Module 5

in
GE 5 The Contemporary World

Table of Contents
Introduction 2
Objectives 2
Discussions 2
Summary 6
References 7

Mr. Rainville R. Balase

College of Arts and Communication
University of Eastern Philippines

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 Unit II

The Structures of Globalization

Contemporary Global Governance

Introduction
Global governance is a collective management of common transnational or
global problems – those that were created exacerbated by globalization, and which
cannot be managed at the nation-state.
Management of these problems is provided through a highly complicated,
flexible and loose system of rules, institutions and processes, and involving huge
number of state and non-state actors.

Objectives
At the end of the learning sessions, the students will be able to:
a. identify the roles and functions of the United Nations;
b. identify the challenges of global governance in the twenty-first century; and
c. explain the relevance of the state amid globalization.

Global Governance
Global governance brings together diverse actors to coordinate collective
action at the level of the planet. The goal of global governance, roughly defined, is to
provide global public goods, particularly peace and security, justice and mediation
systems for conflict, functioning markets and unified standards for trade and industry.
The leading institution in charge of global governance today is the United
Nations (UN). It was founded in 1945, in the wake of the Second World War, as a
way to prevent future conflicts on that scale. The United Nations does not directly
bring together the people of the world, but sovereign nation-states, and currently
counts 193 members who make recommendations through the UN General
Assembly. The UN’s mandate is to preserve global security, which it does
particularly through the Security Council. In addition the UN can settle international
legal issues through the International Court of Justice, and implements its key
decisions through the Secretariat, led by the Secretary General.

Core Principles of Global Governance

Five principles are critical to guiding the reforms of global governance and
global rules according to the United Nations’ Committee for Development Policy to
wit:
(i) Common but differentiated responsibilities and perspective capacities: This
principle calls for recognizing differences among countries in terms of their
contribution and historical responsibilities in generating common problems, as well
as divergences in financial and technical capacities, in order to address shared
challenges. This principle also acknowledges the diversity of national circumstances
and policy approaches – a diversity which should be embedded in the architecture of
global governance as an intrinsic feature of the global community, not as an
exception to general rules.

(ii) Subsidiarity: Issues ought to be addressed at the lowest level capable of

addressing them. This principle implies that some problems can be handed well and
efficiently at the local, national, sub-regional and regional levels reducing the number

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of issues that need to be tackled at the international and supranational level.
Subsidiarity suggests an important role for regional cooperation in addressing issues
of mutual concern.

(iii) Inclusiveness, transparency, accountability: Global governance institutions

need to be representative of, and accountable to, the entire global community, while
decision-making procedures need to be democratic, inclusive and transparent.
Robust governance implies mutual accountability, verified by transparent and
credible mechanisms and processes to ensure that agreed commitments and duties
are fulfilled.

(iv) Coherence: Definitions of global rules and processes need to rest on

comprehensive approaches, including the assessment of possible trade-offs, so that
actions in different areas will not undermine or disrupt one another, but instead be
mutually reinforcing. Enhanced coherence is also needed between the international
and national spheres of policymaking. This also requires improved coordination
among various stakeholders and enhanced information sharing.

(v) Responsible sovereignty: This principle recognizes that policy cooperation

is the best way to achieve national interests in the global public domain. It also
requires governments and states to be fully respectful of the sovereignty of other
nations so as to fulfil agreed policy outcomes.

Roles and Functions of the United Nations

Main Organs
The main organs of the UN are the General Assembly, the Security Council,
the Economic and Social Council, the Trusteeship Council, the International Court of
Justice, and the UN Secretariat. All were established in 1945 when the UN was
founded.
General Assembly
The General Assembly is the main deliberative, policymaking and
representative organ of the UN. All 193 Member States of the UN are represented in
the General Assembly, making it the only UN body with universal representation.
Each year, in September, the full UN membership meets in the General Assembly
Hall in New York for the annual General Assembly session, and general debate,
which many heads of state attend and address. Decisions on important questions,
such as those on peace and security, admission of new members and budgetary
matters, require a two-thirds majority of the General Assembly. Decisions on other
questions are by simple majority. The General Assembly, each year, elects a GA
President to serve a one-year term of office.

Security Council
The Security Council has primary responsibility, under the UN Charter, for the
maintenance of international peace and security. It has 15 Members (5 permanent
and 10 non-permanent members). Each Member has one vote. Under the Charter,
all Member States are obligated to comply with Council decisions. The Security
Council takes the lead in determining the existence of a threat to the peace or act of
aggression. It calls upon the parties to a dispute to settle it by peaceful means and
recommends methods of adjustment or terms of settlement. In some cases, the
Security Council can resort to imposing sanctions or even authorize the use of force

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to maintain or restore international peace and security. The Security Council has a
Presidency, which rotates, and changes, every month.
(a) Daily programme of work of the Security Council
(b) Subsidiary organs of the Security Council

Economic and Social Council

The Economic and Social Council is the principal body for coordination, policy
review, policy dialogue and recommendations on economic, social and
environmental issues, as well as implementation of internationally agreed
development goals. It serves as the central mechanism for activities of the UN
system and its specialized agencies in the economic, social and environmental
fields, supervising subsidiary and expert bodies. It has 54 Members, elected by the
General Assembly for overlapping three-year terms. It is the United Nations’ central
platform for reflection, debate, and innovative thinking on sustainable development.

Trusteeship Council
The Trusteeship Council was established in 1945 by the UN Charter, under
Chapter XIII, to provide international supervision for 11 Trust Territories that had
been placed under the administration of seven Member States, and ensure that
adequate steps were taken to prepare the Territories for self-government and
independence. By 1994, all Trust Territories had attained self-government or
independence. The Trusteeship Council suspended operation on 1 November 1994.
By a resolution adopted on 25 May 1994, the Council amended its rules of procedure
to drop the obligation to meet annually and agreed to meet as occasion required --
by its decision or the decision of its President, or at the request of a majority of its
members or the General Assembly or the Security Council.

International Court of Justice

The International Court of Justice is the principal judicial organ of the United
Nations. Its seat is at the Peace Palace in The Hague (Netherlands). It is the only
one of the six principal organs of the United Nations not located in New York (United
States of America). The Court’s role is to settle, in accordance with international law,
legal disputes submitted to it by States and to give advisory opinions on legal
questions referred to it by authorized United Nations organs and specialized
agencies.

Secretariat
The Secretariat comprises the Secretary-General and tens of thousands of
international UN staff members who carry out the day-to-day work of the UN as
mandated by the General Assembly and the Organization's other principal organs.
The Secretary-General is chief administrative officer of the Organization, appointed
by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the Security Council for a five-
year, renewable term. UN staff members are recruited internationally and locally, and
work in duty stations and on peacekeeping missions all around the world. But
serving the cause of peace in a violent world is a dangerous occupation. Since the
founding of the United Nations, hundreds of brave men and women have given their
lives in its service.

Forum for multilateral negotiation Established in 1945 under the Charter of

the United Nations, the General Assembly occupies a central position as the chief

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deliberative, policymaking and representative organ of the United Nations.
Comprising all 192 Members of the United Nations, it provides a unique forum for
multilateral discussion of the full spectrum of international issues covered by the
Charter.
It also plays a significant role in the process of standard-setting and the
codification of international law. The Assembly meets in regular session intensively
from September to December each year, and thereafter as required.

Functions and Powers of the General Assembly. According to the Charter of the
United Nations, the General Assembly may:
1.Consider and make recommendations on the general principles of
cooperation for maintaining international peace and security, including disarmament;
2.Discuss any question relating to international peace and security and,
except where a dispute or situation is currently being discussed by the Security
Council, make recommendations on it;
3.Discuss, with the same exception, and make recommendations on any
questions within the scope of the Charter or affecting the powers and functions of
any organ of the United Nations;
4.Initiate studies and make recommendations to promote international political
cooperation, the development and codification of international law, the realization of
human rights and fundamental freedoms, and international collaboration in the
economic, social, humanitarian, cultural, educational and health fields;
5.Make recommendations for the peaceful settlement of any situation that
might impair friendly relations among nations;
6.Receive and consider reports from the Security Council and other United
Nations organs;
7.Consider and approve the United Nations budget and establish the financial
assessments of Member States;
8.Elect the non-permanent members of the Security Council and the members
of other United Nations councils and organs and, on the recommendation of the
Security Council, appoint the Secretary-General.

Pursuant to its “Uniting for Peace” resolution of November 1950 (resolution

377 (V)), the Assembly may also take action if the Security Council fails to act, owing
to the negative vote of a permanent member, in a case where there appears to be a
threat to the peace, breach of the peace or act of aggression. The Assembly can
consider the matter immediately with a view to making recommendations to
Members for collective measures to maintain or restore international peace and
security.
While the Assembly is empowered to make only non-binding
recommendations to States on international issues within its competence, it has,
nonetheless, initiated actions—political, economic, humanitarian, social and legal—
which have affected the lives of millions of people throughout the world.

Functions and Powers of the Security Council. Under the United Nations Charter,
the functions and powers of the Security Council are:
• to maintain international peace and security in accordance with the principles and
purposes of the United Nations;
• to investigate any dispute or situation which might lead to international friction;
• to recommend methods of adjusting such disputes or the terms of settlement;

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• to formulate plans for the establishment of a system to regulate armaments;
• to determine the existence of a threat to the peace or act of aggression and to
recommend what action should be taken;
• to call on Members to apply economic sanctions and other measures not involving
the use of force to prevent or stop aggression;
• to take military action against an aggressor;
• to recommend the admission of new Members;
• to exercise the trusteeship functions of the United Nations in "strategic areas";
• to recommend to the General Assembly the appointment of the Secretary-General
and, together with the Assembly, to elect the Judges of the International Court of
Justice.

Challenges of Global Governance in the 21st Century

On June 13, 2016, The Hague Institute welcomed Irina Bokova, Director –
General of UNESCO to speak on “Challenges of Global Governance in the 21 st
Century” as part of the ongoing Distinguished Speaker Series at its Institute.
In her remarks, Bokova noted that while new technologies have created new
pathways to prosperity, trade and inter-cultural dialogue, the increasing
fragmentation of the international community is a cause for concern. Climate change,
poverty, violent conflict, intolerance and extremism present direct threats to the unity
and well-being of the international community. She emphasized that we must learn,
at the heart of our cities and communities, to live together. The Hague Institute’s
report on the role of cities in conflict prevention is a good example of how to develop
innovative and sustainable practices to foster communal harmony.
Bokova also observed that the alarming number of individuals displaced by
conflict, which reached a record high in 2015, continues to put pressure on countries
across the globe. Migration to Europe has put core values to the test, while the
capacities of receiving states in the Middle East, like Lebanon and Jordan, are being
pushed to the limit. Attacks on cultural rights and cultural heritage, particularly in
Syria, Iraq and Mali, threaten inter-cultural tolerance.

Relevance of the State amid Globalization

A variety of arguments are made including that nation-states continue to be
the major players on the global stage that they “retain at least some powers in the
face of globalization”, that they vary greatly “their efficacy in the face of globalization”
and that the rumors of the demise of the nation-states are greatly exaggerated.
Beland (2008) (cited by Aldama, 2018) argued that “the role of the state is
enduring – and even increasing – in advanced industrial societies. He saw greater
demands being placed on the state because of four major sources of collective
insecurity: terrorism; economic globalization, leading to problems such as
outsourcing and pressures toward downsizing, as well as the current economic
crisis; threats to national identity due to immigration; and the spread of global
diseases such as AIDS, and the current pandemic, COVID 19.

Summary
Global governance or world governance is a movement towards political
cooperation among transnational actors, aimed at negotiating responses to problems
that affect more than one state or region. Global governance is essential but
fragmented, complex and little understood. In this context, the key questions raised

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are, how to reform institutions, how to develop alternative institutions, and how to
use the new possibilities of technology to improve governance.

Activity
Explain your answer.
1. How can nation-states address the challenges of global governance?

References

Aldama, Prince Kennex R.(2018). The Contemporary World. Quezon City:

Rex Bookstore, Inc.

Ang, Jaime G. et al (2018). The Contemporary World. Manila: Mindshapers

Co., Inc.

Ariola, Mariano M. (2018). The Contemporary World. Manila: Unlimited Books

Library Services & Publishing Inc.

____________________. The Contemporary World: An Outcome-Based

Education Approach. http://www.scribd.com

Other Source
www.globalization101.org
www.globalchallenges.org

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