ABSTRACT
The turn of any century, but particularly one corresponding to the start of a new millennium, encourages thought about the future. Thus the year 2000 (despite the Western origins of the dating) inspired considerable discussion of what might lie ahead. The United Nations system was no exception, with various bodies holding special sessions to mark the millennium. Most prominent among these were the gatherings sponsored by the General Assembly – the Millennium Summit in August 2000 and the Millennium Assembly that fall. The Millennium Summit brought together national leaders from 149 of the then 189 member states; the Millennium Assembly produced a Millennium Declaration summarizing widely shared visions of what the world should become in the twenty-first century.1
