Research Guides: Charter of the United Nations: Research Resources

Charter Research Resources

In general, secondary sources provide the best starting point for research on the Charter. Some key titles are listed here.

Books

Commentaries

The Charter of the United Nations / Edited by Bruno Simma; Daniel-Erasmus Khan; Georg Nolte; Andreas Paulus (eds)
Date: 2013
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 scholars and practitioners, this book combines academic research with the insights of practice, and is an indispensable work of reference for all those interested in the UN.
La Charte des Nations Unies : commentaire article par article / Jean-Pierre Cot et Alain Pellet
Date: 2005
Commentary in French; gives an article-by-article account of the legislative history.
The Statute of the International Court of Justice : a commentary / Andreas Zimmermann, Karin Oellers-Frahm, Christian Tomuschat, Christian J. Tams
Date: 2012
This first ever comprehensive Commentary on the Statute of the International Court of Justice analyzes in detail not only the Statute of the Court itself but also the related provisions of the United Nations Charter as well as the relevant provisions of the Court's Rules of Procedure. Now available in a 2nd edition

Other Reference Books

International Institutional Law / Henry G. Schermers; Niels M. Blokker
Call Number: LSA 341.1 S327
ISBN: 9789004187986
Date: 2011
The fifth, revised edition of International Institutional Law covers the most recent developments in the field and offers a comparative analysis of the institutional law of international organizations. It includes comparative chapters on the rules and practices concerning membership, institutional structure, decision-making, financing, legal order, supervision and sanctions, legal status and external relations.
Law and Practice of the United Nations / Simon Chesterman; Thomas M. Franck; David Malone
Date: 2008
Combines primary materials with commentary, demonstrating the interaction between law and practice in the UN organization, as well as the possibilities and limitations of multilateral institutions in general. Each chapter begins with a short introductory essay by the authors that describes how the documents that follow illustrate a set of legal, institutional, and political issues relevant to the practice of diplomacy and the development of public international law through the United Nations.
The Max Planck Encyclopedia of Public International Law / Rüdiger Wolfrum (Editor)
Call Number: LSA 341(03) E562
ISBN: 9780199291687
Date: 2012
This new edition contains over 1,619 articles covering the full breadth of international law. Articles address the history and theory of international law; all sub-fields such as international criminal law, environmental law, and economic law; leading cases; and significant treaties, organizations, armed conflicts, and geographical issues. Each article contains cross-references to related articles, and includes a selected bibliography.
Oppenheim's International Law / Rosalyn Higgins; Sandesh Sivakumaran; James Sloan; Dapo Akande; Philippa Webb
ISBN: 9780198808312
Date: 2017-12-12
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. In examining the evolving structures and ever expanding work of the United Nations, this volume follows the tradition of Oppenheim by presenting facts in a succinct text that also offers in the footnotes a wealth of information and ideas to be explored. Itis book that explains the workings of the legal practice of the UN.
The Oxford Handbook on the United Nations / Thomas G. Weiss ; Sam Daws
Date: 2007
An authoritative, one-volume treatment of sixty years of history of the United Nations. Citations and suggested readings contain a wealth of primary and secondary references to the history, politics, and law of the world organization.
The Procedure of the UN Security Council / Loraine Sievers; Sam Daws
Call Number: Ref 341.13 B1593, UNX.15 B1593
ISBN: 9780199685295
Date: 2014
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. Contains detailed analysis of voting and decision-taking by the Council, as well as the place, format, and conduct of meetings.

Find more books and articles

Search results for books and articles about the UN Charter
Search in DAG Discovery for books, e-books, and electronic journal articles about the Charter of the United Nations.
Full text access to subscription electronic resources available at UNHQ and subscribing institutions.

UN Research Resources

Repertory of Practice of United Nations Organs
Analytical studies of the decisions of the UN principal organs under each of the Articles of the Charter ; Comprehensive summary of the decisions of United Nations Organs, together with review of related material, organized by Charter Articles.
Repertoire of the Practice of the Security Council
Provides comprehensive coverage of the Security Council’s interpretation and application of the United Nations Charter and its own Provisional Rules of Procedure since 1946.

UN Juridical Yearbook
Since 1962, the Secretary-General has published, on an annual basis, a Juridical Yearbook which includes documentary materials of a legal character concerning the United Nations and related intergovernmental organizations. Coverage: 1963-2011.

Subscription Databases

Accessible at UN Headquarters in New York and through other subscribing institutions. Please contact your library for guidance.

Hague Academy Collected Courses Online
Available at UNHQ and other subscribing institutions.
HeinOnline
Available at UNHQ and other subscribing institutions.
Max Planck Encyclopedia of Public International Law
Available at UNHQ and other subscribing institutions.

Max Planck Encyclopedia of Public International Law : United Nations Charter, by Cot, 2011.
Article on the Charter from the Max Planck Encyclopedia of Public International Law, with a brief drafting history, and sections on Structure and Semantics; Preamble, Purposes and Principles; Players and Procedures; Revision and Reform; Compact or Constitution? Also includes Select Bibliography and Select Documents sections.
Available at UNHQ and other subscribing institutions.
Max Planck Encyclopedia of Public International Law : Articles on the UN Charter
Search results in the Max Planck Encyclopedia of Public International Law for articles on the UN Charter.
Subscription resource available at UNHQ and other subscribing institutions.

Oxford Reports on International Law
Oxford Reports on International Law brings together decisions on public international law from international law courts, domestic courts, and ad hoc tribunals.

Case reporting service from Oxford University Press that contains selective cases from domestic courts around the world dealing with public international law issues. Legal experts in the field cover over sixty countries, providing detailed analysis of the core legal issues, highlighting the most salient points of the case, and providing historical and legal context to understand the significance of the decision. Translations of key passages of non-English judgments appear alongside the full text of the judgments in the original language.The Dag Hammarskjold Library subscription includes access to the following modules: Oxford Reports on International Law in Domestic Courts, Oxford Reports on International Criminal Law,Oxford Reports on International Human Rights Law, and Oxford Reports on International Courts of General Jurisdiction.
Oxford Scholarship Online - Law
Available at UNHQ and other subscribing institutions.

Research Guides and Websites

75 Years, 75 Documents
by Mereani Vakasisikakala Last Updated Sep 20, 2020 2254 views this year
Legal Research Resources
by Susan Goard Last Updated Mar 4, 2021 382 views this year
UN Documentation: International Law
by Susan Kurtas Last Updated Jan 26, 2021 10902 views this year
UN Documentation: Overview
by Susan Kurtas Last Updated Dec 3, 2020 26846 views this year

Charter of the United Nations

UN Documentation Research Guide