The United Nations of the future : globalization with a human face / Willem van Genugten ... [et al.].

Includes bibliographical references and index.

The United Nations : some introductory reflections and projections -- Hegemonic power versus civil society -- The international protection of human rights -- Protection of national minorities and indigenous peoples -- On rights and responsabilities : the integration of vulnerable groups -- A just international economic and social order -- A sustainable human environment -- The security council - a world authority -- Peace-keeping and peace-enforcing operations -- Enforcement of international law -- Globalization with a human face; a few final observations.

The sixtieth anniversary of the United Nations again led to a lot of discussion about the organization, and rightly so. At the same time the debate was often not very balanced, emphasizing the shortcomings of the organization, but negelecting the fact that it is often active in situations which are beyond the control of all of its member states, i.e., in 'messy situations' where it can do hardly any good. In this book, the authors concentrate on the need to achieve security of all of mankind, and the role the United Nations could/should play in that respect. As the cliché remarks: "if the United Nations did not exist, it would have to be invented." This book argues that the United Nations is still very necessary, in a world full of conflict, poverty and the lack of human security. The authors go back to the original aims of the organization as formulated in 1945, while also examining all the major strength and weakness that have emerged in the sixt years since.