global governance

what are norms

morals, principles, customs and ways of living that are universally accepted as standard behaviour

what is intervention

actions of a state, group of states or international organisation in a foreign territory to end gross violations of human rights. This includes military force, economic sanctions and the assistance of NGOs

what is a state

area of land of an independent country, with well-defined boundaries, within which there is a single politically organised body of people under a single government

what is a nation

a large group of people with strong bonds of identity, united by shared descent, history, traditions, culture, language

what is sovereignty

the absolute authority that independent states exercise in the government of the land and peoples in their territory

what is territorial integrity

the principle that defined that territory of a state, over which it has exclusive and legitimate control, is inviolable (never to be broken). This is enshrined in the UN Charter and an important part of international law

what is international community

all countries whose identity and sovereignty are recognised under the auspices of the UN, plus other international organisations that choose to participate in global discussions and decision-making and which act collectively to resolve humanitarian issues

what is global governance

the way in which global affairs that affect the whole world are managed. In international relations generally, consensus is usually reached between countries. They then agree to abide by similar rules given in signed treaties or international laws.

however, the exact meaning is contested, below are several other variations of the definition:

• sum of the many ways individuals and institutions, public and private, manage their gloval affairs

• international process of consensus-forming (general agreement) which generates guidelines and agreeements ‘governing’ the actions of different actors

• the way in which global affairs that affect the whole world are managed

what issues can global governance solve

biodiversity, water, fishing, health issues for infectious diseases

where problems cannot be solved regionally/nationally are solved internationally, coordinated among all countries

why is collective action needed

more efficient than constant negotiation on each matter independently

what is the multilateral principal and its benefits

every country has 1 vote - inclusive, every country has the same right to speak

gives LDES a voice amonst other nations who have the power to influence change

reach a conclusions everyone can support

how do norms make global governance and laws difficult

accepted norms vary between culture e.g. treatment of animals. This means not all societis will agree about what is acceptable.

even when countries do agree and sign up to international agreements, they may interpret the laws differently, with consequences for environmental conservation or human rights.

why is there a power imbalance in global governance

many global institutions that are involved in global governance have strong links to the richest and most powerful countries whch provide the largest amount of funding. this can lead to inequalities between countries. LICs may lack influence on the global governance process.

what issues are not being addressed by global governance

some critics feel that there are a number of important issues that are not being addressed be global governance. Including: lack of an agency to deal with global food security, missing laws to enforce water security, insufficient powers to regulate the nuclear industry and cybersecurity. International institutions have tackled global issues with some success but there are also examples of failures.

how is global governance done

in response to tackling issues raised by increased integration, international agreements are established in the form of treaties, directives or protocols. These agreements are formulated, maintained and enforced by intergovernmental agencies or institutions, such as the UN, World Bank, World Trade Organisations or similar institutions.

what is the UN

discussions in the UN: peace and security, human rights, sustainable development

established in 1945 after the ruins of WW2 and its impacts on countries - its main goal is to prevent war in the future

it is a meeting point where leaders globally interact and try to agree on rules

UN general assembly - 1 vote for all, a voice for all - equal rights to decide

criticised for its shortcomings in modern day conflict - needs to change

in 1945 there were 51 countries but now there are 193 members

when joining, they agree to abide by UN principles enshrined in its charter

creates international agreements, delivers aid, keeps peace, protects human rights, builds a better future

the UN can take action on issues confronting humanity in the 21st century, such as peace and security, climate change, terrorism etc.

what are the sustainable development goals

Sustainable Development Goals were adopted in 2015 by all United Nations members for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The aim of the 17 global goals is "peace and prosperity for people and the planet," tackling climate change, and working to preserve oceans and forests.

replaced the Millenium Development Goals

adopted in 2015 and aimed to be achieved by 2030

17 goals and 169 targets

prioritise the most vulnerable, address climate change, inequality, poverty (the main goal is to eradicate poverty)

what are the 4 main purposes of the UN

1. to keep peace throughout the world

2. to develop friendly relations amongst nations

3. to help nations work together to improve the lives of poor people: conquer hunder, disease and illiteracy, and to encourage respect for people’s freedoms and rights

4. to be a centre for harmonising the actions of nations to achieve these goals

what is the right to veto and who has it

China France Russia UK USA have the right to veto/cast a negative vote

this means they can say no to things the UN proposes and it just does not go to debate or be approved. This allows the members to block any substantive resolution or decision, regardless of majority support. Established in 1946 as a recognition of the roles these countries played in WW2, this power ensures P5 participation but often causes gridlock on major issues.

These members are permanent members of the UN security council.

They can also choose to abstain if they do not agree and the proposed resolution needs 9 favourable votes

there are 15 members of the security council

what are problems of the veto system

since the UN’s inception, the veto has been used over 300 times

not everyone’s say is eequal - on some of the most heated conflicts and decisions such as Ukraine/Russia war, Israel/Palestine, Syria - biased players have the power to block resolution

not a true vote - one veto can overrule everyone else

it is hard for the five permanent members to agree so there is a lot of inaction on important matters and urgent crises

e.g. Syria - in 2011 the UN voted to tell Syria to scale down its attacks but China and Russia veoted

often vetoes are to do with allyship e.g. US-Israel alliance led to US vetoing decisions in Palestine’s favour

how has the UN achieved its purpose of maintaining world peace and security

• developed and strengthened international relations - since its inception, there have been no further world conflicts and over 170 peaceful UN settlements have ended regional conflicts

• positive peace-keaping missions in African have largely managed to maintain a fragile peace

• supported nuclear disarmament

how has the UN fallen short in its purpose of maintaining world peace and security

• powerful military states have ignored UN opinions and mandates - notably Russia and China

• the UN has sometimes had only a minor influence on outcoes e.g. vietnam war, cuban missile crisis, south china sea)

• numbers of nuclear powers in the world has continued increasing - most recently north korea

how has the WTO been successful

• provides support for international trade in LDCs e.g. Zambia

  • on York Farm they were given trianing on how to comply with international standards on food safety, farming, labour and the environment

  • this means that the farm now exports to Germany, UK, NZ and S africa

example of support growth (export led economic growth)

how has the WTO failed

Doha Round - a major series of trade negotiations that began in 2001 and failed in 2015

Goals - agricultural trade reform, lower industrial tariffs, improve trade in services

• agriculture was a key point and led to the breakdown in negotiations

• US vs India + China over farm proections

• Proposal - allow developing countries to raise tariffs on agricultural imports if there was a sudden surge in imports that threatened local farmers - called the Special Safeguard Mechanisms (SSM)

• India and China - supported to protect their millions of small farmers from cheap foreign agricultural imports, particularly from US and EU

• US - opposed as it restricted its access to developing markets and hurt US agricultural exports

• neither side would compromise and talks collapsed

After the failure, countries shifted from alternative trade deals e.g regional and bilateral agreements (like TPP and EU) that fragmented global trade and made future WTO reforms harder

Agricultural subsidies continued - rich nations e.g. US and EU spend 100s of billions a year of farm subsidies to make their agriculture more competitive. This negatively impacts developing countries who cannot compete

how has the UN peacekeeping and human rights succeeded