Focus on Electronic Information No. 97-09

Date:  September 1997

Subject:  The United Nations on the Internet

The United Nations (U.N.) home page
(http://www.un.org) contains a rich assortment of
public information and data on U.N. activities.
Visitors to the site can view the full text of the
United Nations Charter, reports on daily
highlights, press releases, U.N. resolutions, and
more.  The home page includes a tour of U.N.
headquarters, news about peacekeeping activities,
and a list of U.N. publications that can be
ordered online.  There is also a CyberSchool Bus,
an area of information and activities for children
to use in the classroom and with their families.

This site also makes available an extensive
collection of current and historical
documentation.  For example, the United Nations
Treaty Series is a collection of treaties and
international agreements registered, filed,
recorded with, and published by the U.N.
Secretariat since 1946.  The texts of treaties are
provided in their authentic language(s), along
with English and French translations.

Since November 1995, the publication,
_Multilateral Treaties Deposited with the
Secretary-General_, has been available on the
Internet.  It provides information on the status
of 486 major multilateral instruments deposited
with the secretary-general of the United Nations
and covers a range of subject matters such as
human rights, disarmament, commodities, refugees,
the environment, and the law of the sea.  This
publication reflects the status of items as member
states sign, ratify, accede, or lodge
declarations, reservations, or objections.  It is
more than one thousand pages in length and is
published annually in English and French.  The
Internet currently offers an English version,
updated weekly.

In addition, the U.N. maintains the "Official Web
Site Locator for the United Nations System of
Organizations" (http://www.unsystem.org).  This
service provides easy access to the Web sites of
United Nations programs, as well as those of its
specialized agencies, autonomous bodies,
interagency coordination mechanisms, and a number
of other groups which deal with United Nations
issues.

The United Nations Department of Humanitarian
Affairs (DHA) also manages ReliefWeb
(http://www.reliefweb.int), a new Internet site
devoted to humanitarian emergencies and disasters
for the international community.  It consolidates
and organizes information produced by a wide range
of sources including U.N. agencies, international
organizations, governments, nongovernment
organizations, and the news media.