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Public International Law

United Nations overview

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.

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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 Nations treaties

League of Nations documents

League of Nations research guides

United Nations treaties

Finding United Nations 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. 

 

The UN website includes the following:

Main United Nations organs

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.

The Security Council has primary responsibility, under the Charter,for the maintenance of international peace and security. 

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 United Nations news

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Books

Print books on the UN are at KC 405 on Level 5 in the Law Library.

United Nations Collection 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.

Online tutorial on United Nations research

Please Note: You must register to access this tutorial.


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