LESSON 5

THE UNITED NATIONS AND

CONTEMPORARY GLOBAL
GOVERNANCE
• Identify the roles and
functions of the United
Nations

• Explain the relevance of the

state amid globalization

• Identify the challenges of

global governance in the
twenty-first century
 GLOBAL GOVERNANCE
• 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.
• Although many internationalists like Bentham and Kant imagined the possibility of a global
government, nothing of the sort exists today. There is no one organization that various states
are accountable to.
• Moreover, no organization can militarily compel a state to obey predetermined global rules.
The fact that states in an international order continue to adhere to certain global norms means
that there is a semblance of world order despite the lack of a single world government. Global
governance refers to the various intersecting processes that create this order.
• 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.
• Institutions of global governance—the United Nations, the International Criminal Court, the
World Bank, etc.
 GLOBAL GOVERNANCE
• Sources of global governance.
• States sign treaties and form
organizations
• International
non-governmental
organizations (NGOs) can
lobby individual states to
behave in a certain way
• Powerful transnational
corporations can likewise
have tremendous effects on
global labor laws,
environmental legislation,
trade policy,
• There are many sources of global governance. States sign treaties and form
organizations, in the process legislating public international law (international rules that
govern interactions between states as opposed to, say, private companies). International
non-governmental organizations (NGOs), though not having a state power, can lobby
individual states to behave in a certain way (for example, an international animal
protection NGO can pressure governments to pass animal cruelty laws). Powerful
transnational corporations can likewise have tremendous effects on global labor
laws, environmental legislation, trade policy, etc. Even ideas such as the need for "global
democracy" or the clamor for "good governance can influence the ways international
actors behave.
• This lesson WE will only examine how global governance is articulated by
intergovernmental organizations. It will focus primarily on the United Nations (UN) as
the most prominent intergovernmental organization today.
 WHAT IS AN INTERNATIONAL
ORGANIZATION?
• IOs, the term is
commonly used to
refer to international
intergovernmental
organizations or
groups that are
primarily made up of
member-states.
• What is an International Organization? When scholars refer to groups like
the UN or institutions like the IMF and the World Bank ,Organization for
Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), Bank for International
Settlements (BIS), Council of Europe (COE), International Labour
Organization (ILO) and International Criminal Police Organization
(INTERPOL.they usually call them international organizations (IOs).
• Although international NGOs are sometimes considered as IOs, IO’S is
commonly used to refer to international intergovernmental
organizations or groups that are primarily made up of member-states.
 POWERS OF INTERNATIONAL
ORGANIZATIONS
1. IOs have the power of
classification
2. IOs have the power to
fix meanings
3. IOs have the power to
diffuse norms

-Michael N. Barnett
Martha Finnemore
•IOs can thus become influential as independent
organizations. International relations scholars
Michael N. Barnett and Martha Finnemore listed
the powers of INTERNATIONAL
ORGANIZATIONs
 POWERS OF INTERNATIONAL
ORGANIZATIONS
1. IOs have the power of
classification

can invent and apply

categories, they create
powerful global
Standards.
•First, IOs have the power of classification.
Because 1Os can invent and apply categories, they
create powerful global Standards.1 For example,
it is the UN High Commissioner for Refugees
(UNHCR) that defines what a refugee). And since
states are required to accept refugees entering their
borders, this power to establish identity has
concrete effects.
 POWERS OF INTERNATIONAL
1. IOs have the power of
ORGANIZATIONS
classification
2. IOs have the power to fix
meanings
Various terms like
security or development
need to be well-defined.
States, organizations, and
individuals view IOs as
legitimate sources of
information.
•Second, IOs have the power to fix meanings. This is a
broader function related to the first, Various terms like
security or development need to be well-defined.
States, organizations, and individuals view IOs as
legitimate sources of information.
•As such the meanings they create have effects on various
policies. For example, recently, the United Nations has
started to define security a not just safety from military
violence, but also safety from environmental harm.
 POWERS OF INTERNATIONAL
ORGANIZATIONS
1. IOs have the power of
classification
2. IOs have the power to fix
meanings
3. IOs have the power to
diffuse norms
Norms are accepted
codes of conduct that may
not be strict law, but
nevertheless produce
regularity in behavior.
• Finally, IOs have the power to diffuse norms. Norms are accepted
codes of conduct that may not be strict law, but nevertheless
produce regularity in behavior. IOs do not only classify and fix
meanings; they also spread their ideas across the world thereby
establishing global standards. Their members are as Barnett and
Finnemore emphasized, the "missionaries of our time.
• Their power to diffuse norms stems from the fact at 1Os are staffed with
independent bureaucracies, who are considered experts in various fields.
For example, World Bank economists come to be regarded as experts in
development and thus carry some form of authority. They can, therefore,
create norms regarding the implementation and conceptualization of
development projects.
 UNITED NATIONS (UN)
The United Nations is an
intergovernmental organization that
aims to
✔ maintain international peace
and security,
✔ develop friendly relations
among nations,
✔ achieve international
cooperation,
✔ and be a center for
harmonizing the actions of
nations.
Founded in 1945
 •Having examined the powers, limitations, and
weaknesses of IOs, the spotlight will now fall on the
most prominent IO in the contemporary world, the
United Nations (UN). After the collapse of the League
of Nations at the end of World War l, countries that
worried about another global war began to push for the
formation of a more lasting international league. The
result was the creation of the UN.
 UNITED NATIONS (UN)
5 ORGANS/BODIES

1. General Assembly (GA)

2. Security Council (SC)
3. Economic and Social
Councíl(ECOSOC)
4. International Court of Justice
5. Secretariat
The UN system is based on five principal organs:
1. General Assembly (GA)
2. Security Council (SC)
3. Economic and Social Councíl(ECOSOC)
4. International Court of Justice
5. Secretariat
 UNITED NATIONS (UN)
5 ORGANS/BODIES
1. General Assembly (GA)
• Deliberative, policymaking and
representative organ.
• 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
• each year, elects a GA President to
serve a one-year term of office.
• 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.
 UNITED NATIONS (UN)
2. Security Council 5 ORGANS/BODIES
• The GA elects ten of these 15 to
two-year terms. The other
Five-sometimes referred to as the
Permanent (P5) China, France,
Russia, the United Kingdom, and the
United States.
• Responsible for the maintenance
of international peace and security;
• SC takes the lead in determining the
existence of a threat to the peace or an
act of aggression
• With the SC's approval, military
intervention may be deemed legal. This
is an immense power.
• Although the GA is the most representative organization in the UN, many commentators
consider the Security Council (SC) to be the most powerful. According to the UN, this body
consists of 15 member states.
• The GA elects ten of these 15 to two-year terms. The other Five-sometimes referred to as
the Permanent (P5) China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
These states have been permanent members since the founding of the UN, and cannot be
replaced through an election,
• Responsible for the maintenance of international peace and security;
• 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 of dispute to settle the act by peaceful means and
recommends methods of adjustment or terms of settlement. In some cases, it can to imposing
sanctions or even authorizing the use of force to maintain or restore international peace and
security Because of these powers, states that seek to intervene militarily in another state need
to obtain the approval of the SC. With the SC's approval, military intervention may be
deemed legal. This is an immense power.
 UNITED NATIONS (UN)
3. Economic and Social Councíl 5 ORGANS/BODIES
(ECOSOC)
• the principal body for
coordination, policy review,
policy dialogue, and
recommendations on social and
environmental issues, as well as
the implementation of
internationally agreed
development goals.
• has 54 members elected for
three-year terms.
•The third UN organ is the Economic and Social
Councíl(ECOSOC), which is the principal body for
coordination,policy review, policy dialogue, and
recommendations on social and environmental issues, as
well as the implementation of internationally agreed
development goals.
•Responsible for co-operation between states as regards
economic and social matters;
•“It has 54 member selected for three-year terms. Currently, it is
the UN's central platform for discussions on sustainable
development.
 UNITED NATIONS (UN)
5 ORGANS/BODIES
4. International Court of Justice
• to settle, in accordance with
international law, legal disputes
submitted to it by states and to give
advisory opinions referred to it by
authorized United Nations organs and
specialized agencies.“
• SC may enforce the rulings of the ICJ,
but this remains subject to the P5's veto
power.
• Issues legal opinions;
• Renders judgment by relative majority.
Its fifteen judges are elected by the UN
General Assembly for nine-year terms.
• The fourth is the International Court of Justice whose task"is to settle, in accordance
with international law, legal disputes submitted to it by states and to give
advisory opinions referred to it by authorized United Nations organs and
specialized agencies."The major cases of the court consist of disputes between states
that voluntarily submit themselves to the court for arbitration.
• The court, as such, cannot try individuals (international criminal cases are heard by the
International Criminal Court, which is independent of the UN), and its decisions are
only binding when states have explicitly agreed to place themselves before the court's
authority. The SC may enforce the rulings of the ICJ, but this remains subject to
the P5's veto power.
• Renders judgment by relative majority. Its fifteen judges are elected by the UN
General Assembly for nine-year terms.
• 1960s, the diplomat
Salvador P. Lopez was
chairman of the United
Nations Commission
on Human Rights.
•Did you know that Filipinos played a significant role in the
creation of human rights arbitration rules in the United Nations?
•In the late 1960s, the diplomat Salvador P. Lopez was
chairman of the United Nations Commission on Human
Rights.
•Lopez and other Filipinos helped design the system whereby any
citizen of any state may petition the UN to look into human rights
violations in a country.
•That system exists until today. Human rights, therefore, are not
foreign impositions. They are part of our national heritage.
 UNITED NATIONS (UN)
5. UN SECRETARIAT 5 ORGANS/BODIES
• 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.
• Supports the other UN
bodies administratively
•Finally, the secretariat consists of 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
• Secretariat Supports the other UN bodies administratively (for
example, in the organization of conferences, the writing of
reports and studies and the preparation of the budget);
 CHALLENGES OF THE UNITED
NATIONS

• The UN is not a world

government, and it
functions primarily because
of voluntary cooperation
from states.
• If states refuse to cooperate,
the influence of the UN can
be severely circumscribed.
• Given the scope of the UN's activities, it naturally faces numerous
challenges. Chief among these are the limits placed upon its various organs
and programs by the need to respect state sovereignty.
• The UN is not a world government, and it functions primarily because of
voluntary cooperation from states. If states refuse to cooperate, the
influence of the UN can be severely circumscribed.
• For example, the UN Council on Human Rights send special rapporteurs to
countries where alleged human rights violations are occurring. If a country
does not invite the supporter or places conditions on his/her activities,
however, this information-gathering mechanism usually fails to achieve its
goals.
 CHALLENGES OF THE UNITED
• Issues of security As
NATIONS
mentioned, the UN
Security council is
tasked with authorizing
international acts of
military intervention.
• Because of the P5's veto
power, it is tough for the
council to release a
formal resolution.
•However, perhaps the biggest challenge of the United Nations
elated to issues of security As mentioned, the UN Security
council is tasked with authorizing international acts of military
intervention. Because of the P5's veto power, it is tough for the
council to release a formal resolutionThis became an issue, for
example, in the late 1990s when the United States sought to
intervene in the Kosovo war.
 CHALLENGES OF THE UNITED
• Serbian Leader Slobodan NATIONS
Milošević was committing
acts of ethnic cleansing
against ethnic Muslim
Albanians in the province of
Yugoslavia
• North Atlantic Treaty
organization (NATO,), led by
the United States, sought SG
authorization to intervene
• However, China and Russia,
threatened to veto any action.
• Serbian Leader Slobodan Milošević was committing acts of ethnic cleansing
against ethnic Muslim Albanians in the province of Yugoslavia Hundreds and
thousands of Albanians were victims of massacres, mass deportations, and
internal displacement.
• Amid the systematic terror, members of the North Atlantic Treaty organization
(NATO,), led by the United States, sought SG authorization to intervene in the
Kosovo war on humanitarian grounds.
• China and Russia, however, threatened to veto any action, rendering the UN
incapable of addressing the crisis. In response, NATO decided to intervene on
its own. Though the NATO intervention was largely a success, it, nevertheless,
left the UN ineffectual.
 CHALLENGES OF THE UNITED
• Russia has NATIONS
threatened to
veto any SC
resolution
against Syria
• Today, a similar dynamic is evident in Syria, which is undergoing a civil
watch.
• Russia has threatened to veto any SC resolution against Syria; thus,
the UN has done very little to stop state-sanctioned violence against
opponents of the government.
• Since Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is an ally of Russian dictator
Vladimir Putin, the latter has shied away from any policy that could
weaken the legitimacy of the former.
• As a result, the UN is again ineffectual amid a conflict that has led to
over 220,000 people dead and 11 million displaced.
• When the United States sought to
invade Iraq in 2001, it claimed that
Iraq's Saddam Hussein had weapons of
mass destruction (WMD) that
threatened the world.
• However, UN members Russia, China,
and France were unconvinced and
vetoed the UN resolution for
intervention, forcing the United States
to lead a small "coalition of the
willing" with its allies.
• Despite these problems, it remains important for the SC to place a high
bar on military intervention.
• The UN Security Council has been wrong on issues of intervention,
but it has also made right decisions. When the United States sought
to invade Iraq in 2001, it claimed that Iraq's Saddam Hussein had
weapons of mass destruction (WMD) that threatened the world.
However, UN members Russia, China, and France were
unconvinced and vetoed the UN resolution for intervention, forcing
the United States to lead a small "coalition of the willing" with its
allies. It has since been discovered that there were no weapons of mass
destruction, and the invasion of Iraq has caused problems for the country
and the region that last until today.
 UN TODAY
• On 24 April 2020, the
UN, uniting with many
partners, launches the
Access to COVID-19
Tools Accelerator
• On 1 March 2020, the UN
released US$15 million
• On 23 March 2020, the
Secretary-General called for
an immediate global
ceasefire
• Helping in the battle against the covid-19 pandemic
• On 24 April 2020, the UN, uniting with many partners, launches
the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT Accelerator),
a global collaboration to accelerate the development, production and
equitable access to New COVID-19 diagnostics, therapeutics and
vaccines.
• On 1 March 2020, the UN released US$15 million from the Central Emergency
Response Fund (CERF) to help vulnerable countries battle the spread of the
COVID-19.
• On 23 March 2020, the Secretary-General called for an immediate
global ceasefire in all corners of the world.
• INDEED,Global governance or world governance is a movement towards
political cooperation among transnational actors, aimed at negotiating
responses to problems.
• The fact that states in an international order continue to adhere to certain
global norms means that there is a semblance of world order.
• UNITED Nations (UN) as the most prominent intergovernmental organization
today CONTINUE to serve as a central maintenance of international
peace and security; develop friendly relations among nations, achieve
international cooperation, and be a center for harmonizing the actions of
nations.
 ASSESSMENT

1. The following are the active organs of the United

Nations (UN), except:
a. General Assembly
b. International Court of Justice
c. Economic and Social Council
d. ICC
 ASSESSMENT

1. The following are the active organs of the United

Nations (UN), except:
a. General Assembly
b. International Court of Justice
c. Economic and Social Council
d. ICC
 ASSESSMENT

2. The reasons why United Nations was created are the

following, except:
a. To avert global depression
b. To prevent another global war
c. To provide aid in the reconstruction of buildings
d.To formulate another organization after the collapse of
League of Nations
 ASSESSMENT

2. The reasons why United Nations was created are the

following, except:
a. To avert global depression
b. To prevent another global war
c. To provide aid in the reconstruction of buildings
d.To formulate another organization after the collapse of
League of Nations
 ASSESSMENT

3. The following are the main reasons why countries form

regional organizations, except
a. Pool their resources
b. Get better imports and exports
c. Expand their leverage against trading partners
d. To increase imports and decrease exports
 ASSESSMENT

3. The following are the main reasons why countries form

regional organizations, except
a. Pool their resources
b. Get better imports and exports
c. Expand their leverage against trading partners
d. To increase imports and decrease exports
 ASSESSMENT

4. Toyota Inc. is one of the premier car brands in the world

manufactured mainly in Kyoto, Japan. Toyota- Philippines is the
main distributor of Toyota products in the Philippines. Toyota is
best called as _________.
a. member of World Trade Organization
b. Transnational Corporation
C. General Corporation
d. Global Corporation
 ASSESSMENT

4. Toyota Inc. is one of the premier car brands in the world

manufactured mainly in Kyoto, Japan. Toyota- Philippines is the
main distributor of Toyota products in the Philippines. Toyota is
best called as _________.
a. member of World Trade Organization
b. Transnational Corporation
C. General Corporation
d. Global Corporation
 ASSESSMENT

5. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries

(OPEC) was not established by the following, except:
a. Egypt
b. Oman
C. Venezuela
d. Qatar
 ASSESSMENT

5. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries

(OPEC) was not established by the following, except:
a. Egypt
b. Oman
C. Venezuela
d. Qatar
 ASSESSMENT
6. The leaders of Egypt, Ghana, India, Indonesia, and Yugoslavia
created _______ in 1961 to ________.
a. Non-Aligned Movement (NAM)/ to regulate the production
b. Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)/ to
regulate the production and sale of the oil.
c. Non-Aligned Movement (NAM)/ to pursue world peace
and international cooperation, human rights, national sovereignty, racial
and national equality, nonintervention and peaceful conflict resolution.
d.Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)/ to pursue
world peace and international cooperation, human rights, national
sovereignty, racial and national equality, nonintervention and peaceful
conflict resolution.
 ASSESSMENT
6. The leaders of Egypt, Ghana, India, Indonesia, and Yugoslavia
created _______ in 1961 to ________.
a. Non-Aligned Movement (NAM)/ to regulate the production
b. Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)/ to
regulate the production and sale of the oil.
c. Non-Aligned Movement (NAM)/ to pursue world peace
and international cooperation, human rights, national sovereignty,
racial and national equality, nonintervention and peaceful conflict
resolution.
d.Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)/ to pursue
world peace and international cooperation, human rights, national
sovereignty, racial and national equality, nonintervention and peaceful
conflict resolution.
 ASSESSMENT
7. The difference between Regionalization and Regionalism is that...
a. Regionalization refers to the regional concentration of economic flows while
Regionalism is a political process characterized by economic policy cooperation and
coordination among countries.
B. Regionalization refers to a political process characterized by economic policy
cooperation and coordination among countries while Regionalism refers to the regional
concentration of economic flows.
C. Regionalization refers to the agreement on the economic connections within the
same geographical area while Regionalism refers to the policy of economic integration
of one country to the other regardless of its geographical locations.
d.Regionalization refers to the policy of economic integration of one country to the
other regardless of its geographical locations while Regionalism refers to the agreement
on the economic connections within the same geographical area.
 ASSESSMENT
7. The difference between Regionalization and Regionalism is that...
a. Regionalization refers to the regional concentration of economic flows while
Regionalism is a political process characterized by economic policy cooperation and
coordination among countries.
B. Regionalization refers to a political process characterized by economic policy
cooperation and coordination among countries while Regionalism refers to the regional
concentration of economic flows.
C. Regionalization refers to the agreement on the economic connections within the
same geographical area while Regionalism refers to the policy of economic integration
of one country to the other regardless of its geographical locations.
d.Regionalization refers to the policy of economic integration of one country to the
other regardless of its geographical locations while Regionalism refers to the agreement
on the economic connections within the same geographical area.
 ASSESSMENT

8. The following countries offers its cheap and huge

workforce to attract foreign business and expand trade with
other countries EXCEPT:
a. China
b.Japan
C. US
D. Singapore
 ASSESSMENT

8. The following countries offers its cheap and huge

workforce to attract foreign business and expand trade with
other countries EXCEPT:
a. China
b.Japan
C. US
D. Singapore
 ASSESSMENT

9. New Liberalism is identified with reformist who shares

the same “values, norms, institutions, and system that exist
outside of the traditional, established mainstream
institutions, and systems.”
a. True
B. false
 ASSESSMENT

9. New Liberalism is identified with reformist who shares

the same “values, norms, institutions, and system that exist
outside of the traditional, established mainstream
institutions, and systems.”
a. True
B. false
 ASSESSMENT

10. Today, China is the strongest country and remains in

the top 1 according to its economy.
a. True
B. false
 ASSESSMENT

10. Today, China is the strongest country and remains in

the top 1 according to its economy.
a. True
B. false