Institutions of power; governments, the United Nations, and so on; need to be properly understood as ‘instruments’ of power, not as independent entities that exercise power of their own volition.
They are instruments subject to the overriding social and economic power structure; and in this structure, the private sector rules.
Direct appeal to these instruments is always going to be of very limited benefit. The United Nations is deeply entwined with corporate interests, and it is an effective institution in this regard, but not terribly effective in regard to its official mandate. The same holds true for government in general; whether democratic or otherwise. They are highly effective at serving the interests of the elite, but extremely poor at serving the interests of society as a whole.
We are all aware of this, yet we have not really shifted the direction of our activism accordingly. This is what we need to change. That governments and international bodies are ineffective is not a conundrum. We do not have to wonder “why are they not doing anything to help the masses; why are they ineffective at resolving conflicts; why are they so inept?” We know why. So it is upon us to redirect our mobilisation towards private sector power. That is the only way these institutions can ever be free to operate as they were intended to operate; and no one can do this but us.
The onus of responsibility for the democratisation of power is always going to fall upon the masses.