United Nations and geographical names
Updated 26 June 2023
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Overview
The consistent use of accurate place names is an essential element of effective communication worldwide and supports socio-economic development, conservation and national infrastructure.
The United Nations established the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names (UNGEGN) in 1959 to promote the standardisation of accurate spellings of geographical names worldwide, as many problems connected with inconsistent spellings had been encountered by the UN. The UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) passed a Resolution on 23 April 1959 and the Group of Experts on Geographical Names (UNGEGN) was set up in pursuance of this resolution.
United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names (UNGEGN)
The United Nations is not a naming body. Through UNGEGN, it discusses problems encountered with national standardisation of names, and prepares draft recommendations for procedures to be followed by individual countries (e.g. treatment of names in multilingual areas). It also addresses the technical aspects of names standardisation.
UNGEGN is composed of a number of geographical/linguistic divisions, comprising experts from relevant countries.
Working groups are established by UNGEGN to deal with specific tasks, such as geographical names data management, romanization systems, training courses in toponymy and geographical names as cultural heritage.
The secretariat of UNGEGN is provided by the United Nations Statistics Division.
UNGEGN aims and programmes
These are to:
- encourage the establishment of national names standardisation authorities
- provide training to countries setting up such bodies and/or creating databases
- promote nationally standardised names on maps and in documents
- encourage the dissemination of standardised names (e.g. gazetteers)
- promote the development of national automated data processing capabilities and international digital data exchange
- encourage collaboration between countries on trans-boundary feature names
- promote the use of standardised terminology
- promote single romanization systems for treatment of names in non-Roman scripts
- encourage members’ production of Toponymic Guidelines - view the most up-to-date editions
UNGEGN works with the UN Global Geospatial Information Management Committee of Experts (UN-GGIM) a body that focuses on the production, availability and use of geospatial information within national, regional and global policy frameworks.