Focuses on the economic and social sectors of the United Nations. Reviews the organizational setup, identifies areas of overlapping activities, examines the relevance of various programmes and makes proposals for change. Includes the text of the Charter of the United Nations.

Established after World War II, the United Nations strives to save successive generations from the scourge of war. This vital world body has undoubtedly succeeded in resolving many conflicts through its political and peacekeeping missions, and nurtured peace through its development support, though not always with the efficiency and effectiveness expected of it. The world is vastly different today from the days when the United Nations was set up. The challenges that the United Nations faces in the 21st century are much more complex and deadly than they were 60 years ago. Reforming and reinventing the United Nations should therefore be a matter of great interest to the international community. To tackle the challenges ahead, the United Nations needs to re-engineer its organizational arrangements, reorient its processes, revamp its decision-making systems, and reform its human resource and financial management to get the best results from them. This book suggests measures for restructuring the Security Council, rationalizing the constituent systems of the General Assembly, the ECOSOC and the Secretariat, and strengthening the peacekeeping, corruption control and accountability mechanisms. The book is a collaborative endeavour, involving contributions from international authority figures in areas such as peace and security, development assistance, resource management, leadership and ethics. The vision projected by them on the major issues inscribed on the United Nations agenda is meant to encourage fresh thinking on the part of opinion leaders, diplomats, academics, experts in foreign affairs and UN staff, so that this intergovernmental institution could be effectively geared to respond to the emerging challenges of the 21st century. Reinventing the United Nations would be of interest to the public and particularly the postgraduate students of political science, international law, and international relations, as well as diplomats, public affairs professionals and social science scholars at various levels.

The United Nations Was Set Up At The End Of The Second World War, In 1945, To Replace The Ill-Fated League Of Nations. The United States, The United Kingdom, Russia (Former Ussr), France And China Are Permanent Members Of The Security Council, The Most Powerful Organ Of The United Nations. At That Time, The United States Was The Most Powerful Country Economically, Technologically And Militarily. It Has Been Playing A Dominant Role In All Decisions Taken By The United Nations And Its Affiliated Agencies. It Has Been Dominating Other Countries And Flouting The Rules And Provisions Of The United Nations. To Give A Concrete Example, The Grant Of Loans By The World Bank, Imf And Ifc Is Substantially Influenced By The United States, Instead Of Being Guided By Commercial And Financial Prudence. During The Last Six Decades, The Position Of The World Has Substantially Changed In Regard To The Economic, Military And Technological Power. This Has Necessitated The Redrawing Of The United Nations And Its Various Agencies. Unfortunately, This Is Being Strongly Resisted By The United States And Other Permanent Members Of The Security Council. The Volumes Include Viewpoints Of The Secretary-General As Well As All The Important Countries In Regard To The Reforms Of The United Nations. They Also Include A Large Number Of Documents Concerning These Reforms. A Detailed Bibliography Has Been Included To Enable The Inquisitive Readers To Pursue The Subject Further. The Volumes Would Be Found Highly Useful By The Students, Researchers And Teachers Of Political Science And Economics. They Would Also Be Useful For Executives And Parliamentarians Of All The Countries Concerned With The Working Of The United Nations And Its Agencies.