Skip to Main Content

Referencing - International Law: UN General Assembly (UNGA)

How do I reference a document from the UN General Assembly (UNGA)?

This guidance applies whether you found the decision in print or online.

author | title | (date) | UN Doc | document number

Footnote and bibliography:
e.g. United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Rules of Procedure in the General Assembly (2008) UN Doc A/520/Rev.17

To pinpoint, follow the citation with a comma and the page number. To pinpoint several pages, insert a dash between the page numbers:
e.g. United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Rules of Procedure in the General Assembly (2008) UN Doc A/520/Rev.17, 49-52

Author

The first time you reference the document, give the name of the author in full, e.g. United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). After that, it can be given in abbreviated form, e.g. UNGA.

Title

  • Abbreviate resolution to 'Res'
  • Do not cite resolution titles
  • Do not include 'The' at the beginning of the title
  • Use capitals for the major words.

Date

The date is always given in (round brackets).

Document number

Each UN document has a unique reference number ('symbol') located at the top right of the document.

You can find a guide on what UN symbols mean on the UN website.