The International Peace Academy, an independent, non-partisan,
U.N.-affiliated organization devoted to the promotion of peaceful and
multilateral approaches to the resolution of international as well as
internal conflicts, has just released a report in a book form called
"Peacemaking and Peacekeeping for the Next Century."
The evolution of the peace-and-security agenda of the United Nations is
caught at a difficult crossroads today. The recent rapid expansion of
complex peace operations has generated serious political and financial
stresses on the organization. These stresses, combined with the tragic
failures of the UN in Somalia, Rwanda, and Bosnia-Herzegovina, have produced
a mood of retrenchment for the present and serious uncertainties about
future directions This is the time for stock-taking by the United Nations;
it must also be a time for sketching the outlines of a future
peace-and-security role into the next century.
With these objectives in mind, the International Peace Academy and the
Government of Austria had convened a special, high-level, seminar in Vienna
in March, 1995, to commemorate both the 25th anniversary of the annual
Vienna Seminar and the 50th anniversary of the United Nations. This report
on the seminar proceedings highlights the key lessons to be drawn from the
past fifty years of experience in peacemaking and peacekeeping, and
discusses the principal challenges and opportunities for multilateral peace
activities into the next century.
The following individuals made presentations at the seminar: Professor Adam
Roberts, Mr. Edward Mortimer, Lt.-Gen. John M. Sanderson, Ambassador Jan
Eliasson, Sir Brian Urquhart, Mr. John Roper, Professor Thomas Franck, and
Ambassador Ismat Kittani. Prominent individuals who provided commentary and
overviews at the seminar included Ambassador Diego Arria, Dr. Boutros
Boutros-Ghali, Mr. Erskine Childers, Dr. Nabil Elaraby, M. Georges Berthoin,
Mr. Laszlo Kovacs, Mr. Sergey Lavrov, Mrs. Sadako Ogata, Sir Sridath
Ramphal, Lt.-Gen. Satish Nambiar, Mr. Thorvald Stoltenberg, Sir Brian
Urquhart, and Dr. Kumar Rupesinghe. The volume provides summaries of the
views and the opinions of these key individuals.
Given this high-level repesentation, the volume is a useful tool for any
scholar, activist, or policy maker who might find himself or herself
requiring up-to-date information on peacekeeping, or having to defend the UN
or its activities. It provides quick, easy-to-read summaries of the
viewpoints and the arguments being presented
by some very eminent friends and defenders of the organization, people who
are extremely cognizant of the numerous criticisms that have been levied
against the organization of late.
The volume also explores options in terms of some of the UN's peacekeeping
and peacemaking burden being shared by regional organizations, alliances,
and institutions.
The volume is handsomely produced, has been designed for a long shelf-life,
and has been very attractively printed and formatted.
A copy of this 96-page volume can be obtained by sending a check for $ 9.95
(within the United States), or $ 12.95 (outside the United States), made
payable to "International Peace Academy," to the following address:
Chetan Kumar
Program Associate
International Peace Academy
777 United Nations Plaza
New York, NY 10017
Phone: (212) 949-8480
Fax: (212) 983-8246
The amounts will include shipping and handling costs.
Please direct further enquiries to the e-mail address on this message, or
send an e-mail to:
ipalan!ipaatt!kumar@ipaatt.attmail.com
Outside of the UNITAR, the International Peace Academy is the only
international institution provide training for diplomats and peacekeepers.
The Academy also has a research program that focuses on crucial issues
relating to preventive diplomacy, peacebuilding, causes of internal
conflict, and the long-term resolution of conflicts. The program has
released a set of Occasional Papers through Lynne Rienner Publishers that
will be of immediate utility to persons with an interest in these issues.
Enquiries about these and other IPA publications, and the Academy in
general, can be directed to the mail address provided above.