Session documents

The Secretary-General's report reviews activity since the last session. The financial documents present the certified accounts and the draft budget. The draft resolutions are the texts submitted to a vote. The information notes shed light on a technical subject, such as online sales or digital traceability.

Each document states at the top its author, its date, the agenda item concerned and the decision requested of the Assembly.

Documents are referenced according to a simple format: session number, series, serial number. Series A groups the statutory documents, series B the draft resolutions, series C the information notes. This referencing is used in all the records.

An index by agenda item and a full-text search engine make consultation easier. Successive versions of a draft resolution remain accessible.

All documents are published in a format accessible to screen readers. Tables carry captions and graphics a text description. Translations are produced by the Organisation's language services and reviewed by a second translator.

Lengthy documents are accompanied by a two-page summary, so that delegations can quickly identify the points requiring in-depth study.

Certain notes, notably those relating to ongoing investigations or sensitive negotiations, are reserved for delegations. They are distributed through a secure area, accessible with the credentials issued at accreditation.

The Secretariat takes care to apply this regime only exceptionally: the rule remains publication, because transparency is a condition of trust between States.

The documents of previous sessions remain available for consultation. They form the memory of the Organisation and are used by researchers, lawyers and administrations to trace the origin of a rule or a practice.

The archives are kept without time limit. A request for disclosure of unpublished documents may be addressed to the Events and Communications Directorate.