Thursday, March 22, 2007

UN Website Evaluated


For those interested in world politics, the United Nations website is a highly informative and reputable source to obtain the latest information on any global issue ranging from terrorism to women's rights. One of the useful aspects of the site is that it offers its services in six different languages including: Russian, Chinese, Arabic, French, Spanish and English. Hence, it is accessible to good portion of the world's population not just those who speak English. Also, the website makes it easy to navigate through by sub-dividing all its major topics into twenty-seven distinct categories. Within each of these categories, one can find an abundance of in-depth information on any topic of interest along with the added assurance that everything is reported accurately. Additionally, the site contains the most recent Special Rapporteur reports which offer detailed, first-hand accounts on a country's progress or failed attempts to protect fundamental human rights.
The only major drawback to the site is that it provides so much information, it would virtually be impossible to nativigate through all of it. In terms of its aesthic appeal, it provides good visuals and web-layouts to complement its reports. And one of the newest additions to the site (the UN web cast) allows any interested scholar to preview all recent UN meetings and events. Such a feature is very useful to those interested in seeing how the UN functions on a day to day basis and to identifying what issues routinely come up in discussion. The site is also committed to receiving feedback from its audience so if any errors are ever reported, they can be corrected immediately. Ultimately, in an age where anyone can authorship a website, it is good to know one can rely on a trusty, notable site such as the UN for a wealth of interesting information on issues that matter.

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