A Year at the Helm of the United Nations General Assembly - by Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

From September 2011 to September 2012,
Ambassador Nasser Abdulaziz Al-Nasser of Qatar presided over the 66th session
of the "world's parliament" - the United Nations General Assembly. It was a
critical moment in international affairs as the UN responded to a range of
global challenges, from the world financial crisis to the Arab Spring. In A
Year at the Helm of the General Assembly, Al-Nasser presents a high-level
look inside the organization, assessing its strengths and weaknesses, its
successes and struggles. He recounts dramatic moments, such as replacing the
Libyan delegation, and a tireless schedule of overseas travel, including joint
visits with the Secretary-General to Libya and Somalia. His work takes him from
major international summits such as the Conference on Sustainable Development
in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (Rio+20) to the European Parliament, which he was the
first General Assembly President to address, to academic institutions from
Oxford to Moscow to Morocco.

Al-Nasser
structures the book as he did his 66th session, around four main
themes or "pillars: " mediation, UN reform, natural disaster prevention and
response, and sustainable development.He offers a wide range of recommendations to intergovernmental
institutions, to states, to the public sector, and to individuals. Al-Nasser was determined to leave behind
a General Assembly that the people of the world could look up to and depend on.
This volume is a testament to all that he accomplished in that regard, and a
unique resource for those interested in knowing more about the world's most
representative body at a crucial moment in history.

Review Quotes

"Ambassador Al-Nasser presents an illuminating picture of the UN General Assembly during one of its most challenging years. The Assemblys 66th session, stretching from September 2011 to the next September, was exceptionally busy and challenging. Internally, the UN was struggling to implement long-standing reforms. Externally, it was facing multiple emergencies and crises in the Middle East, North Africa and elsewhere. Ambassador Al-Nasser was president of the General Assembly during this eventful year. A skilled and experienced diplomat, he launched numerous initiatives, energized by his Four Pillars strategy peaceful settlement of disputes, reform and revitalization of the UN system, disaster prevention and response and sustainable development and prosperity. To it all, the Ambassador brought a deep commitment to nurturing a culture of peace based on justice."--James Hoge, former editor of Foreign Affairs and Senior Advisor, Teneo Intelligence

"This book is not only an eye-catching memoir written by an outstanding diplomat and thinker but also an extraordinarily deep and insightful examination of the most complicated challenges of contemporary world. Based on the authors unique skills and exiting experience of serving as president of the 66th session of the UN General Assembly and his firsthand encounters with different regions, states and world leaders the book covers a remarkably wide range of issues from the peaceful settlement of disputes to the UN reform and revitalization. A must-read for all who are interested in global politics and the mission and activities of the worlds parliament as seen through the eyes of its president."--Vitaly Naumkin, author of Radical Islam in Central Asia: Between Pen and Rifle