United Nations Correspondence Manual - UNU

Specific types
of correspondence
16
of Senior Officials of United Nations System Organizations. Use the functional title,
and not the rank, of the official to whom the correspondence is addressed. When in
doubt about the name and proper form of address of heads of State or Government
or ministers for foreign affairs, consult the Protocol and Liaison Service, which
maintains a current list of such officials. In other cases, obtain the information from
the appropriate permanent mission.
88. The names of officials of permanent missions are listed in a handbook prepared
by the Protocol and Liaison Service entitled Permanent Missions to the United Nations.
89. On a letter the address should be typed—flush with the left-hand margin—at
the bottom of the first page.
90. Addresses on envelopes should be blocked and single-spaced. The name and
room number of the signatory should be typed on the envelope below the heading
“United Nations [emblem] Nations Unies”.
2. Assembling and dispatch
91. When typing, proofreading and correcting have been completed, the letter, together
with any attachments to it, should be assembled for dispatch. Place the original,
with its enclosures and any copies intended for the addressee, in a regular or
manila envelope. The signing official should place his or her initials or signature on
the upper left-hand corner of the envelope beside his or her name and room number.
Place the assembled communication in an out-tray for collection and dispatch.
92. When information copies have been prepared, place those directed to staff at
Headquarters in an interoffice mail envelope giving the name and room number of
the official to whom they are directed. Copies to be sent to addressees other than
persons at Headquarters should be placed, with covering or routing slips where appropriate,
in addressed envelopes to be collected and dispatched with the original.
C. Informal letters
1. Use
93. Use informal letters for:
(a) Day-to-day correspondence of the Secretariat with persons outside the
Secretariat;
(b) Communications addressed to other organizations of the United Nations
system;
(c) Letters from the Secretary-General or from under-secretaries-general or
assistant secretaries-general to senior members of missions or delegations below the
rank of ambassador, except when the subject makes a formal letter more suitable.
2. Style
94. An informal style is more appropriate for non-formal communications to permanent
representatives or observers below the rank of ambassador, for communications
to the heads or officials of other organizations in the United Nations system,
and for letters on substantive and administrative matters to officials of Government
and permanent missions below the rank of ambassador and letters to the public.