My feeling is that to be taken seriously, the formidable task and challenge of economic development must be sustained by an accomplished mentor (Singapore or South Korea come to mind) not by a rogue regime whose very chairmanship shall serve as a lighting rod for caustic criticism. In other words when the story becomes the Chairman rather than the cause and the challenge, the poor countries tragically lose and the cause becomes laughably cheapened. This nostrum is sadly lost on many member states.
Along these same lines, The Economist of London mirthfully opined, “Saudi Arabia could take over the UN commission on the status of women. The inter-government panel on climate change could be overseen by smoke-belching China. Belarus, which ruthlessly sells weapons of all kinds to anyone with cash, could be asked to take over the UN disarmament department.” But before any dictator gets inspiration from these lines, let me say that happily another low-key UN election happily avoided nearly this outcome.
Balloting in the General Assembly for three year tenures on the forty-seven member Human Rights Council, brought other surprises, some of them pleasant. Belarus, a retro-Soviet style regime was knocked out of the running after two secret ballots. The Eastern Europe group elected Slovenia, a successful and democratic alpine country which broke from former Yugoslavia, then later earned NATO and European Union membership.
Bosnia Herzegovina, a multi-ethnic state that emerged from the carnage of former Yugoslavia, was also elected. Tempered by the hell of Serbian ethnic cleansing and conflict in the 1990’s Bosnia can offer much experience to the Council about ethnic reconciliation and political healing. “I believe in full democracy, not ethnocracy,” Bosnia’s Co-President Haris Silajdžic told correspondents, stressing the merits of plurality.
The Latin American group elections also saw both seats going unopposed to Bolivia and Nicaragua. Here too, one recalls that Bolivia has become a political “companero” of Hugo Chavez’s Venezuela. And Nicaragua, having re-elected the Sandinistas after long years in the political wilderness could probe interesting too, as both lands could serve as sounding boards for Chavez’s mischief.
In Western Europe and Asia the elections were less contentious. The Netherlands and Italy gained seats and in Asia the seats went to India, Indonesia, Philippines and Qatar. Nobody is really upset.
Africa produced some interesting results. Four uncontested seats in the group saw Madagascar win a resounding ballot, followed by South Africa, Angola and Egypt. One can debate the merits of both Angola and Egypt but for the most part, and given the context, things could have been worse. Hopefully South Africa will use its political clout to press for serious reforms and defusing of the situation in neighboring Zimbabwe.
Given the central importance of both sustainable economic development and promotion of human rights in the global community we should accept no less.