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A/CN.1/

The Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) is a subsidiary of the General Assembly responsible for "expert examination of the programme budget of the United Nations" and assists the Fifth Committee.

  • ACABQ website
  • Established by General Assembly resolution 14 (I) of 13 February 1946
  • Membership increased by resolutions 32/103 of 14 December 1977 and 74/267 of 27 December 2019
    • ACABQ website has list of members by year, 1946-present
  • Functions described in rules 155 to 157 of the Rules of procedure of the General Assembly (A/520/Rev.20)
  • Meets in New York in closed sessions
    • Meeting records and press releases are not issued
  • Reports to the General Assembly on:
    • Proposed programme budget
    • UN Accounts
    • Specific topics relating to the budget and finances of the organization
  • ACABQ reports on the proposed programme budget have a consistent symbol pattern 
    • Supplement 7 to the General Assembly Official Records (GAOR) 
    • A/session/7
    • A/78/7 + Addenda
    • Addenda to this report deal with specific topics related to the proposed budget
    • Link to search for all GAOR ACABQ reports on the Proposed Programme Budget
    • From the 28th-72nd sessions, this report was issued every other year during even-numbered sessions
  • Reports on other matters are issued without any particular symbol pattern

Available translations:

A/CN.2/

The Committee on Contributions advises the General Assembly on the apportionment of the expenses of the organization among the Member States according to their capacity to pay.

  • Committee on Contributions website
  • Established by General Assembly resolution 14 (I) A of 13 February 1946
  • Functions are described in rules 158 to 160 of the Rules of procedure of the General Assembly (A/520/Rev.20)
  • Recommends the scale of assessments of Member States’ contributions
  • Advises the General Assembly on:
    • Assessments for new members
    • Appeals by members for change of assessment
    • Application of Article 19 in cases of arrears in payment
  • Meets in New York in closed sessions
    • Meeting records and press releases are not issued
  • Sessional reports

Available translations:

A/CN.3/

The UN Board of Auditors audits the accounts of the UN and its funds and programmes.

NOTE: In the past the Report of the Board of Auditors for the United Nations was issued every other year following the completion of the biennium. Beginning with the 70th session, the Financial Statements and Report of the Board of Auditors covers one year.

Available translations:

A/CN.4/

The International Law Commission is an expert body, composed of "persons of recognized competence in international law", that works on the progressive development and codification of international law.

  • International Law Commission (ILC) website
  • established by General Assembly resolution 174 (II) of 21 November 1947
  • Statute (pdf) found in A/CN.4/4/Rev.2 (Sales number: 82.V.8)
  • promotes of the progressive development of international law and its codification
  • meets annually in Geneva;
  • full text of all ILC documents can be accessed through the Commission's website
  • document series symbol for working documents
  • meeting records
    • A/CN.4/SR.-
    • example: A/CN.4/SR.3289
    • also edited and published in the Yearbook of the ILC
  • sessional reports (list of symbols)
  • press releases series symbol L/-
  • major publications:
    • Yearbook of the International Law Commission
      • Volume I: Meeting records
      • Volume II: Texts of major reports produced during the year, including the annual report to the General Assembly
    • Analytical Guide to the Work of the International Law Commission
      • Organizes the  work of the ILC by subject
      • Provides a summary of the consideration of the topic
      • Links to the full text documentation
      • Links to any texts and/or instruments drafted through the ILC
      • Often the outcome of ILC on a topic is draft articles for a proposed multilateral agreement, and the ILC will also issue the draft articles with commentaries (e.g. Law of Treaties). This is useful for researchers looking into the "travaux preparatoires" or preparatory work of a multilateral convention.
    • The Work of the International Law Commission,  9th edition (Sales number: 17.V.2) gives an overview of the ILC's activities and reproduces the full text of legal instruments drafted under its aegis. 

Available translations:

A/CN.5/

UN Administrative Tribunal

Symbol changed in 1951 to AT/

https://research.un.org/en/docs/law/courts#s-lg-box-wrapper-2199806

A/CN.6/

UN Staff Pension Committee

 
Some documents restricted

A/CN.7/

UN. Peace Observation Commission

A/CN.8/

UN. Investments Committee

A/CN.9/

The UN Commission on International Trade Law works to further the progressive harmonization and unification of the law of international trade. Its 60 members are elected by the General Assembly.

  • United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) website
  • established by General Assembly resolution 2205 (XXI) of 17 December 1966
  • promotes the progressive harmonization and unification of the law of international trade
  • meets annually in New York in even years and Vienna in odd years
  • the full text of all UNCITRAL documents is available through the website of the Commission
  • document series symbol for working documents
    •  A/CN.9/-
    • example: A/CN.9/739
    • Reports submitted by working groups constitute a major category of these documents
    • Select working documents are reprinted in the UNCITRAL Yearbook
  • meeting records
    • A/CN.9/SR.-
    • example: A/CN.9/SR.842
    • Select meeting records are reprinted in the UNCITRAL Yearbook
  • sessional reports 
  • New York press release series symbol L/-
  • Press releases are issued on the UNCITRAL homepage
  • major publications and information resources:

Available translations:

A/CN.10/

General Assembly resolution S-10/2 of 30 June 1978, the final document of the first special session on disarmament, established four bodies including:

Disarmament Commission

  • Successor to the Commission originally established by resolution 502 (VI) of 11 January 1952
  • Deliberative body composed of all Member States that considers and makes recommendations in the field of disarmament, in accordance with General Assembly resolution S-10/2 of 30 June 1978
  • Meets annually in New York for three weeks
  • Generally focuses on two agenda items at each session
  • Document series symbol for working documents
  • Verbatim records
  • Sessional reports 
    • Supplement 42 to the General Assembly Official Records (GAOR)
    • example: A/78/42
  • Press releases series symbol: DC/-
  • Previous symbol DC/ (1952-1979) : From 1952-1979, prior to the adoption of General Assembly resolution S-10/2, the body called the UN Disarmament Commission issued documents with the symbol DC/-

Research Resources

Available Translations

A/CN.11/

UN. Intergovernmental Committee on Science and Technology for Development