<P>The term "accountability" is increasingly heard at the United Nations. More than six decades after the organization's founding, people continue to ask exactly how the UN is accountable for what it does, and many agree that enhanced UN accountability is a prerequisite to effective global governance. Nevertheless, the concept is elusive and rarely defined, and views have diverged on its proper meaning and various implications. The contributors to this volume identify key issues, raise pertinent questions, and suggest useful reforms regarding accountability in the context of the United Nations system.</P><P>Contributors include Edith Brown Weiss (Georgetown University Law Center), Michael Fowler (University of Louisville), Koji Fukuda (Waseda University, Tokyo), Ikuyo Hasuo (Osaka University), Anna Herken (office of the Secretary General of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development), Tadanori Inomata (United Nations), Kyoji Kawasaki (Hitotsubashi University, Tokyo), Tatsuro Kunugi (United Nations University and International Cooperation Research Association), Sumihiro Kuyama (United Nations University), Peter Lallas (World Bank), Edward Luck (International Peace Institute and office of the UN Secretary-General), Suresh Nanwani (Asian Development Bank), Jochen Prantl (Centre for International Studies and Nuffield College, University of Oxford), Michael Reiterer (University of Innsbruck), Tetsuo Sato (Hitotsubashi University), Hideaki Shiroyama (University of Tokyo), Mariko Shoji (Keiai University, Chiba), Kazuo Takahashi (United Nations University and National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies, Tokyo), Hirohide Takikawa (Osaka City University), and Mikoto Usui (Tsukuba University).</P>