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Describe the basic structure of the UN:
Consists of 193 member states and has 6 principle ‘organs’
The ‘organs’ are: the General Assembly, the Security Council, the ECOSOC, the Trusteeship Council, the International Court of Justice and the Secretariat
Describe some things in which the UN plays a role:
Resolving international conflicts
Organising aid and financial support
Peacekeeping forces in unstable regions
Advancing various international charitable causes
Protecting heritage sites and other important places
Give some criticisms of the UN:
Tolerant of dictatorship? Only 75 members are democracies
Could be a threat to sovereignty as it promotes globalism
Support for ‘extreme’ birth control policies (some religious groups believe it to be extreme)
Unequal balance of power e.g. permanent members of the WTO have veto power
Corruption linked to the direction of aid
Not always effective in it’s aims e.g. keeping peace
Give some successes of the UN:
Protecting the Galapagos Islands and 1000 other heritage sites
Deaths due to famine have fallen since the 20th century when >70m died due to famine (help from the WFP, FAO and UN-sponsored emergency management)
Prosecution of Charles Taylor and Slobodan Milosevic for war crimes (Liberian and Serbian leaders)
Give some failures of the UN:
Their failure to stop the Rwandan Genocide, killing 1m of the Tutsi minority when they had an Assistance Mission in 1994
UN officials have been accused of sexually abusing girls and women they are supposed to be caring for
Genome testing suggested that the 2010 Haiti cholera outbreak came from UN peacekeepers
Describe the UNDP:
It aims to reduce poverty and inequality in over 170 countries
The proportion of people living in extreme poverty halved between 1990-2015
They set the Millennium Development goals for 2000-2015
Describe the Millennium Development Goals:
A set of 8 development goals set between 2000-15
People receiving treatment for HIV increased by 15 times
Child mortality reduced by ½
The no. of people living on <$1.25 per day halved
What have the MDGs been replaced with?
The Sustainable Development Goals, of which there are 17.
Describe goal 7 of the SDGs:
It was focused on ensuring access to clean and affordable energy
675m people are without access to electricity
The consumption of energy contributes 60% of global emissions
They have invested in clean energy sources, expanded infrastructure and reduced the usage of personal vehicles
Successes include that from 2015-2021, the proportion of those with electricity increased by 7%
In 2021, 71% of the global population had access to clean fuels for cooking
However the access to renewables for transport is still lacking
What role do NGOs play in global governance?
In the 21st century, NGOs have encouraged the democratisation of decision-making, protected human rights, provided aid and led to countless efforts, campaigns and new laws
Operational NGOs provide frontline support e.g. Oxfam
Advocacy NGOs campaign and improve awareness e.g. Greenpeace
Increasingly they work with other stakeholders and have a strong voice in global matters
Describe the role of WHO in global governance:
A subsidiary of the UN
It led to a 10-year effort that eradicated smallpox
It has led efforts against ebola, zika virus and polio
Many praised it for it’s efforts against Covid-19, although some nations didn’t follow it’s advice and Trump accused it of being ‘China-centric’
Describe the UNEP:
Formed in 1972 to provide coherent environmental governance
It is now part of the SDGs
It was largely seen as a failure, as it enforced few laws and in 2017, 197 people responsible for environmental defence were killed
However it was very successful in leading the formation of the Montreal Protocol in 1987
Describe the UNFCCC:
The body responsible for overseeing greenhouse gas emissions laws
In 2015, the Paris Agreement was aimed at reducing climate change to 1.5 degrees Celcius
It came into force in 2020 after >20 years’ disagreement since the Kyoto Protocol
Describe the World Bank:
It helps LICs via long-term loans
It also gives out interest-free loans via the IDA
It gets resources from trading on the international bond market
It has 7000 staff members and an American president
Describe the IMF:
Oversees the global financial system
It offers assistance and advice to it’s members
It only intervenes if it can stop a global financial crisis
The money comes from members’ subscriptions and employs 2300 staff
Describe the WTO:
Founded in 1995, with >160 members
It facilitates international trade
It aims to liberalise trade by removing barriers to trade, mediates trade disagreements, creates ‘ground rules’ and provides stability as changes to agreements have to pass through the WTO
Describe G20:
An international forum made up of G7 and the EU, aimed at giving a voice to major developing countries.
Describe Agenda 21:
Adopted in Rio, 1992
Aimed at sustainable development by passing ideas down through government to individuals
E.g. UK recycling system
Some difficulty in the USA where people felt it was ‘removing their liberties’ e.g. car size, family size, private property
Define a norm in global governance:
A norm refers to a social norm, as in an accepted behaviour that is not enforced by law
An example is in Saudi Arabia, it is not the norm for women to be equal to men - women were only allowed to drive in 2018
Norms can vary between countries, and it is difficult to govern norms internationally
Define a law in global governance:
A law is legally binding and failure to comply can lead to prosecution
E.g. the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a legally binding agreement
Because laws are legally binding, countries may be deterred from global agreement
E.g. some people voted to leave the EU because they didn’t agree with their rules and regulations
Note 
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