Informational Memorandum No. 1 • 2011

ACUNSTHE ACADEMIC COUNCIL ON THE UNITED NATIONS SYSTEM

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Four times in modern history statesmen and diplomats have convened to create new world orders: at the Peace of Westphalia in 1648 after the Thirty Years War, at the Congress of Vienna in 1815 after the Napoleonic Wars, in Paris in 1919 after World War I, and in San Francisco in 1945 after World War II. The Peace of Westphalia established a European system of secular authority, laying the foundation of the modern state. The Congress of Vienna begot the Concert of Europe, a club of great powers dedicated to preventing the emergence of revolutionary states. The legacy of these early reordering attempts is still with us. The system of states has spread beyond Europe and is now worldwide. And the club model has contemporary global applications in the UN Security Council as well as the G8 or G20. The twentieth-century postwar conferenc-es gave rise to modern multilateralism based on a system of global and regional intergovernmental organizations (IGOs).

The recent global financial and economic crisis has not elicited a new assembly of statesmen and diplomats to deliberate on a new world order. To be sure, the previous

reordering attempts came in the wake of major wars; and, although the financial crisis has had grave effects worldwide, it did not threaten world peace. But the contemporary situa-tion differs from the previous four in another, more profound way. Today government representatives would not have been able to chart a new global order, even if they had had the political will to do so. States are no longer the sole, sovereign arbiters of world affairs.

This means that traditional multilateralism in terms of interstate collaboration is insufficient to offer viable solutions to pressing global problems. Today various actors from the economic sphere and civil society claim, and are increasingly granted, access to various national and international forums. For instance, while the UN was initially restrictive in allowing NGOs into the organization, almost 3,000 NGOs now have consultative status with ECOSOC, as compared to 41 in 1948. In addition, more than 5,000 businesses participate in the UN Global Compact, a UN initiative launched in 2000 to establish a partnership with the transnational business sector around a number of universally accepted principles.

Christer JÖnsson

This means that any discussion of contemporary multilat-eralism must take a broader set of transnational actors into account. These are individuals and groups who act beyond national borders yet are not controlled by governments. While international organizations were long the exclusive preserve of national governments, the past decades have witnessed a gradual and partial shift from interstate multilat-eralism to more complex forms of governance, involving par-ticipation by transnational actors, such as NGOs, advocacy networks, party associations, and multinational corporations. Increasingly, states and international institutions are engag-ing transnational actors as policy experts, service providers, compliance watchdogs, and stakeholder representatives.

The World Bank, for instance, draws on the expertise of NGOs in the formulation of country reports, engages in operational collaboration with civil society actors in the field, and conducts policy dialogue through the NGO-World Bank Committee. Whereas only 21 percent of all World Bank funded projects involved civil society participation in 1990, this figure had risen to 72 percent in 2006. The United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) provides another example, engaging transnational actors by offering NGOs accreditation to its meetings, operating a Global Civil Society Forum, and drawing on civil society in the implementation of its programs. At the 2008 Global Civil Society Forum, about 190 representatives of civil society organizations from 42 countries participated. A final illus-tration is the World Trade Organization (WTO), which traditionally has been hesitant to consult or collaborate with non-state actors, but which nowadays invites NGOs as observers at ministerial meetings and grants private actors the right to submit legal briefs on trade disputes. At the Hong Kong Ministerial Conference in 2005, more than 700 NGOs eventually attended, among them faith-based organizations; business, labor and farmer associations; and human rights, environmental and development groups.

The mechanisms by which transnational actors participate in global governance come in multiple shapes and forms. Provisions for formal representation of transnational actors on the decision-making bodies of international organizations remain rare. The International Labor Organization (ILO) and the EU offer exceptional arrangements in this regard. Formal mechanisms for collaboration between international organiza-tions and transnational actors have become increasingly common since the 1980s. Two prominent forms are contracts for NGOs to perform services on the part of international institutions, and access for private actors to international courts and tribunals. In the UN, for instance, support to NGOs working as sub-contractors to UN projects has grown remarkably, with official funding of NGOs tripling in the 1980s, and then doubling again in the 1990s. And nearly all new courts created since 1990 offer direct mechanisms for individuals, NGOs, or firms.

Consultation arrangements probably constitute the most common form of participation for transnational actors in international institutions. They include arrangements for NGO accreditation to international conferences, civil society advisory bodies, and complaints procedures for private parties. Institutions that previously did not permit transnational actors in decision-making bodies, such as the WTO, have introduced accreditation procedures, and institutions that already offered such provisions, such as the UN, have expanded them.Public-private partnerships have emerged as a prominent new type of arrangement in recent decades. These are formally agreed cooperative ventures between public and private actors (including companies, NGOs and foundations), aiming at the provision of public goods. Within the UN, public-private partnership is defined as “a voluntary and collaborative agreement between one or more parts of the United Nations system and non-State actors, in which all participants agree to work together to achieve a common purpose or undertake a specific task and to share risks, responsibilities, resources,

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Increasingly, states and international institutions are engaging transnational actors as policy experts,

service providers, compliance watchdogs, and stakeholder representatives.

Within the UN, public-private partnership is defined as “a voluntary and collaborative agreement between one or more parts of the United Nations

system and non-State actors, in which all participants agree to work together to achieve a common purpose or undertake a specific task and to share risks,

responsibilities, resources, competencies and benefits.”

competencies and benefits.” Partnerships differ in degrees of formal institutionalization and geographical scope, and operate in a range of issue-areas. The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) are prominent examples in global public health; “CDM partnerships,” projects under the Kyoto Protocol’s Clean Devel- opment Mechanism, and “Johannesburg partnerships,” adopted at the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development, exemplify the growing reliance on multi-stakeholder partnerships in environmental governance.

Why, then, has this “transnational turn” occurred in recent decades? There may be several possible explanations. One focuses on functional needs for policy-relevant information, efficient imple-mentation and monitoring of commitments. The more demanding the governance problem – in terms of technical complexity, local programmatic activity and non-compliance incentives – the greater the need for transnational actors.

Another explanation highlights challenges to IGO legitimacy. Critics increasingly portray international organizations as suffer-ing from “democratic deficits,” when measured against traditional standards of democracy, such as participation, accountability, and transparency. Several transnational actors claim to enhance democracy at the global level. While controversial, such claims are widely acknowledged. For example, the Cardoso report, the most recent UN document outlining the relationship between civil society and the United Nations, stated categorically that “the growing participation and influence of nonstate actors is enhancing democracy and reshaping multilateralism.”

Thus, granting transnational actors a more active role in global governance arrangements may be a response to challenged legitimacy on the part of IGO member states and secretariats. This response could be either a form of tactical adaptation or a genuine adoption of new norms of global participatory democracy.

In short, the “transnational turn” in multilateralism raises impor-tant questions and calls for more insights. Several research efforts are in progress, including a Lund-Stockholm program I’m directing. The ACUNS Annual Meeting in Waterloo this summer will be an excellent opportunity to compare notes and shed further light on the changing character of multilateralism.

Christer Jönsson is professor emeritus of political Science at Lund university, Sweden, and a member of the royal Swedish academy of Sciences. He is currently directing the research program Transdemos (“democracy Beyond the nation State? transnational actors and global governance”) and is co-editor of Transnational Actors in Global Governance (2010). He serves as chair of the acunS Board of directors.

AM112011 aCuns annual meetingwaterloo, Canada

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The Cardoso report, the most recent UN document outlining the relationship between civil society and the United Nations, stated categorically that “the growing participation and influence of nonstate actors is enhancing democracy and reshaping multilateralism.”

Writing as i am while looking out at minus-20 centigrade and a snow covered landscape, it is easy to forget that somewhere else in the world it is not winter but summer. That recognition, however, lies behind a small change that you might have noticed from the front page of this Informational Memorandum (IM): we no longer are giving the newsletter the Winter/Spring/Summer/Fall sequencing, and will replace that with a more universal “2011 – No. 1” (or vice versa) etc. It is possible to teach an old dog at least a few new tricks, once in a while.

We have had a busy few months since the last newsletter was prepared. The program of the 2011 Annual Meeting is taking shape, and the current draft program schedule can be found in these pages along with the Call for Papers for the AM11 workshop panels. Print media being what it is, the program should have more meat on its bones by the time you read this piece, so please do remember to consult our website for all updated information on the program, registration process and other AM11 materi-als. We have excellent support from Wilfrid Laurier University, the Centre for International Governance Innovation, and The Stanley Foundation, and we are looking forward to work-ing with each of them over the next five months in preparing and then hosting the Meeting. To answer one question that several members have asked me, the building that will house the new Balsillie School of International Affairs currently is being constructed and should be opening at about the same time but there is no firm date set for that as yet. Graduate students of the PhD in Global Governance and Masters in International Public Policy programs, and faculty of the BSIA who are in place will have the opportunity to come to our AM11 but we may not have an opportunity to tour the facility in early June.

The 2011 ACUNS-ASIL Summer Workshop on International Organization Studies (or SWIOS, to former SWIOSians) also has taken shape under the direction of Timothy Sisk at the University of Denver’s Korbel School (also the home and host of the Global Governance edito-rial office). The topic for 2011 is “Peacebuilding and Statebuilding in Deeply Divided Societies: What Roles for the International Community?” Applications to attend and to participate in the Workshop - which runs from 5-15 July 2011 - are being received at the ACUNS Secretariat, but please do bring it to the attention of any doctoral students, NGO officers and IO or government representatives who you think might be interested in applying for this opportunity to share their research work and experiences, and to build new networks, with colleagues and peers in an intensive seminar-style workshop. UN Secretariat staff, as always, should apply through their internal UN procedures with the Learning, Leadership and Organizational Development Section, Department of Management at the Secretariat.

As you also will see in this issue of the IM, we already are sending out the Call for Letters of Interest from possible host institutions and teams for the next ACUNS Secretariat. Wilfrid Laurier University will continue to host ACUNS through until the end of June 2013, but we have to begin looking for our replacement now so that a ‘shadow secretariat’ can be in place by 1 July, 2012. Again, please do have a look at the Call and think about whether your own institution or another you may know of, might be interested in taking over the role that Laurier and the secretariat staff here have played since 2003. The presence of ACUNS at the university here has been very useful in helping to focus attention and resources on what has been a tremendous expansion of the international studies side of

N o t e s f r o m t h e E x e c u t i v e D i r e c t o r

STAYI NG on topic:

A YeAr in the Life of ACUNS

Alistair Edgar, Executive Director, ACUNS

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Annual Meetings, calls for papers and the search for a new ACUNS host institution

keepiNg iN the Loop iN order to Look forwArd to opportUNitieS AheAd

renew your membership or become a member online at www.acuns.org

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the school (and more widely in the community of Waterloo), and I can tell you from personal experience that serving as the executive director is a great, as well as a challenging, job!

While I am tooting ACUNS’ horn, one of the interesting dimensions of the organization and of the ED’s office, is interacting with our dynamic Liaison Offices and represen-tatives. On 11-12 December 2010, I attended the Annual Meeting of the International Jurist Organization (IJO) held at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, India – incidentally also the country of my birth, which always adds an extra dimension of enjoyment to working with the IJO, which acts as the Liaison office of ACUNS in India. The theme of the 2-day event was “Human Migration and Displacement: New Challenges to National, Regional and Global Displacement.” The Global Studies Programme, associated with the Centre for the Study of Social Systems at JNU, was the institutional host and co-organizer of what was a fascinating series of discussions. My thanks go to Mr. Subhash Chandra Birla of the IJO, and to Professor Anand Kumar of the Global Studies Programme, as well as to the GSP student volunteers who made this into such a successful event. Full details of the discussions, including a report on the proceedings, will be available on the IJO web site, www.ijo.org.in and I would invite ACUNS members and other readers of this newsletter to watch for future IJO events.

In Vienna, Michael Platzer has been leading the organiza-tion of another regional event to follow up on the success of the 2010 Annual Meeting. On 28 February – 1 March, Michael and his colleagues will be hosting “Connecting Academics and UN Practitioners – A Unique Encounter at the UN Vienna.” ACUNS Chair Christer Jönsson, Board member Henrike Paepcke and I will be attending this event, as well as ACUNS Coordinator Brenda Burns, and we look forward to meeting ACUNS members and many colleagues from the ranks of the academic and practitioner communities in Vienna and from all around the region. Information about the program and registration for this innovative event can be found on the ACUNS website – go to www.acuns.org and then click on the ‘Vienna’ name

in the box for the Liaison offices. Thanks Michael, for making this possible; and thanks to everyone else who has supported the preparation of the event.

In New York, former ACUNS executive director and now treasurer of the Friends of ACUNS Endowment, Jean Krasno, has been the mover behind a special seminar held on 21 January at the Canadian Mission to the United Nations. As I write this piece the event still is in the future, but it will be in the past as you read the IM. “Should We Be Talking to the Taliban? If so, What Do We Ask?” featured Richard Barrett, co-ordinator of the UN Al Qaeda-Taliban Monitoring Team and author Scott Attran, in an afternoon panel discussion moderated by Counselor Caterina Ventura of the Canadian Mission to the UN. We will hope to feature a report on the event on our web site in the near future.

Last but by no means least, I had the very recent oppor-tunity to travel to Trinidad – after missing the 2009 Annual Meeting there since I was pursuing my sabbatical leave field research in Uganda and Cambodia at that time – in order to serve as external examiner for a doctoral dissertation defense at the University of the West Indies. I was happy to make a research presentation of my own, and to spend time with ACUNS colleague and friend Tim Shaw, and especially to congratulate Dr. Shah on her new title. I look forward to seeing more of Dr. Shah’s research work on the UNHCR in the future!

–alistair edgar

• We are already sending out the Call for Letters of Interest from possible host institutions and teams for the next acunS Secretariat. Wilfrid Laurier university will continue to host acunS until the end of June 2013, but we have to begin looking for our replacement now so that a 'shadow secretariat' can be in place by 1 July, 2012.

• The 2011 ACUNS-ASIL Summer Workshop on International Organizational Studies will be held at the university of denver's Korbel School. it offers the opportunity to share research work and experiences, and to build new networks, with colleagues and peers in an intensive seminar-style workshop. the topic: "peacebuilding and Statebuilding in deeply divided Societies: What roles for the international community?"

Customary International Humanitarian Law Database www.icrc.org/customary-ihlJean-Marie Henckaerts and Louise Doswald-Beck (Eds.)

This database is the online version of the Study on customary international humanitarian law, conducted by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and published by Cambridge University Press in 2005. It is divided into two parts. Part One offers a comprehensive analysis of the customary rules of IHL applicable in international and non-international armed conflict. Part Two contains a summary of State practice relating to most aspects of IHL, as expressed in national legislation, military manuals, official statements, and case law, and the practice of other entities such as international organizations and international courts and tribunals.

New and notable

AnnuAl meeting AgendA

visit us online for regular updates at www.acuns.org

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2 - 4 J u n e , 2 0 1 1 • “ M u l t i p l e M u l t i l a t e r a l i s m s ”

THURSDAY 2 JUNE Location: Wlu

publishers’ display will be held at Wlu

12.00 pm – 4.00 pm aM2011 registration

4.30 pm – 6.00 pm opening welcome and Keynote aCuns Welcome from Christer Jönsson, aCuns Chair

Cigi representative Welcome

Keynote speaker: tBa

6.00 p.m. – 9.30 p.m. President’s reception Welcome from president Max Blouw, president, Wlu

thanks from Christer Jönsson, aCuns

FRIDAY 3 JUNE Location: whole day at Wlu

publishers’ display continues at Wlu

8.30 a.m. – plus registration available

9.00am – 10.30am Plenary/roundtable 1

“ideas that Matter: governance, security and development”

Moderator: thomas g. Weiss, ralph Bunche institute CunY

10.30am –11.00am Coffee break

11.00am – 12.30pm workshop Panels 1

12.30pm – 2.00pm acuns Members’ Business Meeting nB: for current aCuns members only

light lunch for those attending the Business Meeting

2.00pm – 3.30pm workshop Panels 2 (6-8 concurrent panels)

3.45pm – 5.30pm Holmes Memorial Lecture Holmes lecturer tBa – sponsored by the stanley foundation

introduction to Holmes lecture by: Christer Jönsson, aCuns

introduction to Keynote speaker by: david shorr, stanley foundation

5.30pm for 7.30pm acuns/cIgI reception an informal reception for networking with members and attendees

SATURDAY 4 JUNE Locations: morning at Cigi and afternoon at Wlu

publishers’ display continues at Wlu: Cigi will have an in-house display, at Cigi

Cigi will have coffee/breakfast snacks available from 8:00 - 8.45am

8.45am – 9.00am greetings from Cigi

9.00am – 10.30am Plenary/roundtable 2 – sponsored by Cigi

“the new geometry of summitry: universal versus functional issues Management”

Moderator: tBa

10.30am – 10.45am Coffee break

10.45am – 12.00pm Plenary/roundtable 3 – sponsored by the stanley foundation

“adaptive leadership and values for global Citizenship”

Moderator: david shorr, the stanley foundation

transfer of people from Cigi to Wlu – walking, taxis, other.

12.30pm – 1.30pm Friends of acuns panel lunch at Wlu – (lunch provided)

“the Kofi annan papers”

speakers: Jean Krasno, louise frechette, Jean-Marie guehenno

1.30pm – 3.00pm workshop Panels 3 (6-8 concurrent panels)

3.15pm – 4.45pm Plenary/roundtable 4 - Bricker academic Building

“the united nations and public-private partnerships”

Moderator: Christer Jönsson, aCuns

5.00pm – 7.00pm closing reception

AM112011 aCuns annual meetingwaterloo, Canada

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Multilateralism exists in many forms – with varying global

or regional institutional architectures, rules and regulations,

reflecting and implementing a set of norms that claim to

represent universal values or else more particular values

that are said to be somehow “better” than others. the actors

in this complex web include global and regional international/

inter-state organizations, national governments operating in

informal coalitions or as individual states, private businesses,

non-governmental organizations and even individuals acting

in their own capacity and with varying resources and degrees

of influence. the processes by and through which these actors

engage with each other, and in turn help to shape the new

contours of these “multiple multilateralisms”, likewise can

be varied over time and depending on context. Where the

united nations fits within or relates to these current or

newly-emerging forms of multilateralism, what they mean

in practice for the role(s) and influence of the un today and

in the future regarding challenges to peace and security,

development, climate change and environmental governance,

global economic and financial affairs, human rights and other

issues will be some of the questions to be explored at the

2011 annual Meeting.

the academic Council on the united nations system (aCuns) now is accepting workshop paper and panel proposals for presentation at its twenty-fourth annual Meeting, to be held in Waterloo, ontario, Canada, 2-4 June 2011.

proposals on the general annual Meeting theme of “Multiple Multilateralisms”, the topics highlighted in the four plenary sessions and in the introductory note, in addition to other topics relating to the un system and/or to the broader mandate of the Council, will be considered.

The final deadline for receiving proposals at the secretariat office is Friday, 13 May 2011.

to submit a proposal for presentation, please send: a brief abstract (250 words) and full contact information, including professional affiliation, to the aCuns secretariat. interested participants who wish to propose roundtables and full panels may do so by submitting a panel/roundtable description; abstracts for individual contributions; and full contact information for all participants. Submission via email attachment is preferred, ATTN: Brenda Burns, at bburns@wlu.ca.

Current aCuns members in good standing will be given priority consideration for their proposals, but non-members also are welcome to submit proposals.

Proposals will be reviewed and accepted or rejected (and applicants notified accordingly by email) on a first-come basis until such time as all workshop panel slots are filled; a waiting list then will be established if required.

Main event loCations: Wilfrid laurier university | the Centre for international governance innovation (Cigi)

visit www.acuns.org to register.

Please note: anyone who will be presenting as part of a workshop panel must be

registered (and must have paid as appropriate) in advance for the annual Meeting.

this requirement includes all persons taking part in a full panel team proposal.

CAll FOR pApeRS: WORKSHOP PANELS

a n n u a l m e e t i n g P a r t n e r s & s p o n s o r s

Wilfrid laurier university • host institution of acuns secretariat • Waterloo, ontario, canada

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multiple multilateralisms in the post-crisis response:un vs. g20

The first such Summit convened in November of 2008 by then- U.S. president george W. Bush was an attempt to provide a venue for multilateral emergency response to the crisis after it was clear the crisis had acquired global proportions. Because of the breadth and depth of the crisis, and the fact that it had started at the heart of the industrialized countries, a framework that relied on responses provided by those economies alone was no longer a tenable or credible proposi-tion. So the Group of 7/8 confronted the imperative of working together with emerging powers in a framework that recognized the input that those rapidly growing and dynamic economies were expected to contribute. But having to create an altogether new forum was promising to open a pandora’s box as different stakeholders jockeyed for a place at the table. So the group of 20 was a convenient resort. the g20 was a forum of finance ministers established in 1999 to “ensure broader participation in discussions on international financial affairs among countries whose size or strategic importance gives them a particularly crucial role in the global economy.” With the same membership, it was refurbished in to the g20 Summit. two Summits later, at a meeting in pittsburgh in 2009, the members declared “We designated the g20 to be the premier forum for our international economic cooperation.”

in its relatively short life, the role in global economic governance of the Heads of State-level g20 is proving to be as contentious a subject as that of its predecessor, the G7/8. Many of the questions raised are, in fact, the same questions that were raised with regards to the G7/8: to what extent does it really represent a form of global governance? What is its legitimacy? does it have the right number of members and how can number be optimized? is this a step forward or backwards in the quest for “global democracy”?

a point of particular relevance for those who study the united nations is: does the growing importance of the g20 threaten the un’s relevance?

What perhaps is most interesting in answering this question is how the reality has defied the traditional analyses that used to consider the

relationship between groupings such as the G7/8 or the G20 and the united nations in terms of a trade-off between legitimacy and effective-ness. So, the traditional argument would go, a forum with a smaller number of countries may have less legitimacy and representativeness, but compensates for that with effectiveness and capacity to act quickly. on the opposite extreme, an enlarged body may, obviously, increase legitimacy and representativeness in the decisions reached, but it would take forever to agree on anything. prototype of the latter, was the un, prototype of the former would be groups such as the G20 or the G8.

as the Heads of State g20 leaves a trail of “real life” experience that was not available in 2008, the distance between these apparently two opposite extremes seems to shrink inexorably and reveal a complexity that was not captured in such abstract models.

on the one hand, the all-country involvement in the un is largely a myth. this is even if one leaves out of the assessment the Security council, whose limited membership is well-known, or the economic and Social council, that operates with less than one third of the members. those familiar with full-membership un conferences would know that there are hardly ever, on a single occasion, 192 member country repre-sentatives in a room negotiating such documents. in fact, the negotiators that gather together, especially at the most critical moments, tend not to exceed a dozen—representatives of major blocks plus a few countries not affiliated to any block. Nonetheless, the UN conference outcome is ultimately attributable to the whole membership.

on the other hand, the apparent expediency or effectiveness that the group of 20’s limited membership would also bring has largely proved a myth. At the first two Summits member countries were dealing with the emergency response to the shock. all countries rapidly agreed to a large and unprecedented push to stimulate their economies and one can credit the fact that the crisis did not worsen to such extraordinary measures. But, with the initial emergency behind, Summits are increasingly

aldo Caliari

one of the recent most important changes to the landscape of multilateralism has been the emergence of the group of 20 gatherings at heads of state level as an influential forum for coordination on economic and financial affairs.

c o n t i n u e d o n pa g e 1 0 >

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acunS Board Members

2 0 1 0 - 2 0 1 1

Chair Christer Jönsson, Lund University

Past Chair Thomas G. Weiss, CUNY Graduate Center

members Aldo Caliari, Center of Concern Roger Coate, Georgia College and State University Sam Daws, UN Association, UK Lorraine Elliott, Australian National University Shin-wha Lee, Korea University Julie Mertus, American University Henrike Paepcke, Dusseldorf Institute for Foreign and Security Policy Ramesh Thakur, University of Waterloo Jan Wouters, University of Leuven

acunS Secretariat Staff

Alistair Edgar, Executive Director

Brenda Burns, Administration, Communications and Program Development

ACUNS Wilfrid Laurier University75 University Avenue, West, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3C5

T. (519) 884-0710, ext. 2766

F. (519) 884-5097

E. bburns@wlu.ca

www.acuns.org

aldo Caliari

one of the recent most important changes to the landscape of multilateralism has been the emergence of the group of 20 gatherings at heads of state level as an influential forum for coordination on economic and financial affairs.

ACUNS Board NominationsAS of JUNe 2011 multiple positions will be open on the ACUNS Board of directors.

ACUNS members are invited to nominate qualified individuals, including themselves, for these positions.

Please send nominations with curriculum vitae, bio (300-500 words), and a short supporting statement outlining what the nominee will bring to ACUNS.

to NoMiNAte All nominations should be sent to bburns@wlu.ca by March 31, 2011.

nominate or be nominated.

Please send your donation to:

friendS of acunS, c/o Jean Krasno, Yale university 31 Hillhouse avenue new Haven, ct 06511

friends of acunS is incorporated under new York State and federal law as a not-for-profit public charity with 501(c) (3) status.

interested in helping? Value our work?

help to secure aCuns’ future. support the

Friends of aCuns endowment. Your gift will

help to ensure the financial future of aCuns

and the continuation of its programs.

Contributions are tax-deductible.

whY not Consider donating your book royalties to the friends of acunS?

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This conference aspires to contribute to bridging the divide between the two dimensions of UN expertise in bringing together UN-related academics and practitioners. Therefore, academics have the opportunity to listen to first-hand reports of UN practitioners on actual developments in specific areas of UN policy (justice and rule of law, outer space, environment and disarmament). Based on these insiders' views, didactic and other questions related to teaching the UN will be discussed. Participants are encouraged to share their teaching experiences, teaching material and other resources.

Venue and RegistrationThe conference will take place at the Vienna International Centre. No registration fees required. The conference is open to all those interested.

ACUNS Vienna Liaison Office

Connecting academics and un Practitioners - a unique encounter at the un Vienna

February 28 and March 1, 2011 at the UNO-City, Vienna

For more information please visit:

http://www.acuns.org/about_us/vienna_liaison_office

c o N T i N U e d f r o M pA G e 8 >

The Group of 20’s fluctuating priorities and working practices –which depend greatly on the country in charge for the presidency each year— contrast starkly with the un’s predictable and structured protocols for developing agendas, deliberating and reaching agreement. Secondly, the g20 is a forum for reaching informal political agreements of no legal value. most collective decisions reached by the g20 cannot be implemented unless brought up on the agenda and with the procedures and voting rules of the respective existing formal institution with jurisdiction on the matter, whether the un, the international monetary fund, etc.

thus, it appears as though the relationship between the un and the g20 can be appreciated not only in a model of competition, but also in one of synergy. However much the potential for either one exists, though, which one prevails in practice is up to the political will of the actors involved. What the actors cannot choose is that given the essential differences between un and g20, not all paths have the same consequences. only the synergy path is destined to lead to the best possible post-crisis reforms.

Aldo Caliari, director, rethinking Bretton Woods project, centre of concern.

multiple multilateralisms in the post-crisis response:un vs. g20

becoming an exercise in the art of drafting smart formulas to paper over differences among members, without yielding substantial collective approaches towards reform. this has been a constant through debates, no matter whether the issue is when to exit from the stimuli programs, how to achieve reductions in global imbalances or what coordinated approaches are necessary towards financial regulation and taxation. This is certainly not the expected quick and action-oriented consensus on tangible economic policy changes that such an agile and dynamic configuration involving only the key players promised.

Having said that, it is important to recognize that a comparison between the g20 and the un remains very much one between apples and oranges. Because of the qualitative differences, a pure attempt to consider them in an “either –or” framework for post-crisis reforms would miss the point. firstly, there is the big difference in institutionality.

The Academic Council on the United Nations System (ACUNS)

and the American Society of International Law (ASIL),

in cooperation with the Josef Korbel School of International

Studies, are pleased to announce the twenty-first ACUNS-ASIL

Summer Workshop on International Organization Studies.

the workshop is designed for junior professors in international relations, international law or other relevant disciplines, post-doctoral and advanced doctoral level students, young lawyers and practitioners from civil society groups, policy staff from international organizations, and others at similarly early stages of their professional careers.

the workshop seeks to develop a specialized knowledge base on the challenges of war-torn societies; gain specific new methodological tools for analysis and assessment; explore the possibilities, and limits, of international engagement to ameliorate deep social divisions, and a critical evaluation of the role of the united nations in conflict prevention, peacemaking, and peacebuilding.

the workshop is hosted by the Josef Korbel School of international Studies, university of denver.

TO APPLY:

On-line applications can be found at http://www.acuns.org/programsan/acunsasils

Applications must be completed by Friday, 11 March, 2011 and must include all of the following:

• A brief (~1,000 words) statement of research interests à propos of the workshop themes;

• A curriculum vitae; and

• Two letters of reference

Applicants will be notified of the Selection Committee's final decision by Monday, 4 April, 2011.

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Peacebuilding and statebuilding in War-torn societies 5 - 15 July, 2011

Josef Korbel school of international studies • University of Denver, Colorado Usa

c A l l f o r a n e W

The Academic Council on the United Nations System

(ACUNS) is pleased to announce the competition to host the

ACUNS Secretariat headquarters for the period 1 July, 2013

to 30 June, 2018. Since 2003, the Secretariat has been located

at Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.

As is customary, the headquarters location

is chosen on a five-year cycle.

ACunS SeCretAriAt hoStfor tHe period 1 JulY, 2013 to 30 June, 2018

According to the By-Laws, the headquarters office shall be established (by a vote of the Board of Directors) at a non-profit institution that is (or will become) a member of ACUNS and which offers to provide the necessary accommodations and other arrangements for the Secretariat. ACUNS shall operate as a special project within that institution and shall for legal and financial purposes be deemed a part of the host institution. The Executive Director shall be an employee and member of the faculty or research staff of the host institution, and shall be responsible for the operation of the headquarters office in accordance with the approval of the Board of Directors.

In its present and past headquarters, the host institution has contributed to some portion of the secretariat’s operations

through course relief to the executive director, provision of support staff, facilities and equipment, or other forms of financial and/or in-kind support. Additional information about ACUNS and its programs can be found on the public website at www.acuns.org

Letters of interest or intent from potential host institutions are welcome at their earliest convenience, and the deadline for receipt of full formal applications is Friday, 4 November, 2011. The final decision will be announced by the ACUNS Board of Directors in June 2012 on the basis of recommendations by an independent search committee. It is anticipated that the new Executive Director and staff would be able to begin to work with the current Secretariat staff beginning 1 July, 2012.

ACUNS was established in 1987. Its by-laws describe ACUNS as “an international association of scholars, teachers, practitioners, and others who are active in the work and study of international organizations.” They share a “professional interest in encouraging and supporting education and research which deepen and broaden our understanding of international cooperation.”

ACUNS maintains a close working relationship with the secretariat of the UN, and with UN agencies and programs, as well as with other intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations. The award- winning journal Global Governance: A Review of Multilateralism and International Organizations is published quarterly with the support of the Korbel School at the University of Denver, where the main editorial offices currently are located. All ACUNS paying members receive a subscription to this innovative, refereed journal as part of their membership fees. The Council also maintains contacts and builds new relationships with its institutional and individual members around the world through the Annual Meeting, Summer Workshop, the quarterly newsletter, monthly e-update, other publications and programs or activities, and the ACUNS website.

The Council’s ongoing core programs include the Annual Meeting, the Summer Workshop organized in collaboration with the American Society of International Law, and the dissertation award. The full program range is designed to help promote new research and develop new teaching materials, to encourage emerging specialists, and to create stronger ties between officers in international organizations, scholars in colleges and universities, and other practitioners in nongovernmental bodies. At present there are over 500 individual and 50 institutional members from approximately 60 countries worldwide.

For any further information, please contact Dr. Alistair Edgar, Executive Director of the

Academic Council on the United Nations System:

Dr. Alistair Edgar, Executive Director, ACUNS

Wilfrid Laurier University • Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3C5 Canada

Tel: (519) 884.0710 ext. 2728 • Fax: (519) 884.5097 E-mail: aedgar@wlu.ca

benefits for members:• subscription and electronic access to the quarterly journal, Global Governance and acunS’ quarterly newsletter

• access to official UN system meetings and library collections thanks to our category 1 consultative status with ecoSoc

• access to our global network through our liaison offices in delhi, geneva, new York, and vienna

• opportunities to participate in acunS events that address pressing global issues by putting researchers in conversation with practitioners

Plus institutional members can designate up to four representatives who will each receive the same benefits plus the opportunity to profile new programs or projects on the acunS website.

Kim AspenSeunghyun BaekChowdhury Ataur Rahman Azad Youk ChhangElodie ConvergneSargon Donabed

Sameh Aboul EneinThomas GürberKoffi KangeSung Yong LeeBala Raju NikkuAlexandra NovosseloffDong-Joon Park

Mrinal RasteKalluri Raj ReddyKatie SkinnerD’Arcy ThompsonGregor Waldhauser

New Individual Members

renew your membership or become a member online at

www.acuns.org

You are invited to participate in an open, multi-stakeholder UN e-discussion on Education: Closing the Gap, taking place online from 1 February - 4 March, 2011. The discussion brings together experts, policy-makers and practitioners from within and outside of the UN system in order to formulate critical policy messages that will feed directly into the annual session of the Economic and Social Council's ministerial review.

Participation in the e-discussion is an easy, interactive way to bring new thoughts and ideas to persistent challenges to fulfilling the education goals outlined in the Millennium Development Goals. This year, the e-discussion will cover a range of the most pressing obstacles to ensuring quality education; preventing exclusion from education and innovating in education systems to close the gap in meeting the education goals. Expert moderators will guide and facilitate the discussion.

education: Closing the gap

An e-discussion sponsored by the United Nations Development Group (UNDG), UNESCO, UNICEF and the United Nations Department for Economic and Social Affairs (DESA)

Notify ACUNS members of work, study, fellowship and conference opportunities. Send your posting to bburns@wlu.ca

To take part in this event, please register for the e-discussion by sending a blank email message to:mdg-net@groups.undp.org

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A World Beyond Borders: An Introduction to the History of International OrganizationsDavid MacKenziePublished by: University of Toronto Press, 2010 ISBN: 978-1442601826

this is a short history of international organizations in the 20th century, with particular focus on the League of nations and the development of the united nations and the “un system.” there were few international organizations at the start of the 20th century, yet by the end there were thousands of ios and ngos at the heart of the international system, and they were involved in all aspects of international relations including peacekeeping, disarmament, peace resolution, human rights, diplomacy, and environmentalism. this book examines how international organizations became the major legal, moral, and cultural forces that they are today.

Can Globalization Promote Human Rights?Rhoda E. Howard-HassmannPublished by: Pennsylvania State University Press, 2010 ISBN: 978-0271037394

globalization has affected everyone’s lives, and the reactions to it have been mixed. Legal scholars and political scientists tend to emphasize its harmful aspects, while economists tend to emphasize its benefits. Those concerned about human rights have more often been among the critics than among the supporters of globalization. in Can Globalization Promote Human Rights? rhoda Howard-Hassmann presents a balanced account of the negative and positive features of globalization in relation to human rights, in both their economic and civil/political dimensions.

Contemporary Human Rights Ideas Bertrand G. Ramcharan Published by: Routledge Group, 2008 ISBN: 978-0415774574

the vindication of human rights is a critical challenge of a new century. Yet, there is much contestation over rights in a globalizing, post 9/11 world, as human rights ideas come into contact with different cultures and with societies in varying stages of development. Leaders of government and civil society, and the academic world, are in need of policy and normative frameworks for treading the way forward in responding to these global challenges.

Getting Back in the Game– A Foreign Policy Playbook for CanadaPaul HeinbeckerPublished by: Key Porter Books, 2010 ISBN: 978-1554702985 Has canada lost its place in the world? are we destined for a future as middle power, denied a seat at the “grown-ups table”? Some would argue yes– that decades of neglect and inattention have rendered canadian foreign policy ineffective at best, and non-existent at worst.

paul Heinbecker, career diplomat and former permanent ambassador to the un strongly disagrees. the golden days of pearson may be long gone, he argues (and perhaps they weren’t quite as “golden” as we’d all like to remember), but canada still has a role to play.

in Getting Back in the Game, Heinbecker presents his compelling vision for the future of canadian foreign policy– a future in which canada can work both with the united States and apart from it; in which our government can take a stand and effect change on issues of the day, from climate change to the middle east; in which this country has a key role to play in the rehabilitation of global governance.

drawing on more than thirty years of experience, Heinbecker offers a comprehensive, behind-the-scenes look at how we got to where we are, and how we can move forward. through a wide range of topics: the institutions of foreign policy; the use of hard, soft and smart power; canada’s complex relationship with the united States; and the continuing conundrum that is the United Nations, among others– Heinbecker explores the questions and concerns that are on the minds of canada’s leaders, thinkers, and citizens. in the end, he makes a strong case for canada’s future on the world stage. Like mark twain, he argues that “it’s not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog.”

Inter-American Cooperation at a Crossroads Gordon Mace, Andrew F. Cooper and Timothy M. Shaw (Eds.)Published by: Palgrave Macmillan, 2011 ISBN: 978-0230243613 in the fifteen years following the first Summit of the americas, the world has changed and so have the americas. diverging views have shattered the consensus of the 1990s. despite signaling a change in tone, the limited success of the port of Spain Summit reveals how deep rifts persist in the region. this book offers a critical assessment of the effectiveness of hemispheric institutions over the past fifteen years. Taking into consideration the new forces shaping international relations in the americas, the contributors assess their impact on the present state of hemispheric co-operation.

a c a d e m i c c o u n c i L o n t H e u n i t e d n a t i o n S S Y S t e m

International Organizations: Politics, Law, PracticeIan HurdPublished by: Cambridge University Press, 2010 ISBN: 9780521147378

international organizations are at the heart of many global issues today. this new textbook looks at the leading interna-tional organizations and explains how they both shape and are shaped by international politics. the book examines three themes: the legal obligations that give international organiza-tions their powers; the mechanisms that elicit compliance by their member states; and the practices of enforcement in the organization. each chapter shows how international organiza-tions work in practice and the interactions between them and their member states. this fresh text provides a comprehensive understanding of what international organizations do, how and why they do it, and the challenges they face.

Korea's Foreign Policy DilemmasDefining State Security and the Goal of National UnificationSung-hack KangPublished by: Global Oriental ISBN: 9781906876357

Koreans historically consider their country as a victim of foreign powers - sometimes seeing themselves as a shrimp among whales. in fact, to great extent Korea's international status has been determined by the historical rivalries between great powers. this collection of essays written over time by one of Korea's leading political scientists, probes many of the fundamental post-Korean War issues South Korea has wrestled with in the context of its foreign policy positions, not least the question of how it actually defines its foreign policy, its relationship with the united States, and the ever-present dilemma regarding state security and national unification.

Nuclear Energy and Global GovernanceEnsuring Safety, Security and Non-proliferationTrevor FindlayPublished by: Routledge ISBN: 9780415493642

the book considers the implications of the nuclear energy revival for global governance in the areas of safety, security and non-proliferation. it examines comprehensively the drivers of and constraints on the revival, its nature and scope and the possibility that nuclear power will spread significantly beyond the countries which currently rely on it. following on from this assessment, the author examines the likely impact of various revival scenarios on the current global governance of nuclear energy, notably the treaties, international organizations, arrangements and practices designed to ensure that nuclear power is safe, secure and does not contribute to the proliferation of nuclear weapons. the book concludes with recommendations to the international community on how to strengthen global governance in order to manage the nuclear energy revival prudently.

Preventive Diplomacy at the UNBertrand G. RamcharanPublished by: Indiana University Press, 2008 ISBN: 978-0253219831

the concept of preventive diplomacy has captivated the united Nations since it was first articulated by Secretary-General dag Hammarskjöld a half-century ago. Successive generations of diplomats and statesmen have invested in the idea that diplomatic efforts might be able to head off international conflicts and disasters. dramatic successes, such as the cuban missile crisis of 1962, contrast with dramatic failures, such as the inability of un efforts to halt the invasion of iraq in 2003. in this careful study, distinguished former un civil servant Bertrand g. ramcharan traces the history of the practice of preventive diplomacy by un Secretaries-general, the Security council, and other un organizations, and assesses the record of preventive diplomacy and examines its prospects in an age of genocide and terrorism.

Preventive Human Rights Strategies Bertrand G. Ramcharan Published by: Routledge Group, 2010 ISBN: 978-0415548564

the prevention of violations of human rights must become the dominant protection strategy of the twenty-first century, nationally, regionally, and globally. This book clearly identifies the need for preventive human rights strategies, maps what exists by way of such strategies at the present time, and offers policy options to deal with the world of the future.

Reparations to AfricaRhoda E. Howard-Hassmann with Anthony P. LombardoPublished by: University of Pennsylvania Press ISBN: 978-0812241013

What is the just measure of Western obligations to africa? as africans and their supporters mark the two hundredth anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade in the united States and great Britain, the question becomes increasingly salient. calls for reparations for the evils of slavery, as well as for past colonial and current economic and political abuses, can be heard across africa and the african diaspora.Human rights scholar rhoda e. Howard-Hassmann examines these calls for redress in Reparations to Africa. Her study analyzes the reparations movement from the perspectives of law, philosophy, political science, and sociology. While acknowledging the brutal background of the slave trade and colonialism, and the mistreatment of the peoples of africa, Howard-Hassmann finds that the complexity of this history, along with facts of the contemporary situation, weakens.

R e c e n t M e m b e r P u b l i c a t i o n s

Please note: Submissions of books for inclusion in the ACUNS Newsletter should be for publications no earlier than 2009.

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> continued from page 15

The Age of Apology: Facing Up to the PastMark Gibney, Rhoda E. Howard-Hassmann, Jean-Marc Coicaud, Niklaus SteinerPublished by: University of Pennsylvania Press

ISBN: 978-0812240337

in a turnabout of the cynical belief that might makes right, nations now see fit to issue apologies to peoples and countries they have wronged. We live in an age that seeks to establish political truth, perhaps best exemplified by the creation of truth commissions in societies seeking to emerge from dictatorial pasts. the most noteworthy result of these efforts has been the near-universal realization that a society will not be able successfully to pass into the future until it somehow deals with the horrors of its past. a number of Western states and institutions have sought to come to terms with their relationships to non-Western states and peoples. powerful actors and institutions are apologizing to the relatively powerless. What do these apologies mean?

The Mysteries of the CaucasusDorota GieryczPublished by: Xlibris Corp. ISBN: 978-1453556870

the author, a former senior united nations official stationed in Sukhumi and Tbilisi, tells the stories of people in abkhazia and georgia proper, intertwined with astute and timely analysis of the political events that have

shaped the small caucasus nation in the years since she gained her independence—from the rise and fall of Shevardnadze, the hero of perestroika and the West’s favourite “democrat”, to the era of Saakashvili, the proclaimed “beacon of democracy”, increasingly authoritarian and challenged by a discontented public. the analysis is also anchored in georgia’s history and collective memory, indelibly marked by the lasting impact of the brutal rule of Stalin and Beria and the ever-present shadow and interference of russia.

Recent Member Publ icat ions