ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book presents a collection of some of presentations at this conference. The event took place before the United Nations considered its three 2006 landmark documents aimed to reform and streamline different dimensions of the United Nations (UN) organization and functions. The defense and reform of the United Nations, however, is not just a question of challenging this hegemony. The United Nations is the institutional hope for the world's environmental, developmental, and humanitarian communities, and the single most important multilateral container for the expression of national self-interest. Insofar as the United Nations represents the people-of-the-world's aspirations for a more just and peaceful world, it retains the capacity to inspire the political imagination of individuals and collectives. In an increasingly interconnected world, progress in the areas of development, security, and human rights must go hand in hand.
