Francis Adams is Associate Professor of Political Science and International Studies at Old Dominion University. He is the author of From Economic Nationalism to Neo-Liberalism (1993), Dollar Diplomacy: United States Economic Assistance to Latin America (2000), and Deepening Democracy: Global Governance and Political Reform in Latin America (2003). He also co-edited Globalization and the Dilemmas of the State in the South (1999).

Francis Adams examines the United Nations' efforts to promote sustainable in Latin America. Adams analyzes the development work of various UN institutions and agencies that sponsor economic and social programs in the developing world as well as the UN's various funding initiatives, global conferences, and institutional goals.

1. Introduction 2. The United Nations and Development 3. Poverty in the Americas 4. Meeting Basic Human Needs 5. Women in the Americas 6. Promoting Gender Equity 7. Ecology of the Americas 8. Preserving Natural Environments 9. Aiding Development in the Americas. Appendix 1: Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Appendix 2: International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Appendix 3: Declaration on the Right to Development. Appendix 4: United Nations Millennium Declaration. Appendix 5: Millennium Development Goals. Appendix 6: Latin American and Caribbean Initiative for Sustainable Development.