DIGITAL ENCYCLOPEDIA ON THE UNITED NATIONS
/ BACKGROUND
More than an internet website
Project’s background
The Institute for Advanced Studies on the United Nations has for main objective since its creation to encourage research on the United Nations, multilateralism and global governance.
The excellence of its research works aims at promoting knowledge on the United Nations system, its structure and organs, its history and building, its operational activities as well as diplomatic relations.
IAS-UN is also bound by the duty to diffuse this knowledge towards exerts and the public audience in order to make this knowledge more accessible to the world citizens interested in the world organization.
Considering this perspective, the Digital Encyclopedia on the United Nations, large-scale project, aspires to the creation of an Internet platform on the United Nations. Unique, in seven languages – French, English, Spanish, Chinese, Russian, Arabic and Portuguese-, this web portal, free, will target a large and heterogeneous audience such as researchers, high civil servants, journalists, teachers or even students.
The largest source of information on the United Nations
It relies on the creation of a documentary and information site, clear, accessible and reliable. In fact, if publication remains a major stake for the transmission of knowledge, books are less likely for a mass diffusion: quality works on the United Nations are often excessively expensive, in English and therefore designed for a reduced audience. Besides, in a world stigmatized by the fast development of Information Communication Technologies, Internet imposes itself as a privileged vector of information as it allows massive and rapid information diffusion. Thus, the Institute chose Internet to become the support of the Digital Encyclopedia on the United Nations.
In addition, the documentation referenced on Internet concerning the United Nations does exist, but it is decentralized and fragmented on many sites, it is therefore difficult to find it and exploit it. Thus a unique centralized portal on the United Nations is justified: based on selected documentary resources and to an attractive approach, each user will be able to better understand the UN system, until its most concrete daily aspects.
The Encyclopedia will not only ensure a free access for all anywhere in the world, to the intellectual, political, cultural and historical patrimony of the United Nations, but it will also allow to scan crucial documents to encourage the understanding of the creation of the Institution. It will thus carry a mission of patrimony preservation by ensuring the protection and communication of resources thanks to their scanning.
Better understand the world in which we live in through the United Nations action
Since their creation in 1945, the United Nations play a crucial and active role in the world. However, few popularization works in particular relied on their construction and their history. The Encyclopedia is therefore the occasion to reflect on the construction and the action of the United Nations for more than sixty years, as well as on the challenges they will have to face in the XXIst century.
The Encyclopedia has for mission to contribute to the comprehension of the biggest world stakes of our time. In this perspective, the definition work that will be elaborated by experts appears to be central. In a time of major changes and reform of the UN system, it appears essential to benefit from reference definitions elaborated by the most distinguished specialists in order to fix the terms of the debate.
In addition, the Encyclopedia will allow the public to better appreciate the daily role played by the UN throughout the world. Therefore, it will ensure the promotion and diffusion of their action.
A site of excellence accessible for professionals and a large audience
On Internet reigns an impressive profusion of sites dedicated to the United Nations that do not have the same content according to the language selected.
A centralization of these UN related websites will allow to gain in clarity and rapidity, to present teachers, researchers and students a reliable multidisciplinary information, quality articles ensured by experts, and unique documentary resources along with explanations and overviews.
The UN action, depicted in its daily aspects will offer a practical and concrete vision to the public, often too often confronted with theoretical data.
