Yearbook was published in 2011). The Yearbook is the principal reference work of the United Nations and provides a detailed overview of the Organization's activities. Each Yearbook is fully indexed and includes all major General Assembly, Security Council and Economic and Social Council resolutions.
- Journal of the United Nationsfull text from 2003+. The Journal contains the daily programme of meetings at Headquarters of the General Assembly, Security Council, Economic and Social Council and other bodies scheduled to take place on a given day, as well as identifies the symbols of major documents to be considered at the meetings -- even when the documents may not yet have been officially released. It also summarises treaty actions which have been undertaken at the previous day by States in respect of multilateral treaties deposited with the Secretary-General.
The Charter of the United Nations by Call Number: KC 401 CHAR vols 1 and 2Publication Date: OUP, 2012
Main UN Organs
- General Assembly of the United Nations Find on here the list of members and General Assembly Documents
The General Assembly is the main deliberative, policy making and representative organ of the United Nations. Comprising all 193 Members of the United Nations, it provides a unique forum for multilateral discussion of the full spectrum of international issues covered by the Charter. The Assembly meets in regular session intensively from September to December each year, and thereafter as required.
The International Court of Justice is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations.
- United Nations Security Council Find the Security Council documents on here also
The Security Council has primary responsibility, under the Charter,for the maintenance of international peace and security.
- United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) ECOSOC documents can be found here also
The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) is a founding UN Charter body established in 1946. The world’s economic, social and environmental challenges are discussed by the Council, which issues policy recommendations.
The Secretariat — comprising an international staff working in duty stations around the world — carries out the diverse day-to-day work of the Organization. It services the other principal organs of the United Nations and administers the programmes and policies laid down by them.
Latest UN News
The UN and the Global South, 1945 And 2015 by Call Number: KC 405 UNPublication Date: Taylor & Francis, 2017
Research Handbook on UN Sanctions and International Law by Call Number: eBookPublication Date: Edward Elgar, 2017
The Rule of Law and Its Application to the United Nations by Call Number: KC 202 RULEPublication Date: Hart, 2016
Strengthening the Rule of Law Through the UN Security Council by Call Number: KC 420 STRENPublication Date: Routledge, 2016
The Conventions on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations and Its Specialized Agencies: a Commentary by Call Number: KC 405 CONVPublication Date: Oxford University Press, 2016.
UN Collections on HeinOnline
The UN Collection on HeinOnline - this collection contains exact reproductions of major United Nations legal publications, including the complete collection of the United Nations Treaty Series, the League of Nations Treaty Series, the Monthly Statement of Treaties & International Agreements, UNCITRAL Publications, UNIDIR Publications, the United Nations Legislative Series and much more. Additional useful information includes ‘finding aids', to enable you to eg: search across all UN publications.
Other United Nations Research Guides
- UN Research Tutorial from CALIThe tutorial will show you the basic tools for finding United Nations materials. It first gives an overview of how the United Nations is organized. It includes descriptions of each of the principal organs of the U.N. and an overview of the United Nations document numbering system. It then shows several online tools for United Nations research: the U.N.'s web site; the U.N. Documentation Centre; Official Document System; AccessUN; and UNBISNet. It ends with an introduction to a few web sites for very current information about the United Nations.
Please Note: You must register to access this tutorial.