The United Nations at Work in Asia: An Envoy’s Account of Development in China, Vietnam, Thailand and the South Pacific

The groundwork for the Asian economic miracle was established in the last quarter century-the time period covered in this book. China and Vietnam started substituting pragmatism for communist ideology and Thailand started on a path toward greater democracy. The timing was perfect for an American United Nations representative to arrive in the two communist countries because for the first time, both placed a premium on improving relations with the US and both were moving toward a market economy. This book acquaints the reader with evolving political, economic and social conditions in these countries and the role played by UN organisations in promoting reform. A chapter on the South Pacific is included to apprise the reader of a little-known part of the world and the challenges of providing useful development assistance in small isolated countries. The book also reveals a hidden side of the United Nations which is the role played by more than thirty UN agencies, funds and programmes in providing development and humanitarian assistance-a role rarely covered in the popular press. The past quarter century was also a period of great upheaval and challenge in Asia. There were enormous events and developments involving the United Nations which are analysed in the book. These include the Tiananmen crisis in China; 300,000 Cambodian refugees escaping the killing fields of the Khmer Rouge camped along the Thai border; more than two decades of effort to rid the Golden Triangle of opium production; the sensitive diplomacy required in fostering economic cooperation among North Korea, South Korea, China and Mongolia; and a firsthand account of negotiating the international agreement creating the Mekong River Commission. The book is intended for the general reader.