More than anything else, the UN reflects the ability of the major powers (above all, the US, China, Russia, France, and the United Kingdom, the five permanent, veto-wielding members of the Security Council) to agree – and to back up their agreements with resources. When they are willing and able to do so, the UN can make a difference; when they are not, the UN can act in only the most limited way, if at all, regardless of what the Secretary General wants.