LibGuides: United Nations Research: Research strategies

Strategies

Everyone's United Nations
- Series of reference works outlining the work of the United Nations on specific issues from the 60s, 70s, & mid-80s
- Use the subject index at the back to get names & dates for key U.N. activities on your issue
- Once you have your time frame, use the annual Yearbook of the United Nations for more detailed information & references to important documents
- Coverage from 1945-1960s: Everyman's United Nations

Start by using a reference resource (see examples below) to gather information on U.N. actions or discussions on the issue.
Once you have this background information you can begin to search for documents & publications.
Key information to look for: dates, personal names, conference names, document & publication titles, document symbols, organs where activity occurred (e.g. General Assembly or Security Council), related agencies, etc.
Unlike documents, U.N. publications are catalogued in the library catalogue. Try an advanced search using "United Nations" as an author & some keywords relating to your issue

Yearbook of the United Nations
- Available online, 1946+
- Arranged by subject & issued annually
- Find out what the UN did in a given year or what it has done over many years in a specific area
- Includes references to primary documents & reprints of some full-text documents
- Use document symbols from references to search ODS or documents in microfiche
U.N. Global Issues
- Concise website outlining major issues concerning the U.N.
- Outlines major actions taken by U.N., references major documents, & provides links to related U.N. agencies & programmes
Encyclopedia of the United Nations and International Agreements
- Contains entries on U.N. agreements as well as the structure & functioning of U.N. organs
- Includes a subject index

Index to Speeches (UNBISnet) (not currently available)
- Searchable by keyword, topic, speaker, date, meeting record symbol & country
- Try searching by country & by topic simultaneously to get a picture of country's position on an issue
- For speeches in the General Assembly, Security Council, & Economic & Social Council prior to 1983, use the Indexes to Proceedings for each body

To gain an understanding of a country's position on a particular issue, you might wish to examine:

UNBISnet
- Select "new keyword search" under "bibliographic records"
- For letters, enter the country name & select "B18" under "Type of Material"
- If there is no link to full text, take down document symbol & search in microtext collection
U.N. Member States on the Record
- "Information available for each Member State includes: 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."
Nations on record : United Nations General Assembly roll-call votes (1946-1973)
- 1974-1977, 1984-1986, 1987-1989
Member States of the United Nations
- Contains links to permanent missions to the United Nations for each country
- Sites of permanent missions contain foreign government material issued by delegations to the United Nations. Should there be a delay by the United Nations in releasing meeting records or if a better picture of a country’s foreign policy is sought, speeches and policy documents may be found here on the Permanent Mission websites.
- Canada's Permanent Mission to the United Nations