UN Ideas That Changed the World

Richard Jolly is Honorary Professor and Research Associate of the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex. Louis Emmerij is Senior Research Fellow at The CUNY Graduate Center.Thomas G. Weiss is Presidential Professor of Political Science at The CUNY Graduate Center and Director of the Ralph Bunche Institute for International Studies.

"A telling account of ideas in action."—The New York Review of Books"As the book makes clear, the UN is important as a site—or as a sort of ecological environment—for not just the exercise of power but also the exercise of imagination.November/December 2009"—Foreign Affairs"A telling account of ideas in action.May 27, 2010"—The New York Review of Books"This vital book and the entire UN Intellectual History Project capture the path-breaking ideas that have brought about deep transformation to our world. . . . At this time when we face multiple threats to development, it is vital to reclaim and renew this legacy of the UN."—Noeleen Heyzer, Executive Secretary of ESCAP"UN Ideas That Changed the World is an insightful and thought-provoking book. It is also a landmark work that comes at a critical moment in history. . . . UN intellectual leadership and collective imagination are more needed than ever to translate values and ideas into action for the common good."—Fernando Henrique Cardoso, former President of Brazil"How many divisions has the UN? This transposed version of Stalin's shortsighted question directed again the pope has been asked so often that it is time for an answer. Readers will find it in UN Ideas That Changed the World. . . . As superbly told here, the UN's ideas—normative and descriptive, statistical and interpretive—are the heavy divisions that have given the UN the influence it has wielded for the past sixty years."—Michael W. Doyle, Columbia University and former UN Assistant Secretary-General"I am ever more persuaded that the United Nations has a vital and inescapable role in the 21st century. The lessons since 1945, as set out in the United Nations Intellectual History Project Series, contain many insights for our common future. . . . UN ideas have been among the world organization's most important achievements. . . . This project will continue to inspire innovation and scholarship for many decades to come."—from the foreword by Kofi A. Annan, United Nations Secretary-General, 1997–2006"UN Ideas That Changed the World captures a 'lost' history—the UN's extraordinary contribution to economic and social ideas and action in the modern world. Jolly, Emmerij, and Weiss . . . argue that the UN's contribution will be indispensable in the future, and they are right."—Mark Malloch-Brown, UK Minister for Africa, Asia, and the UN and former UN Deputy Secretary-General

• List of AbbreviationsList of Figures and Boxes Acknowledgments Foreword by [TBA]IntroductionI. UNIHP at a Glance1. Overview2. "Three UNs" and Their ImpactII. United Nations Ideas that Shaped the World3. Human Rights: From Aspiration to Implementation 4. Gender and Women's Rights: From Empowerment to Equality5. Development Policies: From National and Regional Perspectives to Beyond6. International Economic Relations: From National Interests to Global Solidarity 7. Development Ideologies: From Planning to Markets8. Social Development: From Sectoral to Integrated Perspectives9. Sustainability: From Protecting the Environment to Preserving Ecological Systems10. Peace and Human Security: From States to Individuals11. Human Development: From Narrower to Broader Horizons III. A Future for the UN and the Planet12. A Balance Sheet13. Challenges Ahead14. Strengthening Global GovernanceNotesIndexAbout the AuthorsAbout UNIHP