Module 2 Topic 4: CONTEMPORARY GLOBAL GOVERNANCE AND

UNITED NATIONS
Competenci At the end of this lesson, you are expected to:
es 1. Define global governance;
2. Identify the roles and functions of the United Nations (UN);
3. Describe the challenges of global governance in the 21st century;
and
4. Explain the relevance of the nation-state in the midst of
globalization.
Discussion INTRODUCTION

The world has no global government and global authority.

There are however, political and economic bodies operating worldwide
that not all people are aware of. Thus, what the world has is the idea
of global governance. This term refers to domestic institutions and
governments on how large-scale problems and public-policy issues are
being resolved on a global level. It involves a range of actors including
states, national and regional bodies that have the eagerness and
commitment to deal with a particular challenge. This lesson will focus
primarily on the United Nations (UN) as the most prominent
intergovernmental organization today as well as the challenges of the
twenty-first century governance.

KEY POINTS

Today, global governance makes world affairs systematic,

secured and formulaic. Weiss & Thakur (2014) describe global
governance as the totality of norms, laws, policies, and bodies that
define, comprise, and facilitate transnational relations between
citizens, states, cultures, intergovernmental and non-governmental
organizations. Rules and norms put everything in order. Though global
governance is rule-based, it has no central authority. However, there
are systems for international relationships that bind the states, people
and society together. Since the United Nations (UN) has the most
number of members among the established global systems, this
section discusses its organs, roles and functions.

THE UNITED NATIONS (UN)

 It is an international
organization established on October 24, 1945.
The United Nations (UN) was the second
multipurpose international organization
established in the 20th century that was
worldwide in scope and membership. Its
predecessor, the League of Nations, was created by the Treaty of
Versailles in 1919 and disbanded in 1946. Headquartered in New York
City, the UN also has regional offices in Geneva, Vienna, and Nairobi.
Its official languages are Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian,
and Spanish.

Aside from maintaining international peace and security and

protecting human rights, UN also carries the functions of delivering
humanitarian aid, promoting sustainable development, and upholding
international law. The organization utilizes good offices, diplomacy,
and mediation. It does peacekeeping processes in countries with
domestic conflicts and peace building tasks in countries freed from
conflict, lessening the risk of reversing into conflict and setting the
ground work for sustainable peace and development.

In order to protect human rights, UN scrutinizes situations

and issues reported to them and oversee the exercise of international
human rights agreements. In delivering humanitarian aid, UN is
responsible for coordinating responses to emergencies and supports
rapid humanitarian response for people affected by natural disasters
and armed conflict.

The Millennium Development Goals was set to promote

sustainable development. In 2015, this was changed into the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These goals are the
blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. This
collection of 17 global goals covers social and economic issues
including poverty, hunger, health, education, global warming, gender
equality, water sanitation, energy urbanization, environment and
social justice.

Weiss and Thakur (2014), in their article titles, The United

Nations Meets the Twenty-first Century: Confronting the Challenges of
Global Governance, identify challenges confronting UN based on
knowledge, norms, policy, institutions and compliance:

1. In terms of knowledge, UN is underappreciated regarding how its

convening capacity and mobilizing power are utilized to help
funnel and consolidate knowledge from outside and ensure its
discussion and dissemination among governments.

2. The contrasting moral structures of social behavior in different

member-states complicate the formulation of a normative
standard that can be applicable to all.

3. In formulating propositions, problems occur when only the

member-states are heard. UN belittles the helping hand of non-
governmental organizations (NGOs) and the global public
opinion. Sometimes, recommendations are not executed.

4. Institutions can also be places where ideas are cornered and left
behind. The modality and processes for enforcing compliance
with international norms and laws are not present. In fact,
some UN staff members violate, cheat, and challenge them.

THE SIX ORGANS OF THE UNITED NATIONS

• General Assembly (GA)

- the central deliberative and the only organ where all member-
states have equal representation in discussion and
consideration, and policymaking
- According to UN Charter, “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.”
- All member states have seats in the GA.
- Philippines played a prominent role in the GA’s early years when
Filipino diplomat Carlos P. Romulo was elected GA president
from 1949-1950.

• Security Council (SC)

- the organ which has the commitment to preserve peace and

security
- many commentators consider SC to be the most powerful
- consists of 15 member states – 10-member state elected by Ga to
 two-year term and the other five (5), sometimes referred as P5,
are China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United
States.
- P5 have been permanent members since the founding of the UN,
and cannot be replaced through election

• Economic and Social Council is the main organ for cooperation,

policy reviews, policy dialogue, and advice on social, economic and
environmental issues.

• Trusteeship Council is the organ tasked to administer international

oversight for 11 trust territories and to make sure that adequate
procedures are taken for independence and self-government.

• International Court of Justice also known as the World Court, is

the main judicial organ of the UN. The seat of the Court is at the Peace
Palace in The Hague (Netherlands). Of the six principal organs of the
United Nations, it is the only one 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. The Court decides disputes between countries,
based on the voluntary participation of the States concerned. If a State
agrees to participate in a proceeding, it is obligated to comply with the
Court’s decision.

• Secretariat is the organ tasked to execute the daily activities as

assigned by the other organs.

THE EFFECT OF GLOBALIZATION TO THE NATION-STATE

There is an increase of interdependence in different

countries. It means the world is unified and standardized, there is a
close relationship in each country through politics, economics, and
cultural areas. Globalization infuses people the conscious of integrity
and unified in their mind, make people think there is one world. Thus,
globalization is generally recognized as the fading or complete
disappearance of economic, social and cultural borders between
nation-states (Hall, 2019).

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A STATE AND A NATION

State - is a type of polity that is an organized political community

living under a single system of government and may or may not be
sovereign.

Nation - is a large group or collective of people with common

characteristics attributed to them - including language,
traditions, and ethnicity.

THE EFFECTS OF GLOBALIZATION TO THE ROLE OF THE STATE

TODAY AND FOR THE FUTURE

Globalization has changed the role of the state in many

ways: politically through interdependence and independence of
states, socially through the problems and threats of terrorism and
deadly diseases, technologically through the media and internet and
economically through the change from national to global
economies (Essays,2018).

 Globalization has changed the role of the state

politically because of strengthened interstate
relationships and dependence on one another. Most states now
 have a high dependence on others.

 Terrorism is a new controlling power with its network system,

showing a decrease in the role of the state socially, as people
are creating their authorities to control their people and
take over the role of the state.

 Similar to the media, the internet makes information available

to everyone, so the state does not now need to transfer
information to its people.

 Economic and political power is shifting around the world and

to increasingly important non-state actors.

Globalization is often seen to have lowered the importance of

the state (Hobsbawm, 1996) but in the end, the states that will
remain the most successful in the face of globalization is those who
adapt to the changes their role makes (Buchanan, 2012). In words
attributed to Charles Darwin, “It is not the strongest of the species
that survives, nor the most intelligent, but rather the one most
responsive to change.”

CHALLENGES OF GLOBAL GOVERNANCE IN THE 21ST CENTURY

 First, the global challenges we face are huge and beyond

the capacity of any one government, even a superpower, to
solve. The United States might dominate the military
security chessboard, but it still requires the help of others in,
for example, fighting global terrorism.

 Second, because a state can’t do it alone and they must

cooperate and collaborate. It means that a nation
cannot by itself solve a global issue without collaborating with
other nations.

 Third, international cooperation must also include

involvement, participation, and sometimes reliance on
increasingly important non-state actors. Non- state actors
must play constructive roles in solving global challenges
since they are part also of the interconnecting world we
have right now.

 Fourth, international cooperation is hard. It’s hard because

of the power transition, the shift of power among states.

Things will be better if we can eradicate corruption,

democratize, and cooperate within the existing international political,
economic structure. But free trade is a mitigating factor. In this view,
free trade helps avoid conflict and levels the economic playing field for
all to prosper. The problem is that we really cannot meet the
challenges of global governance until the fundamental, structural
inequities that are driving inequality are addressed. Surely
working together to remove these structural barriers to development
would constitute a global public good, things that benefit all of us
(Elliott-Gower & Woldemariam, 2014).

Enrichment POSTER MAKING

Activities
Create a creative and colorful poster that depicts the participation of
the Philippines in the global community. Make a title for your poster.
Then write at least five sentences to explain your poster. You may use
a long-sized bond paper, a recycled paper or calendar for this activity.
Rubrics:
Comprehen A. Identification. Identify what is being asked.
sion Check 1. This term refers to domestic institutions and governments on
how large-scale problems and public-policy issues are being
resolved on a global level.
2.  It is an international organization established on October 24,
1945. (full name)
3. The Millennium Development Goals was set to promote
sustainable development. In 2015, this was changed into
_________________.
4. The organ which has the commitment to preserve peace and
security.
5. A large group or collective of people with common
characteristics attributed to them - including language,
traditions, and ethnicity.
B. Agree or Disagree. Write AGREE if the following statement if
true and DISAGREE if the statement is false.
1. The United States has six organs.
2. Globalization has changed the role of the state politically
through interdependence and independence of states.
3. Terrorism is a new controlling power with its network system,
showing a decrease in the role of the state socially, as people
are creating their authorities to control their people and
take over the role of the state.
4. The World Court is the organ tasked to execute the daily
activities as assigned by the other organs.
5. Buchanan said that globalization is generally recognized as the
fading or complete disappearance of economic, social and
cultural borders between nation-states.
Reference Aldama, P. (2018). The Contemporary World. Rex Book Store, Inc.
Brazalote, T., Leonardo, R. (2018) The Contemporary World. C & E
Publishing, Inc.,
Buchanan, S. (2012). Has Globalisation Altered the Role of the
State? Retrieved April
17, 2019, from https://www.e-ir.info/2012/11/24/has-
globalisation- altered-the-
role-of-states/.
Claudio, L., Abinales, P. (2018), The Contemporary World. C & E
Publishing, Inc.
Goldstein, J.L., Rivers
Elliott-Gower, S., & Woldemariam, Y. (2014). The Challenge of Global
Governance in the
21st Century: A Review of Three TED Talks[PDF].

http://www.ejournalofpublicaffairs.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04
/54-151-2-
PB.pdf
T. Weiss & R. Thakur. (2014). Chapter 29 of textbook: “The United
Nations Meets the
Twenty-first Century: Confronting the Challenges of Global
Governance.” [PDF].
https://www.britannica.com/topic/United-Nations
https://www.un.org/en/model-united-nations/international-court-
justice