Professor A.F. Bayefsky of York University, Toronto, and a team of researchers have produced this site. Its aim is to enhance the implementation of the human rights legal standards of the United Nations and to increase access to these documents by making materials associated with the treaty system available in electronic and user-friendly form.
The UN Human Rights Council is the successor to the UN Commission on Human Rights. It is responsible for promoting and protecting human rights around the world. The Council's website gives details of its membership, rules of procedure, advisory committees and working groups, meetings and other events. There is information about the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), whereby the HRC reviews the human rights record of each UN Member States every four years.
Guide to human rights in UN member states, on the website of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). Human rights documents and news are provided for each country. The documents include Special Procedures reports, reports of UN Treaty Bodies and information about the status of human rights treaties. The site is in English, French, Spanish, Russian, Arabic and Chinese.
This site, focusing on the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), forms part of the UNICEF website. There is background information and a full text copy of the Convention along with FAQs and factsheets. UNICEF's report the State of the World's Children is available to download in full text from the site. The 2009 report celebrates 20 years of the Convention and focuses on children's rights in different countries. Case studies and interviews with experts on children's rights are available as videos on the site.
This site is maintained by the United Nations to provide information and resources regarding its work on maintaining the rule of law. It offers UN press releases and a repository of UN documents including General Assembly resolutions, reports, norms and standards, guidance and training materials. Topics covered include the rule of law at national and international levels, constitution building, transitional justice, informal justice, peace building and international security.
Website of the Global Policy Forum (GPF), an independent policy watchdog that monitors the work of the UN and scrutinizes global policymaking. The site provides analyses of the work of the UN Security Council and social and economic policy at the UN. It also covers globalisation, nations and states, NGOs, UN finance, international justice, Iraq, UN reform, world economic crisis, food and hunger, natural resources and global taxes. Each section breaks down into a number of sub-categories providing access to a extensive collection of articles, reports, news items, statistics and links.
This online version of United Nations Peacekeeping Operations: principles and guidelines was published in 2008 and is available on the website of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations. The purpose of the publication is to provide key guidance for UN personnel serving in the field and to help practitioners understand the fundamental principles underlying contemporary UN peacekeeping operations.
This site provides free access to the official charter of the United Nations.The Charter of the United Nations was signed on 26 June 1945, in San Francisco, at the conclusion of the United Nations Conference on International Organization, and came into force on 24 October 1945. The Statute of the International Court of Justice is an integral part of the Charter.It sets out the purpose, main organs and role of the United Nations. The website also offers a history of the charter and details about amendments and signatories.
Website of the Historic Archives section of the United Nations Audiovisual Library of International Law. The Library is a free online multimedia resource of the United Nations Office of Legal Affairs. The Historic Archives collection focuses on key legal instruments covering a wide range of international law topics including criminal law, disarmament, environmental law, human rights, international economic law, law of outer space and the law of the sea.
Website of the Lecture Series section of the United Nations Audiovisual Library of International Law. The Library is a free online multimedia resource of the United Nations Office of Legal Affairs. The Lecture Series is a collection of video lectures given by given by leading international law scholars and practitioners. The lectures are arranged by subject including human rights, cultural heritage, development, international organisations, peace and security, courts and tribunals and the Arctic. A selection of related documents and profiles of the lecturers are also given on the site.
