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Australian Guide to Legal Citation 4th Edition

Guidance on using the Australian Guide to Legal Citation referencing style

Official UN documents

Official documents of the United Nations

See AGLC Part IV — International Materials > rule 9.2

 

Tip: Australian Guide to Legal Citation ('AGLC') rule 9.6 provides examples of commonly cited UN documents.

  • Only include elements that appear on the document and that are applicable to that type of UN document. Omit the other elements in AGLC rule 9.2
  • Use the shortened format [omitting elements 9.2.4–9.2.9] if the document is available in the official UN Document System or other official UN database (many documents fall into this category)
  • Include the author if the document is authored by an individual or body other than a principal UN organ (rule 9.2.1)
  • Some UN documents do not have a title, eg Security Council resolutions
  • A UN document number should appear exactly as shown on the document including slashes, full stops and upper case abbreviations (rule 9.2.10)
  • If the full date is not provided, use as much as appears on the document (rule 9.2.11).

 

Shortened Format

Author, Title, Resolution or Decision Number UN Document Number (Full Date) Annex Pinpoint
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Guidelines on Statelessness No 4: Ensuring Every Child's Right to Acquire a Nationality through Articles 1-4  of the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness, UN Doc HCR/GS/12/04 (21 December 2012) 12 [55].

Shortened format examples

Human Rights and Arbitrary Deprivation of Nationality: Report of the Secretary-General, UN Doc A/HRC/25/28 (19 December 2013) 6 [9].

Prevention of Armed Conflict, GA Res 57/337, UN Doc A/RES/57/337 (18 July 2003, adopted 3 July 2003).

Extended format

Documents that don't qualify for the shortened format require the below elements outlined in rule 9.2. Omit any that are not relevant to the particular document type.

  • Author
  • Title
  • Resolution or Decision Number
  • Official Records
  • Committee Number
  • Session (and Part) Number
  • Meeting Number
  • Agenda Item
  • Supplement
  • UN Document Number
  • (Full Date)
  • Annex
  • Pinpoint Reference.

Other UN materials

Other United Nations materials

AGLC rule 9.1 — Charter of the United Nations art X. [use the prefix arts if referring to multiple article numbers, eg Charter of the United Nations arts 97, 101.]

AGLC rule 9.3 — cite UN treaty committee decisions on individual communications in line with rule 9.2 but add a short title at the end of the citation.

AGLC rule 9.4 — only use this UN Yearbooks rule if the relevant information is not also available as a UN document.

Notes

Adapt this rule for documents from the World Health Organisation, International Labour Organisation and similar bodies by replacing the UN document number with the relevant alternative number.