Vienna, 14 June 2007

The Dr.-Karl-Renner-Institute in cooperation with the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) Vienna and the NGO Committee on Peace, Vienna, kindly invites you to the

Lecture

RAMESH THAKUR:

MULTILATERLISM UNDER CHALLENGE?

Time

Monday, June 25, 2007, 6.00 p.m.

Venue

Aula - University Campus Vienna "Altes AKH"
1090 Wien, Spitalgasse 2, Hof 1

Address of Welcome

ERICH FRÖSCHL

Academy for International Politics of the Dr.-Karl-Renner-Institute

Lecture

RAMESH THAKUR

In May 2007 Ramesh Thakur took up a new position as Distinguished Fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation and Professor of Political Science at the University of Waterloo in Canada. He was Vice Rector and Senior Vice Rector of the United Nations University (and Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations) from 1998-2007. Educated in India and Canada, he was a Professor of International Relations at the University of Otago in New Zealand and Professor and Head of the Peace Research Centre at the Australian National University, during which time he was also a consultant/adviser to the Australian and New Zealand governments on arms control, disarmament and international security issues. He was a Commissioner and one of the principal authors of The Responsibility to Protect (2001), and Senior Adviser on Reforms and Principal Writer of the United Nations Secretary-General's second reform report (2002).

Contents

The principles, values and institutional manifestations of multilateralism, including the United Nations, are under sustained scrutiny and assault. Their performance and effectiveness are questioned, as are their decision-making procedures and their representation by 21st century standards of accountability and democracy. All this has a corrosive effect on their legitimacy.

Moderation

HELMUT KRAMER

Professor for International Relations at the Institute for Political Science, Vienna University

Lecture and discussion in English

The talk will be followed by a launch of Dr. Thakur's book "War in Our Time" which contains reflections on Iraq, terrorism, and weapons of mass destruction.

 

Please register:

RENNER-INSTITUT
Khleslplatz 12
1120 Vienna
Tel.: 01/804 08 74
Email: post@renner-institut.at