The United Nations

Global Issues on the UN Agenda-- Directory page that locates and links to UN system programs and activities by global theme or issue, plus events, documents, learning tools, NGO partners, and key speeches (all by issue).

Libraries, Catalogues and Publications of the UN System-- "The premier web site which provides a Web interface to the electronic resources of the libraries of [the] UN system of organizations, and offers powerful search and retrieval functionality... provides a single point of access to library catalogs, indexes and abstract databases, library holdings, links to full-text resources, and archives." Excellent central database to search for U.N. studies and holdings by country, topic, or other terms.

Organization Chart of the United Nations-- Interactive chart to access many of the organs of the United Nations.

United Nations Internet Resources-- Directory from the Library of the University of California at Berkeley.

United Nations Official Document System-- Search facility for online access to "all types of official United Nations documentation, beginning in 1993," plus "resolutions of the General Assembly, Security Council, Economic and Social Council and the Trusteeship Council from 1946 onwards," with online training guides and expanding coverage.

United Nations System-- Official Web site locator for the United Nations system of organizations, searchable and organized in a user-friendly way.

UNdata-- "Data access system to UN databases... a single entry point from which users can now search and download a variety of statistical resources of the UN System." Very helpful, searches scores of millions of UN records. From the United Nations Statistics Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs.

UN Pulse-- Weblog that "alerts you to selected just-released UN online information, major reports, publications and documents. Created and maintained by a team of reference librarians at the United Nations Dag Hammarskjöld Library in New York, UN Pulse is updated as new information is published and received."

Yearbook of the United Nations-- "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. The complete collection (1946-2005) is available here."

•  United Nations Home Page-- From the U.N. Department of Public Information, organized by topics and general information. Databases are online.

•  Dag Hammarskjöld Library-- From the United Nations Department of Public Information, with material available online. Of particular note is the United Nations Documentation Research Guide, for an overview of the various types of U.N. documents and publications. Also consult the United Nations System Pathfinder, to identify major publications of the organizations comprising the United Nations system, and UN-I-QUE: United Nations Info Quest, for quick access to document symbols/sales numbers for U.N. materials since 1946.

•  Food and Agriculture Organization--  Note the Global Information and Early Warning System on Food and Agriculture, with reports and databases for information on the world food and agriculture situation. At FAO's searchable Document Repository you can access and view full-text documents from FAO and related IGOs. FAOStat Databases give you time-series food and forestry-related statistics by commodity or country. "The State of..." publications series provides the "most recent world-wide information and analyses on major topics of [FAO's] competence - food and agriculture, fisheries and aquaculture, forests, food insecurity."

•  Human Development Report Office of the United Nations Development Programme-- This annual Report is a comprehensive guide to global human development, with analyses of major issues, updated Human Development Indicators to compare the relative levels of human development in over 175 countries, and an agenda to help transform development priorities. Portions are available online, Occasional Papers, and links to national HDRs.

• Library of the United Nations Office at Geneva-- Site allows access to information on Library holdings (searchable online catalog), recent acquisitions, archives, bibliographies, publications,  e-resources, U.N. system resources, special events, and more.

•  Millennium Report of the Secretary-General of the United Nations-- In full-text, released April 2000, "the most comprehensive presentation of the UN's mission in its fifty-five year history, containing numerous specific goals and programme initiatives."

•  United Nations Children's Fund-- Statistics and publications online about the situation and rights of children worldwide, including the annual report State of the World's Children.

•  United Nations Chronicle-- Selected articles and special features from this official publication on "information, ideas and debate about the U.N. system," with archive.

•  United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM)-- Describes UNIFEM's work, and that of others, to promote women's empowerment and gender equality by providing "financial and technical assistance to innovative programmes and strategies that promote women's human rights, political participation and economic security." Offers online publications on women's issues around the world.

•  United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT)-- "The United Nations agency for human settlements... mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities with the goal of providing adequate shelter for all." Posts many UN-HABITAT publications, news, statistics, and partnerships, both globally and by country.

•  United Nations News Centre--  From the U.N. Department of Public Information, "A world of news from the world organization," with searchable global and U.N. news sources, press briefings, and analysis, plus archive.

•  United Nations Publications-- Learn about and order United Nations and other international publications and gift items, plus the United Nations Documents on Demand service.

•  United Nations Statistics Division-- Provides a wide range of statistics, with some free databases online, and some by subscription only, plus links to other sources of national and international statistics.

•  Women Watch-- Gateway to U.N. information and data on women worldwide and a forum on global women's issues, to provide up to date information on the U.N.'s work on behalf of the women of the world, track the global agenda for improving the status of women, and constitute an electronic space for exchange of information and ideas on women's issues.

•  Global Governance Watch-- "Joint project of the American Enterprise Institute and the Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies... to raise awareness of the growing global governance movement and to address issues of transparency and accountability at the United Nations, in NGOs, and related international organizations. In particular, the project monitors issues of national sovereignty and the ways in which the agendas of international organizations influence domestic politics."

•  Global Policy Forum-- Independent NGO "to monitor policy making at the United Nations, promote accountability of global decisions, educate and mobilize for global citizen participation, and advocate on vital issues of international peace and justice," with much information and analysis online. Note their section on NGOs and the United Nations.

•  ReformtheUN.org-- "Project started by the World Federalist Movement - Institute for Global Policy, a global membership organization headquartered in New York City. WFM-IGP is dedicated to bringing about a just world order through a strengthened and more democratized United Nations." This website tracks and analyzes the U.N. reform process from that perspective.

•  U.N. Wire-- Free daily independent news summary by e-mail covering the United Nations, global affairs, and key international issues from the United Nations Foundation and SmartBrief.

•  United Nations Association of the United States of America--  Dedicated to promoting U.S. participation in the United Nations system and to strengthening the U.N. system. Online forums, materials on education and public research, substantive policy analysis, policy advocacy, U.S.-U.N. relations, and links.

•  United Nations Intellectual History Project-- From the Graduate Center of The City University of New York, materials from a project analyzing the U.N. "as the creator and nurturer of ideas and concepts that have permeated international public policy discourse and sometimes won support and been implemented."

•  United Nations Scholars' Workstation-- Developed by the Yale University Library and the Social Science Statistical Laboratory, this is a rich "collection of texts, finding aids, data sets, maps, and pointers to print and electronic information. Subject coverage includes disarmament, economic and social development, environment, human rights, international relations, international trade, peacekeeping, and population and demography."

•  United States Mission to the United Nations-- Official website of the US delegation with information about the mission, press releases, fact sheets, official speeches, US policy positions on major issues, and so forth.

•  Voting Practices in the United Nations-- From the US Department of State, a site that "reviews voting practices in the UN Security Council and General Assembly and presents data in a variety of formats," especially in comparison with the U.S. voting record.

•  World Federation of United Nations Associations-- Seeks to "inform, sustain and energize a global network of United Nations Associations to support the principles and programs of the United Nations and to help shape its agenda." Information on the United Nations and WFUNA, and links to the Federation's national affiliates worldwide.