New Zealand and the United Nations: 70th Anniversary.

AuthorHill, Matt
PositionBook review

NEW ZEALAND AND THE UNITED NATIONS: 70th Anniversary

Editor. Brian Lynch

Published by: New Zealand Institute of International Affairs, Wellington, 2016, 148pp, $29.99.

It says something about the state of the world's foremost multilateral body that a volume ostensibly focused on recognising the achievements of 70 years of engagement should be shot-through with concerns regarding the future. As the weave of economic, political and strategic forces upon which the United Nations has rested frays, it is necessary to take a hard look not only at the foundations of New Zealand's influence within the UN system but also at how those foundations are likely to shift in the coming decades. The contributions to this volume--representing the proceedings of a conference held by the NZILA on 20 November 2015--provide thoughtful reflections on both of these crucial issues.

A look back at the past seven decades provides ample evidence of New Zealand's outsized role in UN affairs. From the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea to the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, New Zealand has been at the forefront across a range of substantive initiatives. Seeking to explain that influence, the contributors frequently point to our reputation as an honest broker, and the particular mix of principle and pragmatism deployed by New Zealand diplomats are emphasised throughout. In her contribution Charlotte Darlow (currently unit manager of the UN, Human Rights and Commonwealth Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade) highlights the flexibility and willingness to embrace contingency that has animated New Zealand's mission to the United Nations. Openness to new relationships and opportunities to advance the agenda have fed symbiotically off one another, allowing New Zealand to bridge between diverse parties across disparate issues. Similarly, New Zealand's successes in building effective coalitions is also emphasised by former Permanent Representative to the United Nations David McDowell's account of New Zealand's engagement with decolonisation in the Pacific.

Contributors are not shy to stress the United Nations' successes. Sir Kenneth Keith's contribution elucidates the fact that the evolution of the International Court of Justice, frequently unacknowledged, has nonetheless had a material impact on security and reconciliation. Conversely, David McDowell and the director of the UN Information Centre, Christopher Woodthorpe, make the case for the United...

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