IPSA’s First Open-Access Book Celebrated with Two Book Launches

Photo (from left to right): Janie Piuze-Duclos (Editorial Assistant), Norbert Eschborn (Co-editor and Director of KAS Canada), Marianne Kneuer (IPSA Past President), Kim Fontaine-Skronski (Co-editor and IPSA Executive Director), Dianne Pinderhughes (IPSA President), Henri-Paul Normandin (Former Canadian Ambassador to the UN and Keynote Speaker) and Valériane Thool (Co-editor and Lecturer at University of Sherbrooke).

IPSA and the Konrad-Adenauer Foundation (KAS) Canada celebrated the publication of IPSA’s first open-access book, entitled Does the UN Model Work? Challenges and Prospects for the Future of Multilateralism (Brill, 2022), by hosting two book launches, the first at the University of Ottawa on 8 March and the second at the International Studies Association’s (ISA) 64th Annual Convention in Montreal on 15 March. Our sincere thanks go to the Konrad Adenauer Foundation for supporting the book project and the book launches.

The Ottawa Book Launch (8 March)

IPSA, KAS Canada, and the Konrad Adenauer Research Chair in Empirical Democracy Studies hosted a book launch and reception at the University of Ottawa. The book’s co-editors, Kim Fontaine-Skronski, Valériane Thool and Norbert Eschborn, each gave short speeches about the book’s contents, explaining how it came together and the importance of having an open-access book of this nature. The keynote address was given by Jamie Webbe, President and CEO of the United Nations Association in Canada (UNAC).

Photo (from left to right): Daniel Stockemer (Konrad Adenauer Chair in Empirical Democracy Studies and Co-editor of International Political Science Review), Jamie Webbe (President & CEO of the United Nations Association in Canada), Kim Fontaine-Skronski (Co-editor and IPSA Executive Director), Valériane Thool (Co-editor and Lecturer at Université de Sherbrooke), Norbert Eschborn (Co-editor and Director of KAS Canada).

Keynote Speaker: Jamie Webbe

Jamie Webbe, President & CEO of the United Nations Association in Canada, addressed the challenges to the UN system emanating from Russia and the structure of the UN Security Council, which is inherently flawed.

She emphasized that the UN cannot solve every single problem in the world and has various shortcomings. However, it has done remarkable work since its creation, including providing humanitarian assistance in crisis areas such as Afghanistan.

She reminded the audience that the Security Council is not the only UN body in the international system, and noted that the UN staff has never been more representative regarding diverse backgrounds.

The conference was followed by a cocktail reception filled with fruitful discussions on the prominence of the book’s topics.

The Montreal Book Launch (15 March)

The second book launch was held at Montreal’s Fairmont Queen Elizabeth Hotel on 15 March as part of the International Studies Association’s Annual Convention.

The event began with the introduction of Kim Fontaine-Skronski, who welcomed the guests and thanked the Konrad Adenauer Foundation and the authors of the book. She also thanked Past President Marianne Kneuer, under whose leadership was the 2020 conference on the 75th anniversary of the United Nations and the book project initiated.

In his speech, Norbert Eschborn talked about the founding mission and activities of the Konrad-Adenauer Foundation and explained why KAS Canada is interested in the United Nations and, in particular, in this book project with IPSA. Dr. Eschborn also emphasized the importance of the cooperation between IPSA and KAS on various projects.

Next, Valériane Thool detailed the book’s overall concept and content, which is about the challenges and prospects to multilateralism. The authors question the United Nations in terms of migration and human rights, climate change and biodiversity, international trade and threats to democracy. She emphasized the gender parity (9 out of the 17 authors are women) and the diversity of the authors who come from Africa, Europe, South America, and North America, bringing diverse points of view on the UN system.

IPSA President Dianne Pinderhughes then took the stage and discussed the importance of the collaboration between IPSA and the Konrad-Adenauer Foundation since 2019, and most notably, for this book project.

Photo (from left to right): Janie Piuze-Duclos (Editorial Assistant), Norbert Eschborn (Co-editor and Director of KAS Canada), Kim Fontaine-Skronski (Co-editor and IPSA Executive Director), Henri-Paul Normandin (Former Canadian Ambassador to the UN and Keynote Speaker) and Valériane Thool (Co-editor and Lecturer at University of Sherbrooke).

Keynote Speaker: Henri-Paul Normandin

The highlight of the event was the keynote speech by Henri-Paul Normandin, former Canadian Ambassador, Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations (2006-2010) and Fellow at the Montreal Institute of International Studies (IEIM). Mr. Normandin discussed the challenges that multilateralism is facing and the manner in which the UN and other institutions are struggling to address international crises worldwide, partly due to great power rivalry. While there is no substitute for states to act on a multilateral level, there are prospects in making multilateralism more inclusive by allowing non-state actors such as cities to participate actively and play an essential role on the international scene.


The cocktail reception was attended by dozens of guests, including current and former IPSA Executive Committee members, the book’s authors, former diplomats and UN staff, publishers, ISA delegates, and students.

Publisher’s Corner (15 March)
 
IPSA Executive Director and co-editor of the book, Kim Fontaine-Skronski, presented the book at ISA’s Publisher’s Corner event.
Held in the ISA 2023 Exhibition Hall, the event brought authors, publishers and ISA delegates together. 

About the Book

Edited by Kim Fontaine-Skronski, IPSA Executive Director, Valériane Thool, Lecturer in International Law at University of Sherbrooke, and Norbert Eschborn, Director of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Canada, the book is composed of original articles from scholars and policy notes from practitioners based on the contributions to the Conference “The UN at 75: Challenges and Prospects for the Future of Multilateralism” organized by IPSA in 2020.

Published by Brill, the book attempts to draw up the state of multilateralism through the UN model and identify potential ways to address its challenges and shortcomings.

The contributors question the role of multilateralism, sometimes accused of being fragmented, inefficient and unrepresentative, and its impact on global governance, democracy, trade and investment, the environment, and human rights.

You can view the short video with the co-editors of the book:

SELECTED PHOTOS FROM THE BOOK LAUNCHES 

Kim Fontaine-Skronski's speech at the Ottawa book launch. 

Valériane Thool's speech at the Ottawa book launch. 

Norbert Eschborn's speech at the Ottawa book launch. 

Kim Fontaine-Skronski's speech at the Montreal book launch. 

Valériane Thool's speech at the Montreal book launch. 

Norbert Eschborn's speech at the Montreal book launch. 

IPSA President Dianne Pinderhughes's speech at the Montreal book launch. 

Photo (from left to right):  Kim Fontaine-Skronski (Co-editor and IPSA Executive Director), Dianne Pinderhughes (IPSA President), Yasmeen Abu-Laban (Co-author and IPSA Former Executive Committee member), and Christopher Isike (Co-author and IPSA Former Executive Committee member).

The plenary address followed by a cocktail reception.

Dianne Pinderhughes (IPSA President) and Marianne Kneuer (IPSA Past President).

Christopher Isike (Co-author and IPSA Former Executive Committee member) and Yasmeen Abu-Laban (Co-author and IPSA Former Executive Committee member) at the cocktail reception.