The book is a study of the rules of procedure of international conferences. It examines the legal basis of these rules of procedure and the history of their development since the end of the Second World War. The central part of the work consists of an examination of the practical application of rules of procedure at international conferences. The book also compares the application of rules at conferences with the relevant practice of the UN General Assembly, and the assemblies of international organisations such as the WHO and ILO. The book examines whether certain procedural rules and applications have become so well established that they have by now attained the status of customary international law.

This text is a revised edition and contains new material documenting the extensive and rapid innovations in the UN Security Council's procedures of the past two decades. It provides insight into the inside workings of the world's pre-eminent body for the maintenance of international peace and security. Grounded in the history and politics of the Council, it describes the ways the Council has responded through its working methods to a changing world. It explains the Council's role in its wider UN Charter context and examines its relations with other UN organs and its own subsidiary bodies.