Includes bibliographical references and index.

p. 1. The emergence of international development assitance -- Pre-aid traditions and ideas and the institutional heritage -- The expanded programme of technical assistance -- A UN fund for economic development -- First steps down the road : what can the footprints tell? -- p. 2. The formative years -- The first development decade : an instrument of persuasion? --The second development decade -- The United Nations Development Programme, 1966-1981 -- The World Food Programme, 1961-1981 : surplus food for development and relief -- The 1960s and the 1970s : perspectives on development -- p. 3. The lost decade and a new beginning -- Visions and priorities for the 1990s : the United Nations strategy for the fourth development decade -- The revival of the social and human dimensions of development -- Evolving priorities, patterns, and trends, 1982-2005 -- Food aid : from development to humanitarian relief -- The long road toward the millennium development goals -- The contribution of the UN system to international development cooperation.