nextDo you remember last year’s passionate debate about whether
results have to reflect a change in social or economic indicators, or whether a
result of UN cooperation could also reflect a change from a bad governance
process into a good one? There were still some who scoffed at the process part.
Whatever the goals and expected outcomes of current world politics and
international affairs, it is clear that the process is abominable. In spite of
everybody now discussing process. Processes have become even more important than
the goals. But hardly anybody seems to get them right.
What this has to do with us? While we might have become good at selling goals,
we haven’t been good at selling good processes.
That’s why many of us in the UN are still trying to figure out the Human Rights
based approach to our work. Perhaps once we understand it, we can do our job and
better advise leaders of countries - big and small - on how to apply Human
Rights principles and good processes.
Wouldn’t that make for a good result?
(Written during the invasion of the USA into Iraq)
(21 March 2003)
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