In the face of the continuing economic gap between the industrialized and the developing countries, the Third World began to demand a reorganization of the international economic system—its mechanisms, organizations, purposes—that would make the system responsive to the needs of all of its members. The United Nations’ Sixth Special Session in 1974

An International Redistribution of Wealth and Power: A Study of the Charter of Economic Rights and Duties of States is an in-depth account and conscientious analysis of the efforts of developing countries to frame international rules that would bring about an equitable distribution of world power and resources. The Charter of Economic Rights and Duties of States is the principal outcome of this undertaking, approved by 120 member states of the United Nations in December 1974. The book aims to chronicle the developments in the forging of the Charter. The first two chapters cover the inception of the Charter stemming from the 1973 Arab oil boycott and the previous attempt in 1974 for the establishment of a New International Economic Order. The four central chapters describe in detail the articles of the Charter, their negotiation, and the origin and evolution of the issues they embody. The period covered in this book is from the end of World War I until the completion of the Conference on International Economic Cooperation in June 1977. Historians, researchers, economists, and students of international law will find this book a rich source of insight and information.