Religion, NGOs and the United Nations Visible and Invisible Actors in Power [Paperback]

How do religious groups, operating as NGOs, engage in the most important global institution for world peace? What processes do they adopt? Is there a spiritual UN today? This book is the first interdisciplinary study to present extensive fieldwork results from an examination of the activity of religious groups at the United Nations in New York and Geneva. Based on a three and half-year study of activities in the United Nations system, it seeks to show how religion operates in both visible and invisible ways.

Jeremy Carrette, Hugh Miall, Verena Beittinger-Lee, Evelyn Bush and Sophie-H?l?ne Trigeaud, explore the way religion becomes a chameleon idea, appearing and disappearing, according to the diplomatic aims and ambitions. Part 1 documents the challenges of examining religion inside the UN, Part 2 explores the processes and actions of religious NGOs - from diplomacy to prayer - and the specific platforms of intervention  from committees to networks  and Part 3 provides a series of case studies of religious NGOs, including discussion of Islam, Catholicism and Hindu and Buddhist NGOs. The study concludes by examining the place of diplomats and their views of religious NGOs and reflects on the place of religion in the UN today. The study shows the complexity of religion inside one of the most fascinating global institutions of the world today.

This book is well organized, with insights about codes of conduct and social norms at the UN, and reveals the potential and limits of RNGOs as political actors. Reading Religion

[The] volume stands as an important piece of work outlining an invaluable research and policy agenda for researchers, NGOs, and diplomats through its empirically grounded analysis of the role and impact of religious-affiliated NGOs within the UN system. Reviews in Religion and Theology

Good research answers -- and raises -- questions. This study provides empirical evidence of the interaction blþ