Unreal expectations of the UN have sometimes led to frustration and disillusionment when the organization has not delivered – but avoiding illusion is essential for a sense of proportion. It does not help that the UN has as many avatars as the Hindu pantheon. There is the aspirational UN of its founding Charter’s stirring ‘We, the Peoples…’ which pledged to save future generations from the scourge of war; but that has to be set against the UN that is a pragmatic political pact of ‘Them, the governments’. And of course, some governments more than others, many of which have often conspired to stifle the standard-setting side of the UN.
But while countries might have their fingers crossed behind their backs when they sign UN documents such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, having committed themselves, their evasions become aspirations and then can eventually translate into actual behaviour. After all, the General Assembly and similar bodies like the Human Rights Council are global public stages on which countries’ pledges can be compared with their deeds.
