Yves Beigbeder

This volume reviews the achievements and limitations of the International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, and the creation of mixed national/international courts: the Special Court for Sierra Leone and the Cambodia Tribunal. The major, unexpected and promising judiciary innovation is however the creation of the International Criminal Court in 1998, supported by the UN, European Union members and other countries, effectively promoted by NGOs, but strongly opposed by the USA. The Court will have to show that it is a fair and valuable instrument in fighting impunity at the international level.

Progress And New Challenges

International Justice Against Impunity

Since its birth with the creation of the international Red Cross in 1863, international humanitarian assistance has developed considerably since World War II. In accordance with the Red Cross principle of humanity, it aims at preventing and alleviating human suffering wherever it may be found, protecting life and health and ensuring respect for the human being. International humanitarian assistance involves a complex network of government agencies, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, and individual volunteers: it has been labelled a 'non-system'. While governments and intergovernmental organizations play a dominant and structured role in this field, the non-governmental organizations and their volunteers have proved to be their necessary operational partners, providing material, medical and moral relief and care wherever it may be needed, beyond borders, at the grassroots level. Following a brief review of recent humanitarian activities of intergovernmental organizations, and an analysis of current trends of voluntarism, this book focuses on the role, status and attitudes of the major humanitarian non-governmental organizations, including the Red Cross organizations, the British charities, Church-related agencies, medical volunteers (such as the 'French Doctors') and U.N. volunteers. Should humanitarian non-governmental organizations provide relief assistance with the Red Cross concern for discretion, neutrality and impartiality? Or should they bear witness and denounce publicly human rights violations, at the risk of being expelled from recipient countries and having to stop their assistance? The controversial claim of a 'right' to receive and a 'duty' to provide humanitarian assistance beyond borders is also addressed, as well as the possible need for a status to be accorded to international volunteers.

The Right and Duty to Humanitarian Assistance

The Role and Statuts of International Humanitarian Volunteers and Organizations

International monitoring of plebiscites, referenda and national elections has given a guarantee to the populations and the countries directly involved, and to the international community, that the people themselves have been able to exercise freely their right to self-determination through these processes. By focusing international attention on an internal electoral process, international monitoring may deter fraud by government, armed forces or electoral authorities. It shows international support for democracy and elections, as well as for human rights. While the international monitoring of elections does not guarantee that a dictatorship will evolve peacefully into a pluralist democracy, free and periodic elections are an essential prerequisite to the creation and maintenance of democracy, which is itself a prerequisite for the protection and promotion of human rights. The United Nations and other international organizations and groups are openly supporting the world's evolution towards democracy. This book will be of great use for those who are actively involved in international monitoring as well as for researchers in the field of democracy and human rights.

Self-Determination and Transition to Democracy

International Monitoring of Plebiscites, Referenda and National Elections

This timely book reviews key management areas of United Nations organizations now under attack: the political selection of executive heads, the role of inspection bodies, the financial crisis, charges of corruption and fraud, the 'overpaid' staff, sex discrimination in the secretariats, the impact of the Administrative Tribunals' judgements. Reform proposals are reviewed and assessed. While executive heads are accountable for their agency's performance, Member States have the ultimate responsibility for ensuring that reform is actually carried out. Do they really want UN organizations to be more effective?

The Long Quest for Reform

The Internal Management of United Nations Organizations

Eve C. Landau

This book portrays the achievements and progress of equality at work between men and women. The relevant UN Conventions, the ILO Philadelphia Declaration of 1944 and the numerous ILO Conventions and Recommendations on the development of equality are recalled. The European Union has applied and developed the universal ILO standards, empowering rights of equality with effective remedies through EU legislation and enforcement by its Court of Justice. The issues covered include equal remuneration and treatment, positive or affirmative action, dignity of the worker, maternity protection, part-time work and indirect discrimination, workers with family responsibilities and child care. New perspectives, policies and trends are discussed in a conclusion.

The Case of Equality Between Men and Women at Work

From ILO Standards to EU Law

This perceptive book highlights the need for cooperation between major organisations - whether intergovernmental, commercial or nongovernmental - to ensure developing countries have access to affordable medicines and vaccines, in spite of their different mandates and interests. Yves Beigbeder reviews specific areas of international public health issues and programmes from the vantage point of one particular intergovernmental organisation - the World Health Organisation. He includes studies on the value and risks of public-private partnerships, the access of poor populations to essential drugs and the fight against malaria and tuberculosis and the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Further chapters focus on polio eradication, onchocerciasis control, alliances for vaccines and immunization, the promotion of breastfeeding, and the struggle against the tobacco industry.

Patients' Rights vs. the Protection of Patents

International Public Health

The World Health Organization (WHO) is undergoing a crisis of credibility and challenge. Having been subjected to a severe financial crisis and criticisms of its management of pandemics such as the H1N1 flu case and the outbreak of Ebola, with a new Director-General at its helm, it is an ideal time to review the WHO’s past and current achievements including on-going operations and reported failures. Whilst time is given to recurrent attacks on WHO performance, it is balanced by also highlighting the WHO’s leadership, its member states, and its influence on other actors, NGOs and business. As such, this study reviews the WHO’s actions in the most visible programmes such as SARS, H1N1, Ebola and also smallpox, malaria, onchocerciasis, polio and AIDS. The author also discusses the desirable balance between operational and normative functions and proposals for reform of the Organization.

Achievements and Failures

The World Health Organization

Dennis Dijkzeul

The management of international organisations is attracting growing attention. This text provides a fundamental rethinking of current approaches, criticism and cures for these organisations.

Yves Beigbeder

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