The United

Nations and
Contemporary
Global Governance
I NTRODUCTION
Although many internationalists like Bentham and Kant imagined the possibility

of a global government, nothing of the sort exist today.

There is no one organization that various states are accountable to. Moreover,

no org a niza tion c a n milita rily c omp el a sta te to ob ey p red etermined g lob a l Immanuel Kant
1724- 1804
rules.

However, there is some regularity in the general behavior of states.

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. Jeremy Bentham

1748- 1832
Global Governance
Global Governance refers to the various intersecting processes
that create this order.
It is broadly used to designate all regulations intended for
organization and centralization of human societies on a global
scale.
It is understood as "the management way in which global affairs
are managed".
Global governance is thought to b e an international process of
consensus - forming which generates guidelines and
agreements that affect national governments and international
corporations.
There are many sources of global
governance :
States sign treaties and form organizations, in the process legislating
public

international law (International rules that are govern interactions between

states as opposed to, say, private companies). International non-governmental

organizations (NGO’S), though not having formal state power, can lobby

individual states to behave in a certain way.

INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION
An international organization is an organization established by a treaty or
other instrument governed by international law and possessing its own
international legal personality, such as the United Nations, the World Health
Organization and NATO. International organizations are composed of
primarily member states, but may also include other entities, such as other
international organizations. Additionally, entities (including states) may hold
observer status. Its purpose is to help set the international agenda, mediating
political bargaining, providing a place for political initiatives and acting as
catalysts for the coalition- formation. They facilitate cooperation and
coordination among member nations.
TYPES OF INTERNATIONAL
ORGANIZATION
1. INTERGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS
(IGO) Share national experts and resources
Formed b etween 2 or more g overnment c ome tog ether for a
sp ec ific purpose

2. NONGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS (NGO)

Work to solve p rob lems a round the world , not c onnec ted to
a ny government
Free to work towards their goal without government interference
POWERS OF INTERNATIONAL
ORGANIZATION

1.Power of classification- Because International

Organization can invent and apply categories, they
create powerful global standards. For example It is
the UN High Commissioner for Refugees ( UNCHR)
that defines what a refugee is. And since states
are required to accept refugees entering their
borders, this power to establish identity has
concrete effects.
2. POWER TO FIX MEANINGS-Broder function related to the
first power. Various terms like “security” and “development”
need to be well-defined. States, organizations, and individuals
view International Organizations as legitimate sources of
information. As such meanings they create have effects on
various policies. For example, recently, the United Nations has
started to define security as not just safety from military
violence, but also safety from environmental harm.
3. Power to diffuse Norms- Norms are accepted codes of conduct
that may not be a strict law, but nevertheless produce regularity in
behavior. International Organizations do not only classify and fix
meanings; they also spread ideas across the world, thereby
establishing global standards. Their power to diffuse norms stems
from the fact that IOs (International Organizations) are staffed
with independent bureaucracies, who are considered expert in
various fields. For example world bank economist come to be
regarded as experts in development thus carry some form of
authority. They can create norms regarding the implementation
and conceptualization of development projects.
UNITED NATIONS
United Nations (UN), 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 ha s reg iona l
a lso in Geneva, Vienna, and offic es Its offic ia l
are Arabic,Nairobi. la ng uaand
Chinese, English, French, Russian, g es Spanish. The
United Nations can take action on the issues confronting
humanity in the 21st century.
U NITED NATIONS CHARTER AIMS:
to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has
brought untold sorrow to mankind, and
to rea ffirm fa ith in fund a menta l huma n rig hts, in the d ig nity a nd worth of the
huma n person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small,
and
to esta b lish c ond itions und er whic h justic e a nd resp ec t for the ob lig a tions a rising
from treaties and other sources of international law can b e maintained, and
to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom.
The UN is divided into five active organs:
The General Assembly (GA)

The Security Council (UNSC)

The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)

The International Court of Justice (ICJ)

The Secretariat
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Decisions on important questions,
such as those on p e a c e and security,
admission of new members and
budgetary matters, require a two-thirds
majority. Decisions on other questions
are by simple majority.The Assembly has
a d o p t e d its own rules of procedure
and elects its President and 21 Vice-
Presidents for each session.
THE SECURITY COUNCIL
The Security Council is the United Nations' most
powerful body, with "primary responsibility for the
maintenance of international p e a c e and security."
Five powerful countries sit as "permanent
members" along with ten elected members with
two-year terms. Since 1990, the Council has
dramatically increased its activity and it now
meets in nearly continuous session. It dispatches
military operations, imposes sanctions, mandates
arms inspections, deploys election monitors and
more.
THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL
COUNCIL
One of the five principal organs of
the United Nations (UN), responsible for
the direction and coordination of the
economic, social, humanitarian, and
cultural activities carried out by the UN.
It is the UN’s largest and most complex
subsidiary body.
THE INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE
The International Court of Justice, also known as
the World Court, is the main judicial organ of the
UN. It was established in June 1945 by the Charter
of the United Nations and began work in April 1946.
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.
THE SECRETARIAT
The Secretariat administers and
coordinates the activities of the United
Nations. It consists of an international civil
service at UN Headquarters in New York
and other UN stations all over the world.
The Secretariat is headed by the United
Nations Secretary-General.
C HALLENGES OF THE UNITED NATIONS
The limits p la c ed up on its va rious org a ns a nd p rog ra ms b y the

need to respect state sovereignty.

Issues to Security
S ources
https://www.globalpolicy.org/security-council.html
https://www.un.org/en/ga/about/index.shtml https://
www.un.org/en/sections/un-charter/un-charter-full-
text/#:~:text=To%20achieve%20international%20co%2Doperation,%2C%20language%2C%20or%20religion%3B%20and
https://www.britannica.com/topic/United-Nations
https://www.un.org/en/model-united-nations/international-court-justice
https:// www.un.org/en/sections/about-un/secretariat/
https://libguides.twu.ca/c.php?

g=284760&p=1897533#:~:text=Intergovernmental
%20Organizations&text=An%20intergovernmental%20organization
%20(IGO)%20is,of

%20a%20legally%20constituted%20IGO.
The contemporary world by Lisandro E. Claudio & Patricio N. Abinales
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jx-jd9ccc80&list=WL&index=1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnQESSTouNU&list=WL&index=2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoIafzc0k74&list=WL&index=3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATkJe8iADhc&list=WL&index=4
Thank
you!