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UNOG Registry First Period, 1946-1973 (partly digitized)
UNOG Registry Second Period, 1973-2018 (not digitized)
With the creation of the United Nations in 1945, and the dissolution of the League of Nations in 1946, the Palais des Nations became the seat of the UN in Geneva.
The UN Geneva Archives are the custodians of several fonds:
- United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG):
- UNOG Registry First Period collection consists of the Registry archives of UNOG Secretariat during the period 1946 to 1973.
The archives of the drafting of the International Declaration on Human Rights, of the drafting of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and of the drafting of the Covenants on Civil and Political Rights and on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights are available online. - UNOG Registry Second Period collection consists of the Registry archives of UNOG Secretariat during the period 1973 to 2018.
- UNOG archives (non-Registry archives) consists of the archives of UNOG Secretariat during the period of 1945 to present.
- UNOG Registry First Period collection consists of the Registry archives of UNOG Secretariat during the period 1946 to 1973.
- United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) consists of the archives and Registry collection produced or received by UNCTAD during the period 1964 to present.
- United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) consists of the archives and Registry collection produced or received by UNECE during the period of 1947 to present.
- United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) consists of the archives of UNODA for the period of 1978 to 2009.
- Office of the United Nations Disaster Relief Organization (UNDRO) consists of the archives of UNDRO for the period from 1971 to 1991.
- United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) consists of the archives of OCHA for the period of 1991 to present.
- United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) consists of the archives of UNITAR for the period of 1977 to 2012.
- Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) consists of the archives of OHCHR for the period from 1993 to present.
The vast majority UN Geneva archives are not available online and have not been described. Access to available finding aids and to the archives is done in-person at the UN Archives Geneva Reading Room.
Most unclassified and confidential archives are accessible to the public 20 years after the closure of the files. Archives classified as strictly confidential are only accessible through written authorization from the office of record.
For more information on accessing UN Geneva archives, please contact us through Ask an Archivist.