The most efficient and accountable way to manage UN business records - whether paper or digital- is to ensure you follow UN retention schedules. If your office does not have a retention schedule or you are unsure of how to use them, please contact us.
Retention schedules do not only establish how long records should be kept based on their historical, legal, fiscal or informational value, but they also identify the owner of the records who is responsible for managing the official copy. Retention schedules may also include instructions for the disposition of documents and other materials that are not official records. Please use the Guideline for Retention Schedule Implementation in combination with the schedules below.
A staff member researching the database at the UN Archives and Records Management Section (ARMS). ARMS ensures that the UN and the public have ready access to records that document the history of the United Nations.
| Function and UN Office | Retention |
|---|---|
| General Record Schedules | |
| Records Common to All United Nations Offices | RCUN |
| Information and Communication Technology | ICT |
| Budget and Finance | |
| Accounts Division | ACCT |
| Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) | ACABQ |
| Office of the Controller | CONT |
| Field Operations Finance Division | FIN |
| Programme Planning and Budget Division | PPBD |
| Treasury | TREA |
| Conference Management | |
| Contractual Translation Unit | CTU |
| Disarmament | |
| Office of Disarmament Affairs | ODA |
| Economic and Social Affairs | |
| Department of Economic and Social Affairs | DESA |
| Ethics | |
| Ethics Office | UNEO |
| Human Resources | |
| Office for Human Resources | OHRM |
| Legal and Administration of Justice | |
| Office of Administration of Justice | OAJ |
| Office of Legal Affairs | OLA |
| Office of the United Nations Ombudsman and Mediation Services | UNOMS |
| Management and Coordination | |
| Executive Office of the Secretary-General | EOSG |
| United Nations Fund for International Partnership | UNFIP |
| Oversight | |
| UN Board of Auditors | UNBA |
| OIOS Internal Audit Division | IAD |
| OIOS Investigation Division | ID |
| Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs | |
| Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs | OCHA |
| Peacekeeping | |
| All functions in Field Missions (Peace Operations and Special Political Missions) | PKO |
| Political Affairs | |
| Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs | DPA |
| Supply Chain Management | |
| Headquarters Committee on Contracts and Property Survey Board | CCPSB |
| Logistics | |
| Movement and Transportation | MVT |
| Procurement | PROC |
| Public Information and Communication | |
| Department of Global Communications | DGC |
| Strategic Communications Division | SCOM |
| Support and Services | |
| Archives and Management Section | ARMS |
| Catering, Staff Affiliates & Gift Centre | CAS.SSS |
| Garage Administration | CAS.GAR |
| Mail and Pouch | CAS.SSS |
| Planning, Design and Construction | FMS |
| Postal Administration and Stamps | CAS.POA |
| Travel (UNHQ) | CAS.TRM |