THE UNITED NATIONS AND

CONTEMPORARY GLOBAL
GOVERNANCE
 DESPITE THE INTERNATIONALISTS LIKE BENTHAM AND KANT IMAGINED THE
POSSIBILITY OF A GLOBAL GOVERNMENT…
● THERE IS NO SUCH THING THAT EXISTS TODAY.
● THERE IS NO ORGANIZATION THAT VARIOUS STATES ARE ACCOUNTABLE TO,
● THERE IS NO ORGANIZATION CAN MILITARILY COMPEL A STATE TO OBEY PREDETERMINED
GLOBAL RULES.

HOWEVER, THERE IS SOME REGULARITY IN THE GENERAL BEHAVIOR OF STATES

SUCH THAT…
● THEY MORE OR LESS FOLLOW GLOBAL NAVIGATION ROUTES AND RESPECT EACH OTHER’S
TERRITORIAL BOUNDARIES.
IMPORTANT NOTE TO REMEMBER:

THE FACT THAT STATES IN AN INTERNATIONAL ORDER CONTINUE TO

ADHERE TO CERTAIN GLOBAL NORMS, IT ONLY MEANS THAT THERE IS A
SEMBLANCE OF WORLD ORDER DESPITE THE LACK OF A SINGLE WORLD
GOVERNMENT.
SOURCES OF GLOBAL GOVERNANCE:
● STATES SIGN TREATIES AND FORM ORGANIZATIONS

● INTERNATIONAL NGOs, THOUGH NOT HAVING A FORMAL STATE POWER, CAN LOBBY

INDIVIDUAL STATES TO BEHAVE IN A CERTAIN WAY.

● POWERFUL TRANSNATIONAL CORPORATIONS CAN HAVE TREMENDOUS EFFECTS ON

GLOBAL LABOR LAWS, ENVIRONMENTAL LEGISLATIONS, TRADE POLICY, ETC.

WHAT IS AN INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION?
● REFERS TO INTERNATIONAL INTERGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS OR GROUPS
THAT ARE PRIMARILY MADE UP OF MEMBER STATES SUCH AS IMF AND THE WORLD
BANK.
● IN THE 1960s AND 1970s, SCHOLARS BELIEVED THAT IOs WERE JUST VENUES WHERE
THE CONTRADICTING, SOMETIMES INTERSECTING, AGENDAS OF COUNTRIES WERE
DISCUSSED.
● HOWEVER, IN RECENT YEARS, IOs PROVED THAT IT CAN TAKE ON LIVES OF THEIR
OWN SUCH THAT THE IMF WAS ABLE TO PROMOTE A PARTICULAR FORM OF
ECONOMIC ORTHODOXY THAT STEMMED MAINLY FROM THE BELIEFS OF ITS
PROFESSIONAL ECONOMISTS.
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS SCHOLARS, MICHAEL N. BARNETT AND MARTHA
FINNEMORE LISTED THE FOLLOWING POWERS OF IOs:

● FIRST, IOs HAVE THE POWER OF CLASSIFICATION.

● SECOND, IOs HAVE THE POWER TO FIX MEANINGS.
● FINALLY, IOs HAVE THE POWER TO DIFFUSE NORMS.

IOs DO NOT ONLY CLASSIFY AND FIX MEANINGS, THEY ALSO SPREAD THEIR IDEAS
ACROSS THE WORLD, THEREBY ESTABLISHING GLOBAL STANDARDS. THEIR POWER
TO DIFFUSE NORMS STEMS FROM THE FACT THAT IOs ARE STAFFED WITH
INDEPENDENT BUREAUCRACIES, WHO ARE CONSIDERED EXPERTS IN VARIOUS FIELDS.
BECAUSE OF THESE IMMENSE POWERS, IOs CAN BE
SOURCES OF GREAT GOOD AND HARM. THEY CAN PROMOTE
RELEVANT NORMS LIKE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AND
HUMAN RIGHTS, HOWEVER, THEY CAN BECOME
SEALED-OFF COMMUNITIES THAT FAIL TO CHALLENGE
THEIR BELIEFS.
● AFTER THE COLLAPSE OF THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS AT THE END OF WORLD
WAR II, COUNTRIES THAT WORRIED ABOUT ANOTHER GLOBAL WAR BEGAN
TO PUSH FOR THE FORMATION OF A MORE LASTING INTERNATIONAL
LEAGUE, UNITED NATIONS (UN).

● ALTHOUGH THE ORGANIZATION IS FAR FROM PERFECT, IT SHOULD BE

EMPHASIZED THAT IT HAS SO FAR ACHIEVED ITS PRIMARY GOAL OF
AVERTING ANOTHER GLOBAL WAR. FOR THIS REASON ALONE, THE UN
SHOULD BE CONSIDERED A SUCCESS.
FIVE ACTIVE ORGANS OF THE UNITED NATIONS:

● THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY (GA) IS UN’s “MAIN DELIBERATIVE POLICYMAKING

AND REPRESENTATIVE ORGAN”.

● THE ASSEMBLY MEETS EVERY YEAR FROM SEPTEMBER TO DECEMBER,

SPECIAL SESSIONS MAY BE SUMMONED BY THE ASSEMBLY, AT THE
REQUESST OF SECURITY COUNCIL.

● ALTHOUGH THE GA IS THE MOST REPRESENTATIVE ORGANIZATION IN THE

UN, MANY COMMENTATORS CONSIDER THE SECURITY COUNCIL (SC) TO BE
THE MOST POWERFUL.
● THE SC TAKES THE LEAD IN DETERMINING THE EXISTENCE OF A THREAT TO
THE PEACE OR AN ACT OF AGGRESSION.

● IT CALLS UPON THE PARTIES TO A DISPUTE TO SETTLE THE ACT BY PEACEFUL

MEANS AND RECOMMENDS METHODS OF ADJUSTMENT OR TERMS OF
SETTLEMENT.

● THE COUNCIL HAS 15 MEMBERS, INCLUDING FIVE PERMANENT MEMBERS:

CHINA, FRANCE, RUSSIAN FEDERATION, THE UNITED KINGDOM AND USA.
● SC’S P5, HAS GATHERED MUCH ATTENTION DUE TO THEIR PERMANENT SEATS
AND BECAUSE EACH COUNTRY HOLDS VETO POWER OVER THE COUNCIL’S
DECISIONS.

● IT ONLY TAKES ONE VETO VOTE FROM A P5 MEMBER TO STOP AN SC ACTION

DEAD IN ITS TRACKS.

● THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL (ECOSOC) IS THE CENTRAL BODY FOR
COORDINATING THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL WORK OF THE UNITED NATIONS
AND THE UN FAMILY OF ORGANIZATIONS.
• THE TRUSTEESHIP COUNCIL (TC) WAS ASSIGNED UNDER THE UN CHARTER TO
SUPERVISE THE ADMINISTRATION OF TRUST TERRITORIES – FORMER COLONIES OR
DEPENDENT TERRITORIES WHICH WERE PLACED UNDER THE INTERNATIONAL
TRUSTEESHIP SYSTEM.

• THE INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE (ICJ) IS THE UN’s MAIN JUDICIAL ORGAN.
• THE COURT SETTLES LEGAL DISPUTES BETWEEN NATIONS ONLY AND NOT
BETWEEN INDIVIDUALS, IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAW.

• THE SECRETARIAT IS MADE UP OF AN INTERNATIONAL STAFF WORKING AT UN

HEADQUARTERS IN NEW YORK, AS WELL AS UN OFFICES IN GENEVA, VIENNA,
NAIROBI AND OTHER LOCATIONS.
• THE SECRETARIAT IS HEADED BY THE SECRETARY-GENERAL. HE IS APPOINTED BY
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY ON THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE SECURITY COUNCIL
FOR A FIVE-YEAR TERM.

• HE IS ALSO RESPONSIBLE FOR IMPLEMENTING DECISIONS TAKE BY THE VARIOUS

ORGANS OF THE UNITED NATIONS.

• THE SECRETARY-GENERAL MAY ALSO ACT ON HIS OWN INITIATIVE TO DEAL WITH
HUMANITARIAN OR OTHER PROBLEMS OF SPECIAL IMPORTANCE.

• THERE HAVE BEEN ONLY EIGHT SECRETARIES-GENERAL SINCE THE FOUNDING OF

UNITED NATIONS.
 GLOBAL GOVERNANCE IS SUCH A COMPLEX ISSUE THAT ONE CAN ACTUALLY
TEACH AN ENTIRE COURSE IN ITSELF.

THE UN, IN PARTICULAR, IS THE CLOSEST TO A WORLD GOVERNMENT. WHAT IS

IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER IS THAT INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTIONS LIKE THE UN ARE
ALWAYS IN A PRECARIOUS POSITION.

ON THE ONE HAND, THEY ARE GROUPS OF SOVEREIGN STATES. ON THE OTHERR,
THEY ARE ORGANIZATIONS WITH THEIR OWN RATIONALITIES AND AGENDAS.
 GLOBAL GOVERNANCE CHALLENGES IN THE 21ST CENTURY

• WITHIN STATES DEPOLITICIZATION CAN BE OBSERVED IN THE FORM OF

DELEGATING DECISIONS TO INDEPENDENT REGULATORS AND EXPERTS, CENTRAL
BANKS, OR JUDICIARIES.

• RESCALING OF ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL RELATIONS WELL BEYOND THE

TERRITORIAL BOUNDARIES OF NATION STATES.
• FACILITATED BY TRANSNATIONAL LEGAL ARRANGEMENTS THAT HAVE THEIR
ROOTS IN NATIONAL LAWS.

• LAW IS A CRITICAL INGREDIENT FOR TRANSFORMING REAL ASSETS INTO

COMODITIES AND ULTIMATELY FINANCIAL ASSETS AND THAT IS CAPITALIZATION.
IMPORTANT NOTE TO REMEMBER:

1. THE THREE TRAJECTORIES DIFFERENTIAL EFFECTS ON DIFFERENT

CONSTITUENCIES WITHIN AND ACROSS DOMESTIC POLITIES.

RECOGNIZING THESE THREE (3) TRAJECTORIES AND THEIR

POTENTIALLY DESTABILIZING EFFECTS FOR POLITIES IS OF
CRITICAL IMPORTANCE OF EFFECTIVE GOVERNANCE.
 THE END
THANK YOU!