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Referencing - International Law: UN Secretary-General

How do I reference a document from the UN Secretary-General?

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

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

Footnote and bibliography:
e.g. United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) Report of the Secretary-General on Rape and Abuse of Women in the Territory of the Former Yugoslavia (30 June 1993) UN Doc E/CN.4/1994/5

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 Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) Report of the Secretary-General on Rape and Abuse of Women in the Territory of the Former Yugoslavia (30 June 1993) UN Doc E/CN.4/1994/5, 6-7

Author

The author of a document from the Secretary-General is usually given as the UN body to which the document is addressed.

The first time you reference the document, give the name of the author in full, e.g. United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR). After that, it can be given in abbreviated form, e.g. UNCHR.

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  • Do not cite resolution titles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.