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Contributors | Helmut Volger

Helmut Volger has written and edited several books about the UN, including A Concise Encyclopedia of the United Nations. He is also a founder of the German UN Research Network at Potsdam University.

Appreciating the Insights of the General Assembly

By Helmut Volger | Sep 09, 2011

Since the annual general debate of the United Nations General Assembly is fast approaching – when heads of state and top politicians from member countries deliver speeches on global problems – it makes sense to tackle the cliché that the assembly is an “ineffectual talk shop.” Indeed, the annual debate is considered a place where government officials hold “shop-window speeches” to protect their re

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Latest UN Yearbook Features an E-Book Version

By Helmut Volger | May 02, 2011

For insiders, the volumes of the Yearbook of the United Nations have always been a treasury of information. The annual Yearbook details all the activities of the UN for the respective year in summarizing thematic chapters and includes the full texts of all major resolutions and decisions of the General Assembly, the Security Council and the Economic and Social Council.

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Studying the UN vs. Reality at the UN

By Helmut Volger | Apr 29, 2011

Many of the nongovernmental organizations working with the United Nations are virtually unknown to the broad public. This is certainly true for the Academic Council on the United Nations System, or Acuns.

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The New Players at the Big Table

By Barbara Crossette, Helmut Volger and Irwin Arieff | Dec 06, 2010

In January, five countries – Colombia, Germany, India, Portugal and South Africa -- begin their two-year terms as nonpermanent members of the Security Council. Here, Helmut Volger, Barbara Crossette and Irwin Arieff assess how Germany, India and South Africa, the major powers among the five new members, might influence decisions during their terms.

GERMANY

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Helping People to Help Themselves: UN Volunteers

By Helmut Volger | Nov 01, 2010

They help farmers in developing countries to improve agricultural production, assist in preparing and holding elections and organize teaching programs for health care workers.

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The Many Adventures of Editing a UN Encyclopedia

By Helmut Volger | Oct 12, 2010

There it sat in January 2010: the second edition of the Concise Encyclopedia of the United Nations, its 900-page-plus contributions written by an idealistic bunch of UN people, as I like to call all those who work at the UN or do research on it -- and just a free copy of the book as their reward.

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New Rules Restrict Access to the Security Council

By Helmut Volger | May 12, 2010

After more than a decade of informal reform efforts to make the Security Council better functioning and accessible to countries that are not members and to nongovernmental organizations, such moves are now at risk to being partly or completely lost because of new restrictions put forth by the permanent-five members – China, Russia, Britain, France and the United States.

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