THE UNITED NATIONS

AND CONTEMPORARY
GLOBAL GOVERNANCE
Global governance can come from variety of
sources.

Nations establish treaties and form

organizations, enacting public international law
(international standards that regulate relations
between states rather than, for example, private
enterprises).
What is an International Organization?

When scholars refer to groups such as the UN or

institutions such as the IMF and the World Bank, they usually
call them international organization (IOs).
Although international non-governmental organizations
(NGOs) are sometimes considered IOs, the term is commonly
used to refer to international intergovernmental organizations or
groups that are primarily made up of member-states.
 International Organization
International relations scholars Michael N. Barnett and Martha
Finnermore listed the following powers of IOs.
 POWERS OF IOs

1. IOs have the power of classification.

They can invent and apply categories, they create

powerful global standards.
Example: It is the UN High Commissioner for Refugees
(UNHCR) that defines what a refugee is.
Since states are required to accept refugees entering their
borders, this power to establish identity has concrete effects.
 POWERS OF IOs
2. IOs have the ability to change the meaning of words.

Various concepts such as “security” and “development”,

must be clearly defined.
IOs are seen as legitimate sources of information for states,
organizations, and individuals. As a result, the meaning they
generate have an impact on a variety of policies.
Example: UN has started to define security as not just safety
from military violence but also safety from environmental harm.
 POWERS OF IOs
3. IOs have the power to diffuse norms.

Norms are accepted codes of conduct that may not be

strict laws but produce regularity in behavior. IOs do not only
classify and fix meanings; they also spread their ideas across
the world, thereby establishing global standards.
 POWERS OF IOs
3. IOs have the power to diffuse norms.

Their power to diffuse norms stems from the fact that

IOs are staffed with independent bureaucracies, who are
considered experts in various fields.
Example: World Bank economists come to be regarded as
experts in development, and thus, carry some form of authority.
As a result, they can establish standards for the implementation
and conceptualization of development projects.
 UNITED NATIONS
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).
 UNITED NATIONS

After the collapse of the League of Nations at the end of

World War II, 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 UN.
FIVE ACTIVE ORGANS OF UNITED NATIONS

The General Assembly (GA) is UN’s “main deliberative

policymaking and representative organ.

All member states (currently at 193) have seats in the GA.

The Philippines played a prominent role in the GA’s early years
when Filipino diplomat Carlos P. Romulo was elected GA
president from 1949- 1950.
FIVE ACTIVE ORGANS OF UNITED NATIONS

Despite the GA being the most represented body in the UN,

many critics believe the Security Council (SC) is the most
powerful. According to the UN, the latter has 15 members.

Ten of the fifteen members are elected to two-year terms by

the GA. The other five ___ sometimes referred to as the
Permanent 5 (P5)--- are China, France, Russia, the United
Kingdom, and the United States.
FIVE ACTIVE ORGANS OF UNITED NATIONS

The third UN organ is the Economic and Social Council

(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.”
It has 54 members elected for three-year terms. Currently, it
is the UN’s central platform for discussions on sustainable
development.
FIVE ACTIVE ORGANS OF UNITED NATIONS

The third UN organ is the Economic and Social Council

(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.”
It has 54 members elected for three-year terms. Currently, it
is the UN’s central platform for discussions on sustainable
development.
FIVE ACTIVE ORGANS OF UNITED NATIONS

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.”
FIVE ACTIVE ORGANS OF UNITED NATIONS

Finally, the secretariat consists of the “Secretary-general

and tens of thousands of international UN staff members who
carry out day-to-day work of the Un as mandated by the
General Assembly and the organization’s other principal
organs.”
As such, it is the bureaucracy of the UN, serving as a kind of
international civil service.