This Handbook provides in one volume an authoritative and independent treatment of the UN's seven-decade history, written by an international cast of more than fifty distinguished scholars, analysts, and practitioners. It provides a clear and penetrating examination of the UN's development since 1945 and the challenges and opportunities now facing the organisation. It assesses the implications for the UN of rapid changes in the world-from technological innovation to shifting foreign policy priorities-and the UN's future place in a changing multilateral landscape. Citations and additional readings contain a wealth of primary and secondary references to the history, politics, and law of the world organization. This key reference also contains appendices of the UN Charter, the Statute of the International Court of Justice, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.