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U.N. Secretary-General Javier Perez de Cuellar: The Office and the Man
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28
General, and what drove his pronouncements, is very difficult, if not impossible, tospecify in the ending of South African apartheid.
109
While Secretary General from 1982 to 1992, Perez de Cuellar repeatedly worked
towards the maintenance and restoration of international peace and security. This goal is,as noted, the primary duty of the UN as an organization. And this goal as was evident inhis attempts to end conflicts in the Middle East (Afghanistan; Iran/Iraq) and in LatinAmerica (El Salvador and Nicaragua). Advancing peace is also a core tenet of bothCatholicism and liberalism. So without definitive evidence as to priorities, it isimpossible to completely separate out internal and external influences and motivations.
In the same sense, throughout his tenure as Secretary General Perez de Cuellar
also demonstrated his commitment to impartiality, freedom, and promoting the well-being of the poor, disadvantaged, and vulnerable. He was especially proud of his workrelating to peacekeeping and human rights: “One of the greatest successes of the UN is tohave brought about the recognition of human rights.”
110
Perez de Cuellar considered his
efforts to help Namibians achieve independence among his enduring accomplishments.
111
These values are consistent with the Christian ethos he grew up with as well as hiscommitment to liberalism. Humanitarian concerns, autonomy, and fair and impartialtreatment of individuals are also standards enshrined in the Charter of the United Nationsand the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. So once again we have parallel valuestructures, from within and without, making if impossible to clearly delineate the tworealms.
By all accounts, Perez de Cuellar manifested a personal trait that influenced his
public role and stood him in good stead with his interlocutors. He had a strong sense offairness. He tried to be equitable in performing the functions of his office. Impartialitywas a key component in this, “If quiet diplomacy is to succeed, it needs the confidence ofall parties. And that means that the Secretary General must not only be impartial but mustbe perceived to be so. He must not let his independence of judgment be impaired ordistorted by pressures from governments. He should have no part in any diplomatic dealor undertaking which ignores the principles of the Charter.”
112
But even here, we see that
in his mind, notions of equity, neutrality, and impartiality were linked to the respect forthe norms of the UN Charter. So in his internal code, his sense of fairness and was linkedto part of the external code, the UN Charter.
109
See especially Neta Crawford, Argument and Change in World Politics: Ethics, Decolonization, and
Humanitarian Intervention (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002). And Paul Gordon Lauren,Power and Prejudice: The Politics and Diplomacy of Racial Discrimination (Boulder: Westview, 2
nd
ed.,
1996).
110
An interview with the Honorable Javier Perez de Cuellar, SG of the UN in The Fletcher forum of World
Affairs, Vol 14, No 1 (Winter, 1990), 87-92)
111
Pilgrimage for Peace, Ch 11.
112
Perez de Cuellar, “The Role of the SG,”133.
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| | Authors: Forsythe, David. |
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28
General, and what drove his pronouncements, is very difficult, if not impossible, to
specify in the ending of South African apartheid.
109
While Secretary General from 1982 to 1992, Perez de Cuellar repeatedly worked
towards the maintenance and restoration of international peace and security. This goal is,
as noted, the primary duty of the UN as an organization. And this goal as was evident in
his attempts to end conflicts in the Middle East (Afghanistan; Iran/Iraq) and in Latin
America (El Salvador and Nicaragua). Advancing peace is also a core tenet of both
Catholicism and liberalism. So without definitive evidence as to priorities, it is
impossible to completely separate out internal and external influences and motivations.
In the same sense, throughout his tenure as Secretary General Perez de Cuellar
also demonstrated his commitment to impartiality, freedom, and promoting the well-
being of the poor, disadvantaged, and vulnerable. He was especially proud of his work
relating to peacekeeping and human rights: “One of the greatest successes of the UN is to
have brought about the recognition of human rights.”
110
Perez de Cuellar considered his
efforts to help Namibians achieve independence among his enduring accomplishments.
111
These values are consistent with the Christian ethos he grew up with as well as his
commitment to liberalism. Humanitarian concerns, autonomy, and fair and impartial
treatment of individuals are also standards enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations
and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. So once again we have parallel value
structures, from within and without, making if impossible to clearly delineate the two
realms.
By all accounts, Perez de Cuellar manifested a personal trait that influenced his
public role and stood him in good stead with his interlocutors. He had a strong sense of
fairness. He tried to be equitable in performing the functions of his office. Impartiality
was a key component in this, “If quiet diplomacy is to succeed, it needs the confidence of
all parties. And that means that the Secretary General must not only be impartial but must
be perceived to be so. He must not let his independence of judgment be impaired or
distorted by pressures from governments. He should have no part in any diplomatic deal
or undertaking which ignores the principles of the Charter.”
112
But even here, we see that
in his mind, notions of equity, neutrality, and impartiality were linked to the respect for
the norms of the UN Charter. So in his internal code, his sense of fairness and was linked
to part of the external code, the UN Charter.
109
See especially Neta Crawford, Argument and Change in World Politics: Ethics, Decolonization, and
Humanitarian Intervention (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002). And Paul Gordon Lauren,
Power and Prejudice: The Politics and Diplomacy of Racial Discrimination (Boulder: Westview, 2
nd
ed.,
1996).
110
An interview with the Honorable Javier Perez de Cuellar, SG of the UN in The Fletcher forum of World
Affairs, Vol 14, No 1 (Winter, 1990), 87-92)
111
Pilgrimage for Peace, Ch 11.
112
Perez de Cuellar, “The Role of the SG,”133.
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