Social Justice in an Open World: The Role of the United Nations
Chapter 7
Concluding notes on the role of the United Nations Informed and guided by the principles and spirit of the Charter of the United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Forum offered the following conclusions and observations with regard to the pursuit of justice in the world today, identifying six critical areas of priority for "positive development" from among the current doctrinal orientations of the United Nations: The increased emphasis on the close link between civil and poiitical rights and economic and social development is welcome and important. Even if there are still some reservations about the concept of good governance, notably because its relationship to good government has not been clarified, and even if the word "democracy" is used somewhat loosely, reuniting the pursuit of fundamental freedom and efforts to improve living standards is critical. Peace, development and human rights are indeed indivisible, and it is essential for the future of humankind that the United Nations proclaim this message urbi et orbi.
A related and equally critical message is that the principles of national sovereignty and non-interference by outside parties in a country's domestic affairs can no longer be invoked by Governments to escape the consequences of abuses perpetrated against citizens. Some form of what is referred to as the "right of intervention", applicable to all, must be established within the framework of international law under the aegis of the United Nations. The development of humanitarian law is a sign of progress reflecting the emergence of a global awareness that respect for human rights and human dignity should ignore borders. The establishment of the international Criminal Court is a step towards achieving international justice. The notion of equal rights, a foundation of social justice, is an important part of the international discourse and is probably gaining ground overal\, at least in the global consciousness. Many groups that have traditionally suffered discrimination now have some hope of enjoying equal rights. The considerable progress made towards achieving gender equality has been rnentioned repeatedly. For quite some time, global efforts have been under way to ensure recognition of equal rights for indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, and other vulnerable groups; migrant workers are receiving an increasing amount of attention in this context. The idea that all members of the human family have equal and inalienable rights-irrespective of their socio-economic status, gender, origins, or group affiliation-seems to be slowly penetrating different societies around the globe. Inherited rank and privilege are probably being used less frequently to claim the right to special treatment before the law, or at least such a claim is made less often with the sincere belief that birth or acquired social position ipso