Volunteers against conflict / United Nations Volunteers ; in collaboration with the Humanitarianism and War Project of the Thomas J. Watson Jr. Institute for International Studies, Brown University.

Includes bibliographical references.

"UNUP-923"--Title page verso.

"This volume is the result of collaboration between United Nations Volunteers (UNV) and the Humanitarianism and War Project of the Thomas J. Watson, Jr. Institute for International Studies, Brown University, USA. It is the expression of the substantial involvement of UNV in UN peace-keeping and humanitarian operations. Its purpose is to convey a better understanding of the work of UN volunteers in conflict situations." "This book, the first of its kind, brings together the experiences of individual UN volunteer specialists who served in a wide range of recent UN missions. This "ground's-eye view" of some of the most ambitious and important UN initiatives is a collection of firsthand accounts written by the volunteers themselves. Thomas G. Weiss and Larry Minear, co-directors of the Humanitarianism and War Project, place the experience conveyed by the chapters in their broader historical and institutional context and offer some reflections on the UNV experience for the international community as a whole." "Beginning with a brief history of events leading up to the genesis and development of the UN mission, each chapter describes the UN volunteer's involvement, along with the personal experiences of volunteers who lived and worked in Cambodia, South Africa, Mozambique, Yugoslavia, Rwanda, and Somalia. The chapters bear witness to the vitality of volunteerism and include volunteers' own assessments of their participation and the lessons they learned."--Jacket.

1. Organizing Elections in a Mine Field: The Cambodian Challenge/ Nandini Srinivasan -- 2. The Politics of Reassurance: International Presence at the Local Level in South Africa/ Diane Conklin -- 3. Voting for Peace: Preparing for Post-War Democracy in Mozambique/ Glaucia Vaz Yoshiura -- 4. End of War Machinery: Demobilization in Mozambique/ Henri Valot -- 5. Caught in the Crossfire: Dilemmas of Human Rights Protection in Former Yugoslavia/ Benny Ben Otim -- 6. Back From Rwanda: Confronting the Aftermath of Genocide/ Stephen P. Kinloch -- 7. Behind the Compound Wall: Volunteerism under Challenge in Somalia/ Anthony C. Nweke -- 8. Part of the System: Varieties of Volunteer Support Roles/ Masako Yonekawa -- 9. The Art of Building Peace: Artisan Skills for Development and Peace in South Asia/ Shantum Seth.