Each year, UNITAR educates the diplomatic community on the structure, use and retrieval of UN documentation.   What is documentation and why is it so important? A quick look at the latest version of the Oxford dictionary offers the following definition for the word document: “Piece of written, printed or electronic matter that provides record or evidence of events”. It is not surprising, therefore, that the documentation of the United Nations has been over the years an essential basis for the work of the Organization, a reflection of the United Nations system as a whole. Just as the Organization has evolved, its documentation has shown its vitality by adjusting to changing circumstances and adapting to modern technology.   The various symbols by which UN documents are identified reveal the structure of the Organization and its many ramifications. For instance, all documents of the General Assembly family are identified by a symbol beginning with the letter “A” followed by a multitude of additional elements describing in particular the various subsidiary organs established by the Assembly.  

Over the years the Dag Hammarskjöld Library has briefed diplomats on the same topic. In 1998 the Institute and the Library for the first time joined forces to offer to the diplomats accredited to United Nations Headquarters in New York a “Workshop on the structure, retrieval and use of United Nations documentation”. This workshop has been held on a yearly basis ever since, to the great satisfaction of all the participants. At the latest workshop, in June 2009, their comments included: “Very helpful for someone new to the United Nations system”; “I often have to send documents to my headquarters; now I know how to get them quickly”; and “Thank you for the opportunity to partake in such an enlightening workshop and gain a wealth of information from some great people”.