Yearbook on Human Rights

The United Nations is celebrating the 70^th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights this December. What were the concerns of the Organization in the field of human rights over the decades, and where can historic information on Member States activities be located?

Between 1946 and 1988 the United Nations published annual editions of the Yearbook on Human Rights. The Yearbooks serve as valuable reference books, and give detailed historical accounts of the concerns and activities of the United Nations in the field of human rights during this time period.

In honor of the 70^th anniversary of the Declaration, the Library has digitized the historic annual editions in English and in French and made them available in the United Nations Digital Library.

Each Yearbook is divided into three main parts reflecting on national and international developments, the work of specialized agencies, and activities of UN supervisory bodies.

Part I reflects national measures submitted in government reports under the international human rights instruments. The material is arranged by country headings with subject headings as they relate to the 30 articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and international instruments. Trust and Non-Self-Governing Territories also report their measures in this section.  Part II reflects on the practice of United Nations supervisory bodies, while Part III gives an account of international developments and the work of United Nations organs who work in the field of human rights as well as the work of specialized agencies.

The Yearbook on Human Rights combines topical human rights issues and Member States contributions, as they pertain to the realization of the 30 articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in a given year. Published under strict guidelines of impartiality and objectivity, the volumes represent the activities of the United Nations over the span of four decades.

Digitzed series include:

• Yearbook on Human Rights (1946-1988)
• General Assembly: Annotated agenda list (1946-1971)
• Charter of the United Nations (39 languages)
• United Nations Conference on International Organization documents (San Francisco Conference, 22 volumes)
• United Nations Blue Book Series (1994-1996)
• Report of the Commission on the Status of Women (1947-1992)
• Report of UNICEF Executive Board (1946-1993)
• Report of the Governing Council of the United Nations Development Programme (1966-1993)
• UN Statistical Yearbooks  (1948-2017)