The UN and Development provides the first comprehensive overview of the development policies and activities of the United Nations system from the late 1940s to the present. With an explicit focus on the history of the ideas that have been generated, institutionalized, and implemented by UN organizations, this book examines changing trends in development paradigms from the concept of technical assistance to underdeveloped countries, as they were called in the late 1940s, to development cooperation in the 21st century. Olav Stokke traces this fascinating story and demonstrates the UN's essential role and its future challenges in aiding the least developed countries and the globe's billion poorest inhabitants.

It is becoming increasingly evident that the existence together, in a diminishing world, of rich nations and very poor nations, is the critical problem of our time; and indeed other questions of international relations are rapidly taking on the appearance of being merely aspects of this central crux. According to some authorities it may only be a matter of a few years before the food and population question takes on such alarming proportions as to make our present troubles on the international scene seem slight by comparison. It is only against this background that we can fully appreciate the significance of the United Nations institutions and procedures for the mediation of aid, whether financial or technical, to developing coun tries; and indeed also for the flow of credit and skills between countries generally, for few nations or none belong wholly to one side in this matter, and the whole question is one that vitally affects the immediate futures of every one of the members of the international community.