United Nations Press Releases

All press releases issued by the Department of Public Information (DPI) can be accessed online through the UN web site’s main news portal, UN News Centre, at <http://www.un.org/news>. The links to press releases are conveniently located at the top of the left-hand navigation bar, with two buttons providing access to the “Latest” releases and a “Search” function with a full-text search capability. You can also access the latest press releases and their archives, by going directly to the Press Releases page at the following URL: <http://www.un.org/apps/press/latest.asp>.

Recent Press Releases

From the UN News Centre page, click on “latest”, to find the 30 most recent press releases. To display any number of press releases, enter the figure in the box provided, and click “submit”.

Last 30 Days

If the press release you are looking for was issued within 30 days, again click on “latest” from the UN News Centre page. At the top of the page, click on “last 30 days”, to display all the press releases issued during that period. Other choices are “archives” (see below) and “full text search”.

Search

From the UN News Centre page, you can look for press releases by clicking on “search”. This allows for a full text search. Follow the instructions – using keywords, phrases or year – to complete your search. You can also carry out a full text search for press releases at <http://www.un.org/News/Press/full.htm>.

Archives

All press releases issued after 13 October 1995 have been archived in a database and are searchable using a number of fields – by keywords, symbol, subject or date. Enter as much information as you can. If you don’t know what to put in a field, leave it blank. If, for example, you know the subject of the press release, click on the pull-down menu in the subject field, select the category and click “find”. Or if you’re looking for a biography, you could type the person’s name in the keyword field, click on the pull-down menu in the subject field to find “Biographical Notes” and the relevant symbol, type BIO/ in the symbol field, and then click on “find”.

United Nations Documents and the Official Document System (ODS)

More and more documents are available on the UN web site than ever before. You can find most documents through the Dag Hammarskjöld Library page, the UN Documentation Centre <http://www.un.org/documents>, the Security Council page, the General Assembly page, and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights page. However, not all documents are available through the UN web site. For those documents you must turn to the Official Document System (ODS) of the United Nations.

What is the ODS?

The ODS stores electronic versions of official UN documentation in portable document format (pdf) and/or text format. The ODS is accessible on the Internet at <http://www.ods.un.org>. A web browser, such as Internet Explorer, and Adobe Acrobat Reader are required to access the system and view the pdf files. You can also link to the ODS from the new Intranet iSeek, under the “Enterprise Applications” section. Documents are uploaded at duty stations worldwide. Indexing data is provided by the Dag Hammarskjöld Library.

The ODS is maintained by the Information Technology Services Division (ITSD). For technical problems with ODS, you may call the ITSD Help Desk: Tel.: 212-963-3157, E-mail: helpdeskitsd@un.org.

How do I access the ODS?

Currently, a user ID and password are required to access the ODS.

Media representatives and members of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) should
submit their requests to: UN Publications, Sales and Marketing Section, Tel.: 800-253-9646, Fax: 212-963-3489, E-mail: subscriptions@un.org.

Secretariat staff should apply for access by submitting form ITSD4, available on the new Intranet iSeek, in the “Staff Information” section under “Forms”.

Permanent Mission staff should submit their requests for access through their ODS focal point to: Marie Hodge-Alcantara, Tel.: 212-963-1748, Fax: 212-963-0952, E-mail: registration@un.org.

What does the ODS cover?

Comprehensive, though not complete, coverage of all types of official UN documentation begins in 1993. These files are contained in the UN Documents database. Digitization of earlier documentation undertaken by the Dag Hammarskjöld Library is ongoing; at present, selective coverage of General Assembly and Security Council documentation extends back to 1985. A separate database called Resolutions contains pdf files for resolutions (in official records format) of the General Assembly, Economic and Social Council, Security Council and the Trusteeship Council from 1946 until 1993. Currently, the ODS contains close to 800,000 files, and approximately 100,000 new documents are added each year.

The following materials cannot be found on the ODS:

• press releases <http://www.un.org/News/Press/full.htm>;
• most UN sales publications;
• UN Treaty Series volumes <http://untreaty.un.org>;
• information brochures issued by the Department of Public Information.

How do I search for documents on the ODS?

The ODS offers two different search pages:

• a simple search page that offers only a few search options (by document symbol, date and full text) and only retrieves documents from the UN documents database;
• an advanced search page that provides the full range of search options (by document symbol, date, title keyword, subject, agenda item number, session code, job number and full text) and allows the user to select different databases from a drop-down menu.

The search pages are available in the six official languages of the UN and both the subject search and the full text search can be performed in these as well.

The following three types of searches work best on the ODS:

• by document symbol with the various truncation settings;
• by agenda item number in combination with a session code;
• full text (phrase search and Boolean are the most precise).

Title keyword searches (in English only) and subject searches (in all six official languages) can be performed with the understanding that the most recent documents temporarily carry provisional titles and do not yet have subject headings attached.

What can I do when I don’t find what I need?

• you may look up the Help Text for detailed search instructions and tips;
• you may refer to the research tools listed on the Useful Links page, especially the UN Documentation Research Guide, UN-I-QUE and UNBISnet (the catalogue of the Dag Hammarskjöld Library);
• you may contact the UN Documents Reference Desk of the Library: Tel.: 212-963-7412, <http://www.un.org/depts/dhl/sendmail/dhlunsa.asp>.

UNBISnet, the Library’s web catalogue at URL <http://unbisnet.un.org>, offers a wide range of search options. Direct links from catalogue records to the actual documents on the ODS are available. UNBISnet also offers a convenient way to look up speech citations in its Index to Speeches and voting results for resolutions adopted by the General Assembly (1983 onwards) and the Security Council (1946 onwards) in its Voting Records database.

Can I e-mail documents from the ODS?

Yes. Simply open the document as a pdf file, select “Send” from the File menu and choose the option “send page by e-mail”. (NOTE: This feature will only work for those in the Secretariat who have Lotus Notes and Acrobat installed. For others, it may or may not work depending on which e-mail client they are using and how Acrobat was installed on their machine.)

I would like to learn more!

The Library offers ODS classes periodically, usually on Wednesday mornings. To obtain more information or to register, you may contact the User Services Section: Tel.: 212-963-5321 or <http://www.un.org/Depts/dhl/sendmail/dhlusss.asp>.

[This is an e-version of the brochure published by the Department of Public Information, DPI 41246, September 2004]