DOC/VJMUN/2013/RES

VJTI MODEL UNITED NATIONS

RESEARCH GUIDE

Finding UN Documents
Online databases

Official Document System (ODS) (from 1993, all resolutions, older documents are being added retrospectively) http://documents.un.org/ UNBISnet (from 1979, with links to full-text when available in ODS) http://unbisnet.un.org/ UN-I-QUE (comprehensive coverage - UN documents of a recurrent nature: annual/sessional or periodic reports and publications; reports of major conferences; statements in the General Debate) http://lib-unique.un.org/lib/unique.nsf

Offline databases

Dag Hammarskjld Library (New York) http://www.un.org/Depts/dhl/ Library UN Office at Geneva (UNOG) http://www.unog.ch/library UN Information Centres http://unic.un.org/aroundworld/unics/en/contacts/unicDirectory/index.asp UN Depository Libraries http://www.un.org/depts/dhl/deplib/countries/index.html

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Online Resources

UN Documentation Research Guide

Website : http://www.un.org/Depts/dhl/resguide/ Excellent starting place to learn about the UN and its documentation Provide information about symbols and how they are structured Provide detailed information about the General Assembly and its documents

Quick-links: http://www.un.org/Depts/dhl/resguide/quick.htm Provide quick reference to recently adopted GA resolutions, including related information such as draft resolutions, meeting numbers and press releases.

Use Research Guide to: learn about document symbols and how they are structured information on major organs and their documentation For General Assembly: provide information on the difference stages of the agenda information on the Main Committees reports of the Secretary-General and subsidiary bodies information about meeting records and voting information

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UN Bibliographic Information System (UNBISNET)

Website: http://unbisnet.un.org/ UNBISnet is: The catalogue of the UN library in New York; Begins in 1979; Contains information about UN documents and sales publications; Links to full text of documents and other resources, when available; Contains separate databases for speech and voting information Using Speech Index database: Records of speeches made in the General Assembly, Security Council and ECOSOC since 1983 and also Trusteeship Council from 1982. Allows for searching by: 1. Country/organization name (include President of GA) 2. Speakers name 3. Meeting record number 4. Topic (keyword) 5. Speech date Links to full-text of meeting record if available in ODS Using Voting Records database: The database includes voting records for all resolutions which were adopted - either with or without a vote by the General Assembly beginning with its 1st session (1946-) and the Security Council beginning with its 1st year (1946)

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Allows for searching by: 1. resolution number 2. keyword 3. vote date Links to full-text of meeting record if available in ODS

Use UNBISnet to search for: Meeting records Speeches Voting information Reports of the Secretary-General Sessional reports Main Committee reports Resolutions

Official Document System (ODS)

Website: http://documents.un.org/ (old ODS search screen) http://www.un.org/en/documents/ods/ (new or Google based search) The ODS is: A full text searchable database of UN documents; Provides online access to masthead documents and official records; Begins in 1993; (older Security Council documents from 1946, GA official records from the mid-1970s) Include resolutions from 1946

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Use the ODS to search for: Reports Resolutions All documents issued under an agenda item (use Advanced search of the old ODS) Older issues of the daily journal

UN-I-Que Database

Website: http://lib-unique.un.org/lib/unique.nsf UN-I-Que provides access to document symbols/sales numbers for UN materials from 1946 onwards.

UN-I-Que has: Information about UN documents of a recurrent nature; Each record is comprehensive historically; Provides the symbols only; Types of documents include: annual/sessional reports of committees/commissions; annual publications; reports periodically/irregularly issued; reports of major conferences; statements in the General Debate. Use UN-I-QUE for: Reports of the Main Committees on each of the Agenda items Sessional reports of subsidiary bodies reporting to the General Assembly Various recurrent reports of the Secretary-General.

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UN Member States on the Record

Website: http://www.un.org/depts/dhl/unms/ Provides direct access to official documents reflecting the views of the UN Member states Consolidates information scattered in multiple databases.

Information included for each Member State includes: key documents related to its membership in the UN; statements made before the principal organs; draft resolutions sponsored; periodic reports

Press Releases (PRs)

Website: http://www.un.org/apps/pressreleases/ Provide advance information on meetings held on a particular day; Official records of meetings take time to be printed; Not considered official record; Detailed information about meetings including speeches, text of resolutions and voting details.

Daily Journal

Website: http://www.un.org/en/documents/journal.asp Provide information on meetings being held on the day, including forthcoming ones; Provide summary of meetings held the day before; Provide daily list of documents.

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UN Terminology database (UNTERM)

Website: http://unterm.un.org/ UNTERM is a multilingual terminology database which provides United Nations nomenclature, technical or specialized terms and common phrases in all six official UN languages.

Use the UNTERM to search for: Translation of terms and phrases into all six official UN languages Finding the meaning of UN abbreviations Finding country information such as name, currency, capital, language in six languages, image of a countrys flag, date of entry into the UN, ISO country codes.

Information on Member States

Position on a subject/topic can be obtained through: Draft resolution(s) sponsored use UNBISnet to search for these Speech made on the topic Search the Speech Index in UNBISnet or the meeting record How it voted in a resolution Use the Voting record database or the meeting record

More Questions?

Were happy to help. Drop us an email at questions@vjmun.org.

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