About Us

The United Nations Archives and Records Management Section is in the Department of Operational Support (DOS) and based at UN Headquarters in New York where we operate archival repositories, a public research facility and provide advisory services to UN offices, missions, and staff around the world.

The Section has a long history within the Organization and has been supporting its work and preserving its memories since the very beginnings in 1945.

To support the research community, we strive to make as many of our archives available online as possible so users can access them anywhere in the world. Likewise, to support our colleagues at multiple duty stations and in field operations across the globe, we provide remote and onsite training and advisory services.

An image of ARMS Staff assisting a Researcher find records from the online archival collections

Supporting Archival Research

We make as much information available online as possible. We also welcome your inquiries about our collections, conducting research, and visiting the reading room. If you plan on doing research in our reading room in New York, you must contact us in advance to ensure that you will have a seat. We are often booked weeks in advance, so we advise you to plan your visit accordingly. During the months of April - August, we strongly encourage you to reserve a seat two months in advance. If you do not, we cannot guarantee that there will be a spot for you due to space limitations.

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Assisting UN Staff Members

We support records and information management in New York and worldwide across the UN Secretariat, whether it is paper-based or digital, in full coordination with other UN information management experts and the Office for Information and Communication Technology (OICT). In addition to information available online, we encourage all UN Staff to contact us directly to seek advice.

Occasionally our responses to you are sorted into your email system's spam folder, so please ensure that you check there for any incoming messages. If you do not receive any response within three business days, please resubmit your inquiry. For internal requests, you can also contact us via the intranet.

ARMS Staff handing off an archival document to a Researcher

Feedback

We are always keen on receiving feedback on our website, services, or anything else related to your experience with the United Nations Archives and Records Management Section.