Among many Chechens - and among their supporters - there is great frustration about the United Nations’ failure to intervene in Chechnya. I have come across countless angry complaints about how “the UN” hasn’t stopped the brutal war in Chechnya, how “the UN” refuses to condemn human rights abuses, and how “the UN” has let down Chechen refugees. This sentiment is understandable, but it is based on flawed assumptions, which need to be confronted. Across the globe, there exist persistent misconceptions of the UN’s ability to act independently of governments and address the grievances and injustices in the world. Such an unrealistic belief in the UN’s power is doomed to lead to bitter disappointment. This is especially true in the case of the Chechens, who feel that the United Nations has unfairly denied them the support that they need and deserve.

Complaints like these stem from widespread ignorance of the United Nation’s complex structure and actual authority. Even the term “the UN” is a misnomer in this context, because it evokes a single homogenous entity, free to make its own decisions and capable of enforcing them. Unfortunately, nothing could be further from the truth. The core organs of the United Nations, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council and the General Assembly, which are charged with preserving peace and formulating international policies, are nothing more than collections of member states. These states’ actions at the UN more often than not reflect their own narrow interests, politics and biases rather than the common good (let alone world peace, the UN’s original purpose).

A good example of this kind of behavior is the recent vote of the UN Commission on Human Rights against a resolution condemning human rights abuses in Chechnya, which led to an angry uproar among Chechens and human rights experts. This body is a functional commission of the above-mentioned Economic and Social Council and consists of 53 member states representing all regions of the world. It is charged with monitoring human rights all over the world, but its members are more likely to engage in tired rhetoric and blatant horse-trading. Many of the states on the Commission are themselves guilty of serious human rights violations; they either have no interest in exposing them elsewhere, or they cynically condemn others for what they do themselves.

It is therefore misleading to say that “the UN” ignored abuses in Chechnya; the blame must be put on the individual countries that voted against the resolution. The resolution was introduced by the European Union and supported by Australia, Austria, Croatia, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Sweden, United Kingdom and United States. The following countries voted against it: Armenia, Brazil, China, Congo, Cuba, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Nigeria, Russian Federation, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Swaziland, Togo, Uganda, Ukraine and Zimbabwe. And 18 countries abstained from voting: Argentina, Bahrain, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Chile, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, Japan, Mauritania, Mexico, Pakistan, Paraguay, Peru, Qatar, Republic of Korea and Saudi Arabia. Readers will notice that both post-colonial and Muslim countries (which one would assume to be sympathetic to the Chechens) either voted against the resolution or abstained.

Many Chechens also question why the UN has intervened in numerous conflicts around the world, but has not even considered this option when it comes to Chechnya. It is really a rhetorical question to which the answer is obvious: because Chechnya (whose proclaimed independence was never recognized) is part of the Russian Federation! Russia, just like China, France, the United Kingdom and the US, has the power to block any meaningful action by the UN to preserve peace and end mass human rights violations. This is because these five permanent members of the Security Council (the most powerful organ of the United Nations and the only one that can override national sovereignty) can veto any of the Council’s resolutions. There is no question that Russia would use its veto power against any proposed resolution on Chechnya, and it is therefore pointless, if not counterproductive, to even introduce one. Incidentally, the so-called Akhmadov peace plan, which calls for conditional independence under a temporary UN administration, would have to be approved by the Security Council in order to be implemented. It would thus be immediately defeated by Russia’s veto - if it ever reached the Security Council, which is highly unlikely in any case.

All the above must disillusion anyone looking to the UN for help. However, there is still a lot the UN can do, and does, for Chechnya, and it comes from its humanitarian, non-political arm, the wide range of specialized agencies and programs, which operate with relative independence from the member states and are therefore more responsive to the world’s actual needs. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees is one example; others are the World Health Organization, the World Food Program, the UN Development Program etc. These institutions have exceptional insight into global problems such as poverty, health and armed violence, and their staff include some the most dedicated, experienced and compassionate people I have ever met. They have been working in Chechnya and Ingushetia despite the difficulties and dangers they face there and with very limited funds.

In general, their greatest problem is funding. The United Nations High Commissioner on Refugees (UNHCR), which is responsible for Chechen refugees, is charged with taking care of 21 million refugees worldwide, a number that is likely to increase with the current crisis in Sudan. In 2003, it had $990 million to do this indispensable work: just $47 for every refugee for a whole year! That they have been able to help despite these severe constraints is a testimony to their resourcefulness and genuine dedication.

Chechen refugees are the most dependent on the UN’s agencies in Azerbaijan, where the government refuses to give them legal status and living conditions are extremely difficult. The local UNHCR office has tried to fill this void by issuing “protection letters” to refugees, and splitting what little money there is in its budget (remember the $47per refugee worldwide!) among the most vulnerable refugees (the old, pregnant women, invalids). For years, the UNHCR has been negotiating with Western countries to resettle these Chechen refugees, but the latter usually only agree to take in a few at a time. Yet, while the Chechens’ plight in Baku is clearly the fault of the Azerbaijani government, the Chechens’ anger is mostly directed at the local office of the UNHCR, which they accuse of embezzlement, indifference and “refusing” to resettle them in the West (as if the UNHCR could force countries like Canada, the US or Finland to take in refugees). Once again, this anger is based on an exaggerated opinion of the UN’s powers; apparently, the majority of Chechen refugees in Baku believe that if the UNHCR wanted to, it could immediately move them to safe third countries, give everyone money to live on and provide the legal status the government of Azerbaijan denies them. Eldar Zeynalov, the eminent Azerbaijani human rights campaigner, has criticized his government for failing to step up to its responsibilities and thus turning the UNHCR into its “whipping-boy”. At the UNHCR in Baku and all other UN offices around the world no one would be surprised about this designation: the UN’s dedicated staff have been the world’s whipping-boys for a long time.

Chechens angry and disappointed with "the UN" should therefore pick their battles; they will be more successful in advancing their concerns if they understand how individual countries hide their hypocrisy behind a UN facade, and they will see improvements in their lives if they learn to cooperate with the UN’s field offices and humanitarian helpers.

на Русском Языке 

Hunger, desperate poverty, people living in bombed-out ruins and squalid camps, landmines causing daily casualties, widespread health problems and a whole generation growing up without adequate schooling...
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