The United Nations of the Future: Globalization With a Human Face

by Van Genugten, Willem

• ISBN13: 9789068320732
• ISBN10: 9068320734
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-09-30
• Publisher: Stylus Pub Llc

Summary

The sixtieth anniversary of the UN again led to a lot of discussion about the organization, and rightly so. At the same time the debate was not very balanced, emphasizing the shortcomings of the organization, but neglecting the fact that it is often active in situations which are beyond the control of all 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 for all of mankind, and the role the UN could or should play in that respect. As the cliché remarks: "If the UN did not exists, it would have to be invented." This book argues that the UN 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 strengths and weaknesses that have emerged in the sixty years since.

Table of Contents

Preface and acknowledgments	p. 5
Table of Contents	p. 7
List of Abbreviations	p. 11
The United Nations: Some Introductory Reflections and Projections	p. 15
The Purposes of the United Nations	p. 15
Democracy: a condition for UN Membership?	p. 19
Democracy from below: self-determination of peoples and the role of the civil society	p. 21
Four Freedoms	p. 23
Hegemonic Power versus Civil Society	p. 27
States as subjects of international law; the role of the hegemonic powers	p. 27
International public spirit	p. 30
A lawless world?	p. 33
The International Protection of Human Rights	p. 39
The story of its development	p. 39
Standards and procedures	p. 41
Remedying weak spots	p. 43
Universality, no uniformity	p. 43
The indivisibility of human rights in relation to universality and non-uniformity	p. 46
Removal of reservations and understandings	p. 47
Strengthening the supervisory procedures	p. 49
Creation of a standing Human Rights Council	p. 53
Protection of National Minorities and Indigenous Peoples	p. 57
National minorities	p. 57
Indigenous peoples	p. 64
The self-determination of peoples	p. 68
On Rights and Responsibilities: The Integration of Vulnerable Groups	p. 71
The withdrawal of government in the global market	p. 71
Special needs of vulnerable groups	p. 74
Children, women, elderly people	p. 75
Refugees, internally displaced persons, stateless persons, migrant workers	p. 78
Prisoners	p. 82
Disabled persons	p. 82
Homosexuals/lesbians	p. 83
Human rights and responsibilities	p. 85
A Just International Economic and Social Order	p. 89
The promotion of economic and social progress	p. 89
The wealth of nations	p. 90
Trade and development	p. 91
Millennium Development Goals	p. 94
The role of the World Trade Organization and the International Labor Organization	p. 97
International financial institutions	p. 104
The business community	p. 106
About development and human security for all	p. 111
A Sustainable Human Environment	p. 113
Sustainable development	p. 113
The Stockholm Conference	p. 114
The Rio Conference	p. 115
Sustainable development summit: Johannesburg 2002	p. 117
The international architecture in the field of sustainable development	p. 120
The Security Council - A World Authority	p. 123
The Council mandate	p. 123
Decision-making	p. 125
Composition	p. 127
Reform of the Council as a Millennium Goal	p. 130
Big challenges for the future collective security	p. 133
Pre-emptive self-defense?	p. 133
Mediation and diplomacy	p. 135
Combating terrorism	p. 136
Peace-Keeping and Peace-Enforcing Operations	p. 139
Categorization	p. 139
Traditional peacekeeping	p. 140
The extension of mandates	p. 142
Peacekeeping in surroundings with violence	p. 143
The Brahimi report and the follow-up to it	p. 144
Rapidly employable forces	p. 145
Regionalization	p. 150
Africa	p. 150
Asia: a role for ASEAN?	p. 151
Peacekeeping of the future	p. 152
Decisive factors for success of peacekeeping operations	p. 152
Peacekeeping operations in the 2005 Summit document	p. 155
Enforcement of International Law	p. 159
Humanitarian interventions and the responsibility to protect	p. 159
The principle of necessity	p. 159
A legal basis for unauthorized humanitarian intervention?	p. 160
Obligations "owed to the international community as a whole"	p. 161
Ius cogens standards and erga omnes obligations	p. 162
The responsibility to protect innocent populations	p. 166
Upholding the law	p. 168
The League of Nations	p. 168
The United Nations	p. 169
Millennium intentions	p. 173
Sanctions	p. 176
International criminal prosecution	p. 182
The Yugoslavia Tribunal	p. 182
The Rwanda Tribunal	p. 183
The International Criminal Court	p. 184
Globalization with a Human Face; a Few Final Observations	p. 189
Notes	p. 193
Selected Bibliography on the United Nations	p. 209
Annexes	p. 219
Index	p. 301
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