Social Justice in an Open World: The Role of the United Nations
pear as higher levels of development are achieved. To some extent, this explains the current focus of development cooperation on the least developed countries. Development cooperation must take into account the principle of national responsibility for development as well as the recognized need for diversity and respect for differences in traditions and political cultures. Prescriptions and injunctions for all countries, and not only developing countries, should perhaps be firm on the general principles of equity and equality derived from basic negotiated texts, precise on technical points such as the various methods of measuring inequality or poverty, and very restrained with regard to the objectives and concrete policies that should be pursued. Discussions relating to the present thematic focus prompted the following questions: Given the growing influence of transnational forces on patterns of inequity and inequality, and on perceptions and interpretations of justice, how might the United Nations go about creating the processes and institutions through which these forces could be brought together and eventually subjected to a global system of checks and balances? General normative frameworks for matters of equity and equality tend to be ignored during ideological and political shifts. In some cases they are transformed and lose their relevance. Detailed normative frameworks are intrusive and tend to reflect specific views and interests. Which road should be taken by the United Nations? How might the United Nations best assist countries with limited power that wish to participate in the world economy while also maintaining domestic distributive and redistributive policies promoting patterns of equity and equality? How can the United Nations both participate in and benefit from the reflection and research required to address issues of equity and equality in an interdependent and conflicted world?