as decrease in transmission of diseases such as Malaria and Tuberculosis, and
successful tackling of post-Cold War epidemics such as the Ebola and Zika crises.
Organizations such as UNICEF have successfully provided greater levels of global
education, especially for women, and UNESCO have helped preserve and
promote cultures of minority groups. It is clear that these agencies have
contributed significantly to the improvement of the rights and liberties of the
global community, although again it must be stressed that goals have not always
been reached and the promotion of human rights can only be seen as a mixed
success rather than a total success.
Even here, incomplete successes are overshadowed by significant failures.
The significant increase in member states which helped push some human rights
actually hindered others. A substantial number of UN member states who have
joined since the end of the cold war continue to have poor human rights records,
often lacking free and fair elections or equality on the basis of race, religion,
gender, or political views. Opposition to some Human Rights ideals such as freedom from torture and false imprisonment, 23 opposition to attempted rights such as a Right to food and water, and opposition to the Nuclear Non- Proliferation Treaty 24 have all come from these states, acting as a barrier for greater support for human rights globally. 25 This means that, despite the
successes previously discussed, the UN has been significantly hindered in its
efforts to promote human rights and equality on the global stage, and so cannot
be considered truly successful.
It is important to consider why such a broad range of failures and
successes were possible. Two key issues present themselves – the structure of
the permanent security council and the rise in globalisation. As was previously
23 Staur and Harris, p. 148 24 Whittaker, p. 113 25 LeBor, p. 25
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