The United Nations and the Regions

This unique book investigates the implications of the rising importance of supra-national regional organizations for global governance in general, and for the United Nations, in particular. It touches upon issues such as regional representation at the UN, high-level dialogues with regional organisations, as well as the coordination of UN member states’ voting behaviour in the UN General Assembly and the UN Security Council. The book further explores the regional dimension and coordination of UN operations in areas such as peace and security, human rights, and sustainable development. The contributions to the book are both in-depth chapters and shorter viewpoints, written by a combination of academics, policy-makers at regional organizations, and experts from international think tanks. The book is essential reading for anyone interested in the future of global governance.

Touching on issues such as regional representation at the UN and coordinated voting in the General Assembly, this report assesses the developing implications of supra-national regional organizations for global governance in general and the UN in particular.

Acknowledgements.- Introduction.- PART I: Regional Actorness and Representation.- Chapter 1: Sovereignty’s Evolution: the Role of Regions - Regional Convergence in a Transnational World; Carlos Pascual and Holly Benner.- Chapter 2: The Contribution of the Regional UN Economic Commissions to Regional Integration Processes: The Case of ECLAC; Edgard Moncayo Jiménez.- Chapter 3: Breaking the Deadlock of Regional Bloc Politics: Cross-Regional Coalitions and Human Rights in the UNGA; Robert Kissack.- Chapter 4: Measuring Regional Actorness at the UN Security Council: the EU as a Paragon of Complexity; Edith Drieskens.- Chapter 5: Weighted Regional Representation as a Basis for Security Council Reform; Joseph E. Schwartzberg.- Chapter 6: Regionalisation, Transnational Democracy and United Nations Reform: A Viewpoint; Hans Köchler.- PART II: Regional Organisations and Peace and Security.- Chapter 7: The UN and Regional Organisations for Peace: Tracking a Slippery Partnership; Luk Van Langenhove, Tânia Felício and Ademola Abass.- Chapter 8: The UN and the League of Arab States: A Point of View on Future Interaction; Amre Moussa.- Chapter 9: UN Cooperation with Regional Organisations in Peacekeeping Operations: A Legal Perspective; Ademola Abass.- Chapter 10: The False Promise of Regional Organizations?; Rodrigo Tavares.- Chapter 11: From International and Regional Organisations to Global Public Policy; Jean-Marc Coicaud and Jin Zhang.- Chapter 12: Hybrid Missions: A Promising Model Resolving the Global-Regional Debate; Vesselin Popovski and Annette Fath-Lihic.- Chapter 13: ASEAN, the United Nations, and the Security of Southeast Asia: Problems, Prospects, and Paradox; Seng Tan.- Chapter 14. The UN and Regional Organisations: Finding a Balance between the UN and the African Union in dealing with Peace and Security in Africa; Marié Muller andMaxi Schoeman.- PART III: Regional Organisations, Human Security, Sustainable Development and Human Rights.- Chapter 15: Reconceptualisation of Security and Regional Dimension of UN Activities: towards a Mediterranean Environmental and Human Security Initiative; Hans Günter Brauch.- Chapter 16: The Regional Input for ‘Delivering as One’; Kennedy Graham.- Chapter 17. UN System-Wide Coherence and the Regions: The Quest for Reforms; Eric Maertens.- Chapter 18. The UN and Regional Social Policy; Bob Deacon.- Chapter 19. The UN and the Regions: The case of Health Sector Coordination for Disaster Management in the Caribbean; Geert Haghebaert.- Chapter 20: Regionalism and Human Rights at the UN; Richard Gowan and Franziska Brantner.- Conclusions; Francis Baert, Tânia Felício and Philippe De Lombaerde.-