For instructional purposes only • 1st Semester SY 2020-2021 45

Lesson 2.2: Global Governance

Lesson Summary
This lesson delves into the facets of how the world is run, even in the
absence of a world government. This lesson also highlights the role of
globalization in global governance, with many countries already embracing the
realm of globalization. Finally, this lesson also discusses international law and
how the United Nations is involved, in several instances, in promoting the
conduct of enforcing these rules.

Learning Outcomes
At end of this lesson, the students must be able to;

1. State the basic notion of global governance.

2. Discuss the role of globalization in the realm of global governance.
3. Analyze the importance of the United Nations and international law to global
governance.

Motivation Question
Would it be possible to find solution to the COVID 19 pandemic without the
cooperation of the international community? Explain your answer.
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Mission: Development of a highly competitive human resource, cutting-edge scientific knowledge TP-IMD-02
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 46 ScSc 13n: The Contemporary World

Discussion
Is there a global government? Technically, there is still no global
government. Yet, Mails and other goods are delivered across borders every
day. People travel from one country to another through various modes of
transportation. There is a whole range of cross country activities. Disruptions
are relatively uncommon. Generally, international transactions are
distinguished by order. According to Steger (2014), global governance refers
to the way institutions manage their own affairs. Bur the term governance is
different from politics since politics is more about making compromises.

Global Governance
Global governance refers to the totality of laws, norms, policies, and
institutions. It defines, constitutes, and mediates trans-border relations
between states, cultures, citizens, inter-governmental and non-government
organizations. It also includes organizations and markets – the wielders and
instruments of the global exercise of public power. However, international
institutions and the pluralism of values must be reconstituted per the
standards of governance and legitimacy of the 21st century, to remain viable.
It must also be capable of addressing contemporary challenges effectively.
Global governance also refers to purposeful systems of rules or norms
that ensure order beyond what occurs nationally. In a domestic context,
governance is usually more than the government, implying shared social
purpose and goal orientation and a formal authority or police powers. It is a
rules-based order without a government. The governance for the planet is
weak. There is no principal authority, and there is little enforcement. The result
is that the governed question the legitimacy of the rules promulgated if they do
not agree with them and when they fail to implement or comply with the laws.
Global governance is also reinforced by non-state actors such as civil
societies and markets. State and non-state structures find themselves sharing
the governance stage. They are the Intergovernmental organizations and the
UN system. Global governance is all but a journey in the process. The UN
provides and accomplishes the plan for bringing together world leaders to
tackle the pressing issues of the day for the wellbeing, growth, and prosperity
of all peoples everywhere. It has also face the test of dealing with matters of
militarization, the world's erratic changing weather behavior, and international
criminal justice (Claudio, 2016).

United Nations
The United Nations have become the embodiment of the international
community of states, the focus of global expectations, and the locus of
collective action as a symbol of an imagined community of strangers. It has
made enormous positive contributions in maintaining international peace and
security, promoting cooperation among states and international development.
It has to be noted that the United Nations is not a nascent world government.
Still, it has and can continue to contribute to improving global governance.

Forms and Formats of Global Governance

Global governance presents itself in different forms such as

international agreements like the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade
(GATT) trade rules. Other global organizations composed of foreign bodies
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Vision: A globally competitive university for science, technology, and environmental conservation.
Mission: Development of a highly competitive human resource, cutting-edge scientific knowledge TP-IMD-02
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and innovative technologies for sustainable communities and environment.
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 For instructional purposes only • 1st Semester SY 2020-2021 47

such as the World Trade Organization (WTO), the World Bank (WB), and the
International Monetary Fund (IMF) are also construed as global governance's
manifestation. Furthermore, loose groupings such as G7 (member countries
are the United States of America, Canada, Japan, United Kingdom, France, Italy,
and Germany) and the G20 (mostly composed of advanced and emerging
economies including the European Union) and informal discussion fora (like
the World Economic Forum) also contribute to effective global governance.
The actors of global governance are as diverse as the forms and formats.
Besides governments and international institutions, relevant actors also
include civil society and businesses.

Effects of Global Governance over Globalization

Global governance is not a global government. It does not recognize a
world government or any central authority or power that seeks to resolve
international issues. International governance can be in economic and political
spheres. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major actor in global
economic governance. Global governance leads to unilateralism in the context
of politics and globalization, which weakens multilateralism as an instrument
for making globalization work. While nation-states have tried to make a trend
towards power hegemony and unilateralism, they are still needed because they
are the only link between national and supranational levels (Fernandez et al.,
2018). It should be remembered, however, that global governance is still a
project unfolding that affects globalization. It sees the possibility to see how
global governance will shape and create future environments in transition
through world politics, international organizations, and the nation-state's
position.

Environmental Governance
Collective approaches from governments and people are required to
tackle the challenge brought on by rapid change and irreversible impact on
nature on human activity. State governments and sectoral institutions have
undertaken an initiative that has allowed nature to transcend political and
social barriers to the effects of the global crises ignoring its
consequences. Climate change is one of the most significant challenges that
the world is facing right now. The framework of globalization challenges most
systems of states competing with each other. Among the fields of
environmental governance, environmental management is the most wanting in
urgent answers in the form of collective action by the whole of the human
community.
One of the issues concerning environmental governance has
something to do with climate justice. The prevailing concern with the realm of
climate justice lies in the aspect that most of those who suffer the adverse
effects of the wrath of nature have very little to do with the causes of climate
change. Hence, policymakers should take measures to enable the most
considerable number of world citizens to save the natural environment. Not
only that, industries must also take care of the environment by reducing their
carbon emissions. They have already amassed significant amount of profits at
the expense of nature. Hence, it is already time for them to do their share in
saving the environment and spare people from the effects of the harsh forces
of nature.

Page 47 of 146
Vision: A globally competitive university for science, technology, and environmental conservation.
Mission: Development of a highly competitive human resource, cutting-edge scientific knowledge TP-IMD-02
V0 07-15-2020
and innovative technologies for sustainable communities and environment.
No. DLABS-IM-011
 48 ScSc 13n: The Contemporary World

Challenges of World Governance

Another significant challenge to current world governance is the aspect
of militarization. In between the era after the end of the Second World War and
the end of the Cold War, wars in Korea, Vietnam, and Afghanistan have erupted.
This shows that wars could happen if diplomatic means fail to resolve initial
conflicts among states. Associated with the sphere of war is the existence of
militarization, which constitutes one of the challenges of world governance.
Many governments tend to step up their militarization efforts either for
dominance or to avoid being dominated. As the world struggles to maintain a
sense of relative peace in many parts of the globe, another challenge to world
leaders has emerged in recent years. Very related to militarization is the
problem of terrorism. As the world continues to take great strides for
development through the advancement of science and technology, a sector of
the society think that they are left behind or disadvantaged by the said process.
Hence, they tend to disrupt it by sowing fear and confusion through violent acts
that cost thousands of innocent lives. As the world grapples with addressing
the problem of terrorism, solutions through military actions have seemed to
add more to the problem than solving the problem itself. Hence, the
policymakers ought to walk the extra mile to go beyond violent solutions and
look at the very root of the problem on terrorism before a win-win solution can
be attained.
Moreover, the challenges in the sphere of structural violence, human
rights, environmental care, and personal peace have also emerged as many
governments have embraced globalization to the fullest. Poor wages, inhuman
working conditions, and gross exploitation of the natural environment are all
manifestations of the challenges mentioned earlier. Hence, governments
should negotiate with the influential multi-national and transnational
corporations to give the workers their just compensation to their labor
rendered. Aside from this, governments should also protect the natural
environment since they are vital for humankind's wellbeing. After all have been
said about the challenges confronting global governance, a search for a better
way to govern the world should be attained. To achieve this, the problems
concerning equality, human security, peace, and sustainable development
should be appropriately addressed (Fernandez et al., 2018).

The Role of International Law and the United Nations

International law plays a significant role in fostering global stability and
prosperity. Ideally, international law and its corresponding institutions serve as
a smooth balm over the competing interests which nations can have. The
philosophy is explicitly rooted in both international law and its institutional
framework. It is seriously troubling that many countries feel that their own
national identities are being threatened by growing economic interdependence
and undermining "Western" interest. An example of this is the drawing of the 9
dash line by the government of the People's Republic of China in the South
China Sea. China claimed that its history has stipulated that most of the South
China Sea is their rightful territory. This triggered territorial disputes among
several Southeast Asian states, including the Philippines (Beech, 2016).
According to Schwabach & Cockfield (2009), international law must clearly
state its political principles and institutions and establish a consistent and
functional institutional structure around this ideology. Today's values
underlying international law are the values of liberalism—the rule of law,
capitalism, democracy, and an emphasis on human rights. Hence, liberal legal
Page 48 of 146
Vision: A globally competitive university for science, technology, and environmental conservation.
Mission: Development of a highly competitive human resource, cutting-edge scientific knowledge TP-IMD-02
V0 07-15-2020
and innovative technologies for sustainable communities and environment.
No. DLABS-IM-011
 For instructional purposes only • 1st Semester SY 2020-2021 49

institutions should impose stricter following of the principles of liberalism to

contribute to a more secure and prosperous global community.
For its part, the United Nations sponsored the Universal Declaration on
Human Rights in 1948. It emphasized the values of liberalism as a mechanism
to thwart national self-interest through the "recognition of the intrinsic nature
of the rule of law and the basic freedoms and civil rights of all members of the
human family and equal and inalienable rights. It served as the foundation of
freedom, justice, and peace in the world." The United Nations continued to
promote these values through various institutions like the United Nations
Scientific and Cultural Educational Organization ( UNESCO).UNESCO was
founded in 1946 with the mandate "to contribute to peace and security by
cultivating cooperation among nations through education, science, and culture
to further universal respect for justice, the rule of law and the basic freedoms
and civil rights upheld for the world's peoples, without distinction of race, sex,
language or religion." (Schwabach & Cockfield, 2009).

Conclusion
Global governance is essential to facilitate global trans-border
transactions and maintain world peace. Though technically there is still no
global government, global institutions have helped facilitate carry out
businesses in the economic and political spheres in the way nations relate with
each other. Yet, several challenges related to the issues of terrorism,
militarization, structural violence, human rights, environmental care, and the
attainment of personal peace have confronted the realm of global governance.
Nevertheless, these issues are addressed through a number of instruments
facilitated by the United Nations and aided by international law. Lastly, despite
the absence of a recognized global government, global governance is evident
through several nations' consensus to adhere to policies facilitated by global
organizations and the United Nations.

Page 49 of 146
Vision: A globally competitive university for science, technology, and environmental conservation.
Mission: Development of a highly competitive human resource, cutting-edge scientific knowledge TP-IMD-02
V0 07-15-2020
and innovative technologies for sustainable communities and environment.
No. DLABS-IM-011