In general, secondary sources provide the best starting point for research on the Charter. Some key titles are listed here.
The Charter of the United Nations / 
La Charte des Nations Unies : commentaire article par article / 
The Statute of the International Court of Justice : a commentary / 
International Institutional Law / 
Law and Practice of the United Nations / 
The Max Planck Encyclopedia of Public International Law / 
Oppenheim's International Law / 
The Oxford Handbook on the United Nations / 
The Procedure of the UN Security Council / Accessible at UN Headquarters in New York and through other subscribing institutions. Please contact your library for guidance.
The Charter of the United Nations : A Commentary /
Since the second edition of this commentary on the Charter of the United Nations was published the text of the Charter may not have changed but the world has. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have had a lasting impact on international law and the Commentary has been fully updated to take theirimpact into account. The new edition has been completely revised and features a completely new chapter on UN reform, analyzing the effect of reforms which have already been implemented and examining why other proposals for reform have failed. It will assess how these proposals could be improved,with a particular focus on the Security Council. This new edition also includes coverage of the creation of the Human Rights Council and the impact of the Responsibility to Protect doctrine.This is the authoritative, article-by-article account of the legislative history, interpretation, and practical application of each and every Charter provision. Written by a team of distinguished scholars and practitioners, this book combines academic research with the insights of practice, and isan indispensable work of reference for all those interested in the UN.The Commentary will be crucial in providing new directions for the development of international law and the United Nations in the twenty-first century.
Oppenheim's International Law: United Nations /
The United Nations, whose specialized agencies were the subject of an Appendix to the 1958 edition of Oppenheim's International Law: Peace, has expanded beyond all recognition since its founding in 1945. This volume represents a study that is entirely new, but prepared in the way that hasbecome so familiar over succeeding editions of Oppenheim.An authoritative and comprehensive study of the United Nations' legal practice, this volume covers the formal structures of the UN as it has expanded over the years, and all that this complex organization does. All substantive issues are addressed in separate sections, including among others, theresponsibilities of the UN, financing, immunities, human rights, preventing armed conflicts and peacekeeping, and judicial matters.In examining the evolving structures and ever expanding work of the United Nations, this volume follows the long-held tradition of Oppenheim by presenting facts uncoloured by personal opinion, in a succinct text that also offers in the footnotes a wealth of information and ideas to be explored. Itis book that, while making all necessary reference to the Charter, the Statute of the International Court of Justice, and other legal instruments, tells of the realities of the legal issues as they arise in the day to day practice of the United Nations.Missions to the UN, Ministries of Foreign Affairs, practitioners of international law, academics, and students will all find this book to be vital in their understanding of the workings of the legal practice of the UN.
The Procedure of the UN Security Council /
The Procedure of the UN Security Council is the definitive book of its kind and has been widely used by UN practitioners and scholars for nearly 40 years. This comprehensively revised edition contains over 450 pages of new material documenting the extensive and rapid innovations in theCouncil's procedures of the past two decades.A one-stop handbook and guide, with meticulous referencing, this book has served diplomats, UN staff and scholars alike in providing unique insight into the inside workings of the world's preeminent body for the maintenance of international peace and security. Thoroughly grounded in the history andpolitics of the Council, it brings to life the ways the Council has responded through its working methods to a changing world.The book explains the Council's role in its wider UN Charter context and examines its relations with other UN organs and with its own subsidiary bodies. This includes the remarkable expansion in UN peacekeeping, peacebuilding and political missions, sanctions and counter-terrorism bodies, andinternational legal tribunals. It contains detailed analysis of voting and decision-taking by the Council, as well as the place, format, and conduct of meetings. It also seeks to illuminate the personalities behind the Council's work - ranging from the diplomats who sit on the Council itself to theUN Secretary-General, and those outside the Council affected by its decisions. It concludes with reflections on the improvements that have made to the Council's procedures over many decades, and the scope for further reform.
The Charter of the United Nations is deposited with the government of the United States.
A certified true copy was presented to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon on 2 January 2008 by Allen Weinstein of the United States National Archives.
The Library holds a collection of translations of the UN Charter into various languages.
