Simon Pascal Alain Handy's seminal book takes a deep dive into the history of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) from its origin in 1946 as a global platform dedicated to the "Glory of God and in Prayer for Peace on Earth." Operating under the principle of one country, one vote, the UNGA is often characterized by entrenched positions and a lack of consensus leading to inaction and inertia. Handy argues that the UNGA is still essential and offers groundbreaking proposals to revamp it. These include a seventh committee that integrates high-tech companies to regulate surveillance capitalism, Al, and the global economy in the face of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
Handy calls for a reformed General Assembly that embraces the Global South amid a second wave of independence in Africa, and advocates to redress the imbalance of power among member states, prioritizing cooperation over conflict resolution. He outlines a renewed role for NATO in its dealings with the UNGA and provides a comprehensive peace plan to resolve the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
By recalling the original vision and realigning its founding principles, Handy asserts that the UNGA can effectively address the pressing challenges of our fragmented world.
SIMON PASCAL ALAIN HANDY served as a UN official for 23 years in various capacities, including political analyst, special advisor to four UN special representatives, chief technical advisor in crisis prevention at the UN Development Programme, associate expert on disarmament at the UN HQ in New York, and chief of the party for the Haiti Transition Initiative. His extensive career in global affairs has addressed complex humanitarian emergencies and high-level political negotiations in conflict zones across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Caribbean.
He is a senior executive fellow at Harvard University Kennedy School of Government, a visiting fellow at the EU Institute for Security Studies, and a visiting scholar at York University's Department of Politics in Toronto. He holds postgraduate degrees in political science, strategic studies, and international relations, and is completing his Ph.D. in political science.
Handy is currently the CEO of the HCCP Global Think Tank in Brussels, which strives to build collaborative political and cultural relationships between Africa and the rest of the world.