Social Justice in an Open World: The Role of the United Nations
cratic debate and the achievement of a consensus on what constitutes the common good. As it is no longer possible for nations to remain independent of one another, defining the common good has become an absolute necessity. Notwithstanding the global solidarity and mobilization that have characterized the pursuit of the Millennium Development Goals, the United Nations is clearly facing enormous obstacles in its efforts to promote and preserve international equity and equality. From the perspective of the contribution of the United Nations to the pursuit and achievement of equity and equality, there are two main justifications for making a conceptual distinction between global and international efforts. First, the traditional activities of the United Nations, in particular those relating to human rights and development, have largely reflected a focus on people rather than on their countries of citizenship. Efforts to reduce the incidence of HIVIAIDS are typical of a global approach to a global problem. The Millennium Declaration incorporates a global poverty reduction target but does not explicitly address the issue of inequality, including inequality between developed and developing countries. Finally, the Charter of the United Nations, signed by nations committing themselves to cooperation, is largely based on the presumption of a fundamental universality of values and aspirations. The second reason for differentiating between the global and international nature of United Nations efforts to promote equity and equality in the world is that, since the adoption of the Charter and Universal Declaration, there has been a steady and significant increase in problems and threats, expectations and opportunities, and forces and powers that extend beyond national borders. Technologies have been developed that allow human beings to engage in murder and destruction on a massive scale, virtually anywhere in the world, while other technologies have made worldwide communication and travel much faster and easier, effectively reducing the distances that separate communities and people. Such developments have changed human perceptions of the world in which they live. The environmental damage wrought by human activities has given rise to a global consciousness that the earth's shared resources must be preserved and protected. A "third generation" of human rights, focusing on the collective rights of people and including the right to peace, development, and a healthy environment, had been elaborated before being pushed aside by the currently dominant ideology. Multinational and transnational corporations have developed their own global strategies and have strengthened their global influence. Humanitarian concerns have acquired a universal dimension. There are global forces promoting selfishness, greed, and the raw exercise of power; however, there is also a global movement driven by the conviction that the fundamental human objectives of freedom and security can only be reconciled through the achievement of global equity and equality. In this configuration of global forces, opportunities and threats, the United Na-