It may seem strange to some that a body like United Nations, which houses representatives from many questioned countries, should present itself as a promoter of democracy. After all, the UN is a member-state organization with clear nondemocratic elements. Its membership includes many authoritarian states, and its internal structure and procedures often diverge greatly from the ideals of liberal democracy. Notably, the United Nation’s most powerful body, the Security Council, is unrepresentative, dominated by five permanent veto-wielding members, without a single African or Latin American country among them. Of course, nowhere in its activities, United Nations claims to be democratic organization. Rather it is an international organization with 192 members founded on a commitment to state sovereignty, whether the state is democratic or not. UN Charter does not mention the word “democracy,” Article 1[3] cites “promoting and encouraging respect for human rights” as a primary purpose of the organization, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the General Assembly in 1948, declares that regular elections and “the will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government.” [Read More]

—–
Source: Weekly Blitz :: Writings