Series

Law of the Sea Bulletin

The Law of the Sea Bulletin provides cogent and timely information on important issues related to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Issued three times a year, it provides legal material relevant to the Law of the Sea including national legislation, bilateral agreements and multilateral treaties as well as information on decisions of the International Court of Justice, arbitration tribunals and other dispute settlement procedures.

Multilateral treaties deposited with the Secretary-General

This publication provides information on the status of over 500 major multilateral instruments deposited with the Secretary-General of the United Nations (including the texts of reservations, declarations and objections) and covers a range of subject matter such as Human Rights, Disarmament, Commodities, Refugees, the Environment and the Law of the Sea. The number of treaties deposited with the Secretary-General keeps growing steadily. This publication reflects the status of these instruments, as Member States sign, ratify, accede or lodge declarations, reservations or objections. It is available in English and French.

Repertoire of the Practice of the Security Council

The Repertoire of the Practice of the Security Council, mandated by the General Assembly in resolution 686 (VII) in 1952, provides comprehensive coverage of the Security Council’s interpretation and application of the United Nations Charter and its own Provisional Rules of Procedure since 1946. Its primary purpose is to provide Member States, including those elected to serve on the Security Council, the United Nations system, academics and others with a source of information regarding the evolving practice of the Security Council. 

Report of the International Law Commission

The International Law Commission was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948 for the "promotion of the progressive development of international law and its codification. It holds an annual session at the United Nations Office at Geneva. 

Reports of the International Court of Justice

Every year the Court submits a report on its activities to the United Nations General Assembly. The Report covers the period from 1 August of one year to 31 July of the next. It generally includes an introductory summary and information relating to the organization, jurisdiction and judicial work of the Court, visits, events and lectures, the Court’s publications and documents, and administrative and budgetary issues. 

The Law of the Sea: A Select Bibliography

Prepared by the Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea, Office of Legal Affairs, the bibliographies in this collection is divided into subject categories based mainly on the major topics of the Convention on the Law of the Sea. The books and articles within each category are listed alphabetically by author and a complete author index is also included.

The Work of the International Law Commission

This series provides an introduction to the work of the International Law Commission (ILC), with sufficient references to facilitate further research. Volume I of each edition discusses the nature and role of the ILC, as well as of its programme of work, working methods and relationship with governments and other legal bodies. It includes a brief summary of the work undertaken on each topic considered since 1949, as well as several annexes, containing its Statute, relevant historical information, and a selected bibliography. Volume II of each edition reproduces the full texts of the final draft instruments prepared by the ILC and submitted to the General Assembly for its consideration, as well as of multilateral conventions adopted by diplomatic conferences convened under the auspices of the United Nations or by the General Assembly, on the basis of draft articles prepared by the ILC. 

United Nations Juridical Yearbook

Pursuant to resolution 1814 (XVII) of 18 December 1962, the General Assembly requested the Secretary-General to publish a juridical yearbook which would include certain documentary materials of a legal character concerning the United Nations and related intergovernmental organizations as presented in an outline annexed to the resolution. The United Nations Juridical Yearbook has since been published on an annual basis reviewing legal developments starting from 1963. 

United Nations Legislative Series

In 1950, the International Law Commission considered ways and means for making customary international law more readily available, in accordance with article 24 of its Statute. The Commission recommended, inter alia, that the General Assembly of the United Nations should authorize the Secretariat to prepare and issue, with as wide a distribution as possible, a Legislative Series containing the texts of current national legislation on matters of international interest. In this connection, it was recommended that the Secretariat should assemble and publish from time to time collections of the texts of national legislation on special topics of general interest. The Legislative Series is prepared by the Codification Division of the Office of Legal Affairs. The first 25 volumes in the Legislative Series have addressed a broad range of special topics of general interest relating, inter alia, to the law of the sea, the law of treaties, nationality, diplomatic and consular law, international organizations, State succession, non-navigational uses of international watercourses, jurisdictional immunities of States and their property, the multilateral treaty-making process as well as the prevention and suppression of international terrorism. The legal materials contained in this series have included not only national legislation but also treaties, judicial decisions, diplomatic correspondence and other relevant materials depending on the topic.