This set describes and brings together key reform proposals originating inside and outside the United Nations. The documentation contained in this set touches upon all aspects of the United Nations and covers the full spectrum of proposals and initiatives. It is hoped that the information provided will assist those involved in current efforts in reassessing and reshaping the Organization and will serve as a useful reference set for policy makers, researchers and the interested public. The set consists of the following volumes: Reforming the United Nations: New Initiatives and Past Efforts (3 Volume set) New Initiatives and Past Efforts Edited by Joachim Muller - ISBN 90 411 0332 5 Reforming the United Nations The Quiet Revolution Edited by Joachim Muller - ISBN 90 411 1644 3 Reforming the United Nations The Struggle for Legitimacy and Effectiveness Edited by Joachim Muller - ISBN 90 04 15131 1

This fully up-dated, third revised edition of Conforti's thought-provoking and challenging textbook, The Law and Practice of the United Nations, provides a comprehensive legal analysis of problems concerning membership, the structure of UN organs, their functions and their acts, taking into consideration the text of the Charter, its historical origins, and, particularly, the practice of the organs. Its main focus is on the practice of the Security Council. In particular the action of the Security Council under Chapter VII has been taken into account. The legal literature on Chapter VII - a literature which has grown enormously in recent times - has also been considered. The fact that the legal aspects of the action or the inaction of the Security Council have been discussed to an unusually large extent by ordinary people at the time of the war against Iraq and even later is worth noting. The importance of the role of the United Nations, and the content of the rules governing it, has become a leitmotiv of all debates on international politics. Consequently, the opinion often held in the past, according to which it was useless to deal with the legal aspects of the United Nations activity, can be considered as obsolete. Through the study and analysis of emerging legal issues of particular relevance to Africa, such as the creation of viable continental institutions capable of promoting unity and security for the peoples of the continent, the effective protection of human rights, the need for accountability for mass killings and massive violations of the rule of law, the promotion of a rule-based democratic culture, the role of African countries in a globalizing world economy and in international trade relations, the Yearbook strives to be responsive to the intellectual needs of African countries in the area of international law, and to the continuing struggle for creating an environment conducive to the rule of law throughout the continent. The Yearbook also provides ready access to the basic documents of African international organizations by regularly publishing the resolutions and decisions of regional and sub-regional organizations as well as the conventions, protocols and declarations adopted by pan-african agencies.

In recent years, the UN has been the focus of intense activity by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) at the major global conferences - the Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit, the Vienna human rights conference, the Cairo population conference, the Copenhagen Social Summit and the Beijing women's conference. This book explores the influence of the NGOs, which has grown steadily and now covers all the work of the Economic and Social Council, along with programmes in developing countries, the specialized agencies and UN conferences. Their importance in human rights, disaster relief, development and the environment is illustrated by case studies demonstrating their influence. But what are non-governmental organizations? What are their historical roots? How do they gain recognition at the UN and at conferences? What rights of participation do they have and how do they gain influence? This volume sets out to answer all these questions.

Contains detailed entries on the multitude of peacekeeping operations since 1920, prominent individuals, the international organizations which have mandated the operations, important events, and terminology.