Prises de position

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In Pursuit of Common Ground – 06/09/2001
Steve Mason, Executive Director

A common line in the recent media coverage of the World Conference Against Racism is to refer to the United Nations as an independent entity. It is not. For better or for worse, the UN is the sum of its parts – and its parts are the 189 member states that collectively create its agenda, draft resolutions, negotiate final texts and ultimately determine whether or not to implement the recommendations at a national level.

Whenever the UN has not taken action in a critical situation – Rwanda, Kosovo, etc – this has been the result of individual countries refusing to allow action to be taken or to provide adequate resources to do the job properly, most often for domestic political reasons. Not even the Secretary-General, with his considerable integrity and high-profile status, can move the UN into action – he can provide some impetus, but the decision to act must come from the member countries. This is not ideal, but it is the reality of the structure of our international system. The concept of state sovereignty is enshrined in Article II of the UN Charter, and no country would willingly join an organization that would require it to relinquish its independence. Although a certain moral authority does sometimes push towards a global consensus, countries ultimately implement the UN resolutions which suit them, and leave behind those which do not.

It should not surprise anyone, then, that the UN’s efforts to achieve meaningful international cooperation are full of difficulties and checkered with failures. In order for progress to be made, common ground must be found between 189 countries, each with a unique world view and characterized by vastly different social, cultural, religious and economic realities. The topics on the agenda, like racism, are often exceptionally sensitive in nature – these are issues that we can seldom find agreement on in our own country, or even in our own community. Add to this the fact that the organization is still relatively young; at only fifty-six, it is younger and less experienced than most of its key players and decision-makers. Moreover, its membership has almost quadrupled since its inception in 1945. It is little wonder that solutions are not arrived at immediately – this business takes patience, it takes time.

When viewed from this perspective, it seems almost unbelievable that the UN has accomplished anything at all. But it has. In the last half century the UN and its agencies have improved the health of millions – immunizing the world's children, fighting malaria and disease, providing safe drinking water. As a result, life expectancy has increased all over the world and smallpox has been eradicated. At the same time, the UN acted as a key player in the decolonization movement and has helped strengthen the democratic process by assisting elections in over 70 countries.

Additionally, the UN has played a major role in defusing international crises and resolving protracted conflicts, including the Cuban missile crisis, the Middle East crisis in 1973 and the Iran-Iraq war. The UN has also been a key force in ending civil wars in Cambodia, El Salvador, Guatemala and Mozambique. UN relief agencies help to aid and protect more than 25 million refugees and displaced persons throughout the world, and the UN is the premier vehicle for furthering development in poorer countries and providing food aid.

All this is done on a shoestring budget, made even tighter by some member states’ reluctance to pay their full dues. The yearly expenditures for the entire UN system are $10 billion, a mere quarter of New York City’s annual disbursements. The budget for UN worldwide human rights activities is smaller than that of the Zurich Opera House, and the budget of the World Health Organization is equivalent to that of a medium-sized teaching hospital in an industrialized country.

There is no doubt that reforms are required to make the UN more responsive and efficient. There is little to suggest, however, that it is a failed enterprise or that there is some other entity that could more effectively work towards solving the world’s most intractable problems. What is needed is patience, perseverance and the support and engagement of citizens around the globe. The pressure for member states to ratify and obey international agreements can only come in part from other countries and from the normative aspects of the UN structure. The rest must come from civil society. It is incumbent upon all citizens who believe in the potential of international cooperation to solve economic, social, cultural, and humanitarian problems to persuade our leaders take principled and ethical stands, enforce the resolutions to which they have agreed and ratify those to which they have not.

This includes the Programme of Action which should result from the current World Conference Against Racism. Quite apart from the two issues which have stolen the media limelight at this Conference, the detailed Programme contains a solid and thorough template through which every country can begin the arduous process of eliminating racism – both overt and systemic – from their societies.