Zhang Yun: UN special agencies and ＂political＂ issues

Horizontal World

On April 14, the United States announced that the World Health Organization responded to the existence of crown diseases to be delayed in China, and announced the suspension of the suspension of the World Guard, implying that the UN special agency was politicized.On May 11, the US Senate passed a resolution to support Taiwan to participate in the World Health Conference that started on May 18.China refutes the accusations of the issue of the issue of the WHO's issues by borrowing the epidemic.In fact, the United States has a long history of the dissatisfaction with the politicalization of the United Nations special agencies.

In 2019, the United States withdrew from the organization on the grounds of the United Nations Teaching and Scientific Organization.In 1974, the U.S. Congress banned the paid fees to the UNESCO until the organization amended some anti -Israeli resolutions.In 1975, the United States proposed that it might consider withdrawing from the World Labor Organization in 1977, arguing that the organization was political.

On the other hand, these organizations and other countries in turn believe that the United States is trying to political international organizations can cause multilateralism.Who is politicized these United Nations specialized agencies and international organizations?How to define politicalization?Is the relationship between politics and knowledge (science and technology) in these organizations must be opposed?It is necessary to think deeply about political issues to help us get rid of the clouds and fog to discuss the essence.

The relationship between knowledge and politics

People have two expectations of the United Nations special agencies from the beginning.First, as the authority of knowledge in a special field, it is expected that it should be completely separated from politics. The self -determination of knowledge and technology naturally exclude the existence and value of politics.In turn, it is expected to play the supervision function of super national organizations.

Let's talk about the first myth first.The authority of the United Nations special agencies, in addition to the international legal authority of the United Nations system, the largest authority comes from knowledge, science, and technical authority in its professional field.Politics is default to negative factor, distorting scientific knowledge factors, leading to the ineffectiveness of these international organizations.

However, this excessive angelization of intellectual factors and over -demonization of political factors have largely made it difficult for us to be rational to political discussions.It must be seen that it is impossible to rule out politics in these United Nations special agencies, and sometimes even harmful.Knowledge and politics are two equally important decisive factor.

First of all, the problems of the UN special agencies are functional and have nothing to do with politics.Excluding politics itself is unrealistic fantasy.Knowledge and politics are very convincing, but ignoring these organizations from the beginning is the product of politics, and it is also the fact that the development and evolution of the development and evolution under political dynamics.As an international organization established among the country, if it is considered to exist in the vacuum of non -politically knowledge, it will become an international academic group, not an international organization.

Second, the power competition in the United Nations specialized agencies cannot be regarded as distorting the authority of political factors, because behind this often reflects the different demands, ideas, and interests of member states, and politics must be adjusted.Any organization, as long as there are people, countries, and members, they need to use power, and there must be power competition.The labeling of political stickers in competition is actually too simplified.As a special agency participating in nearly 200 sovereign countries, it is normal for a member country to have competition.The key is to distinguish what kind of politicalization is harmful to international cooperation, and what kind of politicalization is necessary.

Third, the effective operation of the United Nations special agencies require positive intervention of politics, not the absolute separation of politics and knowledge.The fields involved in the special agencies of the United Nations have different explanations in actual operations, and there are different ways to deal with and solve suggestions.How to define problems, how to take solutions involving the interests of each member, and various political concepts and social and cultural environments, there are no uniform standard answers.As a UN special agency, you must face various explanations, options, and decisions. Any decision is the result of weighing the pros and cons.Selecting and determining the priority itself is an inevitable political process.Technology and technical experts cannot automatically choose and decide.

Without political intervention, no consensus can be said.If this is also political, this positive politics is necessary.Therefore, the key to the problem is how to deal with the balanced relationship between knowledge and politics, complement each other and support each other, rather than the two -point method to oppose the two.

Expectation myth of Super Nationality

The second myth is to look forward to the United Nations special agencies, including WHO, as the role of the SUPRANATIONAL ORGanization, playing the role of an international health police.Because of such an expectation myth, we see criticism of WHO's invalidity and the call for re -designing reform.

First of all, in an international system that is not higher than sovereignty, any international cooperation depends on the country's willingness to make compromises.To promote cooperation in the field of international health in the United Nations special agencies, we must first respect the autonomy of various countries, otherwise there will be no achievements.The United Nations special agencies have no power to be judged on the political system, ideology, economic system, social and cultural, and religious value orientation of member states; on the contrary, they need to be highly sensitive on these issues, otherwise it is easy to cause it with member states with member statesThe work relationship is damaged and affects the cooperation afterwards.

Judging from this epidemic, WHO has not made specific public comments from the beginning to the end of any specific country, whether it is to China, the United States or any other country.This does not mean that there are no defects in countries in anti -epidemic, and constructive opinions must be reflected, but proper channels and opportunities need to be appropriate. Simple criticism is not beneficial to solve the problem. On the contraryThe authority, the result is double losing.

Imagine, what kind of result will WTO cause the domestic system and governance that the United States is currently the most infected and the largest case of death in the world.The shortcomings of domestic governance issues first need to review and reflect on the relatively stable epidemic.WHO can provide a platform for constructive suggestions and international exchanges.During the epidemic, WHO's public criticism of members' state governance was not conducive to international cooperation from the results.

Second, the role of WHO is to provide coordinated leadership for the world's public health, provide policy guidance for policies in various countries, and establish consensus efforts for member states.However, WHO cannot require the state to adopt this or that kind of policy. Even if the resolutions approved by the World Health Conference will only take effect after accepting the member states.In this way, the characteristics of the above -mentioned non -compulsory authority of the WHO and the International Organization made them considered a useless tissue without teeth.

However, we must clearly realize that under the premise of the sovereign state system, the United Nations special agencies will not become super national organizations, so they will never make people satisfied.In other words, the issues of these organizational reforms will always exist.In this epidemic, some member states believed whether to investigate whether the response to WHO did its best.First of all, as a member of the membership fee, of course, the rights have the right to ask questions, and the questioning needs to be responded.However, WHO is essentially a bureaucracy. For the determination of whether it has fulfilled its responsibilities, the decision -making mechanism that each member country will participate in is determined that the World Health Conference, rather than a certain or some member states.

It is not equivalent to invalidation, and even give up the imperfections, including the imperfections of the United Nations special agencies, including WTO, and even give up.Under the premise of recognizing difficulties in national cooperation, we need to think in turn. Without these United Nations special agencies, international cooperation will become more difficult.Taking this epidemic as an example, the use of authoritative information provides guidance to the global epidemic.

WHO undoubtedly plays an important role in global public health governance.It has 194 members, and the Charter of the World Health Organization is open.The people of the world obtain the possible highest level of health.This means that the focus of WHO's work is first to tilt to those hygienic and fragile areas, such as Africa.

On September 25, 2015, 193 countries passed the UN 2030 Antime of Sustainable Development and set the Sustainable Development Goals; of which, health is an important part.In this epidemic, WHO continued to pay attention to and invest in anti -epidemic work in the world's most vulnerable countries and regions.If there is no WHO, it is difficult to imagine who can play the same role.In addition, WHO's coordination response mechanisms with other United Nations institutions and the United Nations system, as well as cooperation between international non -governmental organizations including Bill Gates consortium, have played an important role.

Politics and knowledge have always been two wheels with the growth of special agencies in the United Nations. Active positive politics can condense consensus. It is also a strong guarantee that transforms knowledge into effective policies. It is to oppose negative politicalization.

On April 20, the Director -General of the WHO Tan Desai said that politicalization may promote the spread of the epidemic. We need global unity, which is based on domestic cooperation and national cooperation.The author believes that what he said should be negative and political, and bring those issues that have high political disputes to the agenda of the Acts of the World Health Organization, which will distort the work of international organizations.

The author is an associate professor at the National Niigata University of Japan