Oxford LibGuides: Human Rights: UN

United Nations

This first online resource requires an Oxford SSO

United Nations Law Collection (part of HeinOnline)
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If off the OU network requires Oxford Single Sign On username and password

The following online resources are available to anyone with access to the internet

United Nations Official Document System (ODS)
Open Access ODS covers different types of UN documentation from 1993 onwards (although there are selected older documents). It also provides access to resolutions of the General Assembly, Security Council, Economic and Social Council, and The Trusteeship Council. It does not contain press releases or the United Nations Treaty Series.
UN Treaty Series
UN Treaty Handbook
"This publication has been prepared by the Treaty Section of the Office of Legal Affairs as a guide to the Secretary-General's practice as a depositary of multilateral treaties and the Secretariat's practice in relation to the registration and publication functions."
Universal Human Rights Index
Open access. The database provides easy access to country-specific human rights information emanating from international human rights mechanisms in the United Nations system: the Treaty Bodies, the Special Procedures and the Universal Periodic Review (UPR).
Pretoria United Nations human rights treaty system impact study
Open Access "This is a large-scale, long term project aimed at facilitating a better understanding of the dynamics involved in the processes through which the UN human rights treaty system (the treaties themselves and the treaty monitoring bodies based in Geneva) makes a difference on the domestic level, or fails to do so."
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A joint project of Centre for Human Rights (University of Pretoria and the Geneva Academy in collaboration with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights

United Nations Human Rights bodlies

The United Nations has many sections whose work you may encounter while studying human rights. Below is an explanation of frequently used abbreviations with links through to the English version of the home page of each institution! There is also a fuller list of UN acronyms on the UN website at http://www.undg.org/index

Books on the UN's role in IHR

Below are just a few of the book avaliable in the Bodleian Law Library. Click on the title below to see the full holdings.

UN Human Rights Treaty Bodies by Helen Keller (Editor); Geir Ulfstein (Editor); Leena Grover
Call Number: Holders of an Oxford SSO can read this book online via title link
ISBN: 9781107006546
Publication Date: 2012
Print copy is at Internat 570 K29.5a
Law and Practice of the United Nations by Simon Chesterman; Ian Johnstone; David M. Malone; Thomas M. Franck
Call Number: Holders of an Oxford SSO can read this via title link
ISBN: 9780199399482
Publication Date: 2nd edn 2016
Print copy is at Internat 687 C525a2 if preferred
The United Nations Commission on Human Rights : 'a very great enterprise' by John P. Pace
Call Number: Holders of an Oxford SSO can read this book online via title link
ISBN: 9780198863151
Publication Date: 2020
Print copy is at Internat 570 P115a
The United Nations and Human Rights: A Critical Appraisal by Philip Alston (Editor); Fédéric Mégret (Editor)
Call Number: Holders of an Oxford SSO can read this online via title link.
ISBN: 0198298374
Publication Date: 2nd edn 2020
Print copy is available at Internat 570 A464b2 if preferred

News

Below is the main RSS feed for UN Human Rights. You can have a look at the broad range of RSS feed produced by the United Nations at United Nations News Centre

UN documents and publications

Tools to find UN documents or publications.

The Bodleian Official Papers team have a specialist guide, and are happy to assist via email or appointment

United Nations
by Hannah Chandler Last Updated May 31, 2023 165 views this year

Other guides accessible to all with access to the internet