Editorial Manual

Abbreviations

General guidelines
Exceptions
Short titles
Dates, time, academic degrees, titles, etc.
Weights and measures
Parts of a book or document
Principal officially recognized abbreviations

General guidelines

Abbreviations, including acronyms (e.g. UNESCO), should be used sparingly. In certain formal contexts, such as General Assembly resolutions, they should not be used at all.

When they are used, abbreviations should always be explained. The name or title should be written out in full the first time it occurs in the main body of a document, followed by the abbreviation in parentheses. Thereafter, the abbreviation may be used in footnotes, figures, tables and boxes. If an abbreviation first appears in a footnote, figure, table or box, it should be written out in full again the first time it is used in the main body of the document.

Alternatively, if a document contains numerous abbreviations, a list may be included after the table of contents or at the end of the document if there is no table of contents. A list of abbreviations applies to the main document and to any annexes or attachments to it.

In United Nations publications, a list of abbreviations, if required, is normally included in the explanatory notes.

Abbreviations are not used for names or titles that occur only once or twice in a text. When the entity referred to is better known by the abbreviation (e.g. Habitat III, UN-Habitat and UN-Women), it may however be preferable to include the abbreviation even if the name occurs only once.

The most common units of weight and measure, such as cm², kg and km, need not be written out.

Abbreviations are not used in document titles or headings.

"United Nations" should not be abbreviated in English in parliamentary documentation. The form "ONU" is acceptable in French.

In United Nations style, abbreviations are written without full stops: UNDP, not U.N.D.P.

Abbreviations must not be used with the definite article: the members of UNESCO, the programmes of WHO, except when they are used adjectivally: the IMF report, the NGO coalition.

Abbreviations should not be used in the possessive form: the Commander of UNMIL or the UNMIL Commander, not UNMIL's Commander.

Forms of address such as "H.E." or "His Excellency" and "H.R.H" or "Her Royal Highness" should not be used in United Nations documents. The title "Dr." may be used for doctors of medicine acting in a medical capacity.

The phrases "for example" and "that is" (or "namely") are not abbreviated to "e.g." or "i.e." in sentences, including in the running text of footnotes. The abbreviations may be used, without a comma after them, if they are enclosed within parentheses.

Abbreviations should not be used for the following (although short titles may be used where appropriate):

Principal organs and major offices of the United Nations:
- General Assembly, Security Council, Economic and Social Council
- United Nations Office at Geneva/Vienna/Nairobi

Titles of senior officials:
- Secretary-General, Under-Secretary-General, Special Representative of the Secretary-General

Offices, departments, divisions, sections etc. of the Secretariat (the abbreviations listed in the telephone directory are not used in formal documents, but they may be used where space is limited, e.g. in tables)

Most commissions and committees, boards, panels and the like

Conventions, treaties, plans/programmes of action

Non-technical terms and concepts in widespread use, such as "the rule of law", "human rights", "human resources" and "sustainable development"

Funds, programmes and the like that are not established as organizations

Names of Member States

General Service (Principal level, Other level, Local level)

The International Criminal Court (to avoid confusion with organizations such as the International Chamber of Commerce)

The African Union, the European Union

The International Court of Justice, the International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and other courts and tribunals

Military or police forces

Military terms, such as:
- ASZ (air safety zone), GSZ (ground safety zone)
- EAF (Entity Armed Forces), JSF (Joint Security Forces)
- COMKFOR (Commander of KFOR or KFOR Commander)
- DDR (disarmament, demobilization and reintegration) and variations thereon

Obscure titles or names mentioned only once or twice in a document.

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Editorial Manual

Abbreviations

General guidelines

Exceptions

Short titles

Dates, time, academic degrees, titles, etc.

Weights and measures

Parts of a book or document

Principal officially recognized abbreviations