The United Nations Security Council, as highest custodian of peace and security in the international community, is subjected to change in the international environment, but is in itself not inclined to, or likely to change in the near future. This is because its structure is entrenched in international law, which also upholds the pre-eminence of state sovereignty in the prevailing international relations environment. The pre-eminent position bestowed upon the UNSC by the UN Charter and an entrenched international adherence to its current structure, mainly due to conflict’s close association with reality politics and international power structures associated with a pre-dominant interest driven international system of states, make international consensus on changing the UNSC near impossible. This environment is, therefore, subject to the competitive pursuit of state interests and influenced by power relations, as Realists contend. However, this behavioural nature of the international system continues to be challenged in order to conform to the principles that underwrite the philosophies, the theories and the structures of human rights, humanitarian principles, idealism and their correlating systems of law in democracy. South Africa’s diplomatic positioning in this regard since 1994 assumes a structural approach by calling for change in the international system, to broaden international community, and specifically African, contributions to and participation in global governance. As concerns the UNSC, the South African diplomatic agenda has targeted the ingrained hegemony of the Council’s permanent core, the Permanent Five, and their veto. In theory, South Africa subscribes to the Ezulwini Consensus, which is a common African position that demands two permanent seats for the continent. The country has, in line with its diplomatic endeavour, also pronounced itself ready to assume such a seat in a transformed Council, even though Africa has not collectively endorsed (a) candidate(s). In the interim, South Africa is using strategic diplomatic manoeuvres, at the regional as well as global level, to steer the debate on UNSC reform and to lobby for its own permanent inclusion. South Africa, therefore, conducts diplomacy of engagement across the international diplomatic spectrum in support of a diplomacy that seeks to engage rather than isolate or disengage and which is aimed at making a difference in this mediation, creating convergence, also through bridging divergences in the international debate on reform of the UNSC. / Dissertation (MDIPS)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / lmchunu2014 / Political Sciences / unrestricted

The subject of this paper is whether South Africa should ratify the 1980 United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (the CISG). The CISG was enacted in an attempt to create a unified body of law to regulate the international transactions on sale of goods. Due to globalization, countries are trading with each other on a daily basis, and the need for a unified body of contract law has developed. / Dissertation (LLM)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / am2014 / Mercantile Law / unrestricted

Much of the United Nations' work toward achieving its aim of improving economic and social conditions for the people of the world is carried out by specialized inter-governmental agencies. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is such a specialized agency. It is the purpose of this study to explore what the author believes to be some of the more important projects of FAO as it attempts to achieve its objectives.

Changing view on future population development of the Republic of Kazakhstan according to the United Nations World Population Prospects since the 1992 till the 2008 revision Abstract The objective of this study is to analyze changing view on future population development and to assess the reliability of the forecast results produced for Kazakhstan by the United Nations World Population Prospects since the 1992 revision with the respect to population development components: fertility, mortality, migration and by principal results: total population, age and sex structure and by some other demographic indicators. In the first part, the United Nations forecasting methodology and its applicability to the Kazakhstan population development, basic conceptual framework and its use are being explored. Analysis of the main forecast results is in the second part; nevertheless the fact that some findings based on these results support the general view on the population development by the United Nations World Population Prospects, some other findings are impugned. Furthermore, the impact of transition period (1990-2000) to the development of population by components and its influence to the age and sex composition has been proved. In this thesis the connection between some scientific disciplines, economics and...

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<p> This thesis examines one of the most useful instruments yet devised for regulating the relations of states diplomacy. It explains how, from the beginning of the modern state system, traditional diplomacy has served the needs of the international community. </p> <p> The major part of this study focuses on the diplomatic activities that take place at the United Nations, especially as they concern the Security Council, the General Assembly, and the Secretariat with the Secretary General. Support is presented for the contention that traditional, "quiet" diplomacy plays an important role at the United Nations, even though on the surface the United Nations appears to be pre-occupied with public debate, vote swapping, and distortion of basic international issues. </p> <p> The role of small nations in an international society is also briefly discussed. </p> / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA)

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