The former President of South Africa, H.E. Nelson Mandela, states in the Foreword that 'the debate on the reform of the United Nations System must move beyond the costeffectiveness & efficiency issues, to that of relevance'. The President of Malta, H.E. Guido de Marco, a former President of the General Assembly, in the Preface calls for a reform that requires 'not merely tinkering with the institutional set-up of the Organization but rather a reorientation of the principles projected in the Charter so as to enable them to be applied to current realities'. The authors respond by giving a blueprint for a relevant United Nations, more in line with the Charter, emphasizing wider participation in its work, & the supremacy of its General Assembly. This is followed by a vision of a United Nations, supported by an Administrative Committee on Coordination (ACC), transformed into a Policy & Coordination Board (PCB), that would bring out the best in a United Nations System that would include, in addition to the Specialized Agencies, the Bretton Woods Institutions, the World Trade Organization (WTO) & other global, regional & subregional organizations, which share the same objectives of peace, security, & fair & equitable development for all the peoples of the world.

Presents a compendium of 50 reform proposals dating from 1961 to 1996 originating both inside and outside the United Nations.

The United Nations' development co-operation has often been criticized in the past; many shortcomings can indeed be identified. However, efforts to overcome the existing problems have been stepped up. A key role in the reform of the UN in this area is played by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). This study is intended as a constructive contribution to the current debate on the reform of UN development co-operation. It analyses both the main weaknesses of UN development co-operation as a whole and the reforms that have so far been undertaken. On this basis it identifies the areas in which further efforts are needed if the UNDP is to become more effective.