C3 :Global governance examples

Political governance groups

UN
NATO
ICJ
WHO

UN

P5 - US, UK, Fra, Chi, Rus
All hold veto power - Used to protect national interests - US block Gaza ceasefire in Sep ‘25
NP 10 - Greece and Colombia
+ All states are member, opportunity to voice opinion on equal level, inalienable human rights
- Veto blocks all, slow to react to disaster - Rwanda, no compulsion upon states as sovereign

+ and - of NATO

+Technologically advanced, new members, deterred Soviet aggression, ensured democracy and freedom
- Requires state to operate within a capitalist free market, not all members spend the 2% of GDP on defence, states have different interests

+and - of WHO

+eradication of smallpox and almost polio, progress in treatment of HIV and AIDS
- slow reaction to COVID-19 outbreak, no progress to elimination of ebola

IMF

+effective bailouts (Greece 2008) , offer lending to those in crisis through $880b reserve assets, with WB gave 76b to 39 poorest nation through HIPC initiative, 650 SDR provision in 2021 to combat covid, 1.4 b to Ukr to survive shock of Russian invasion
- Hugely dominated by US (16% vote power), SAP conditions, failed to recognise 2008 global financial crash
Pressurisied to refrom due to worsening poverty in HIPC countries - Indonesia, focus on cash crops makes it vulenrable to global market forces

+and - of the World Bank

+US dominance ( HQ in Washington and have 10% vote power), great investment in harmful industry ($15b to fossil fuelled industry), decreased tariffs can mean that developing nations become reliant on imports - World Systems Theory
- Lent 155b to poor nations to deal w economic impacts caused by Russian invasion in 2022

WTO

164 member states and controls 98% global trade
Established in 1995
Nation states can make own agreements - RCEP biggest free trade agreement in the world
+democratic decision making, free trade = 4300% growth in world trade since 1950 - 2021
- Dominated by the EU and US, lacks accountability, does not consider worker rights or child labour

G7

Formed in 1976
+opportunity for discussion, drop the debt policy from 1999 to aid HIPC, flexible and covers matter as decided by members no longer only economic e.g. Suspension of Russia in 2014 after annexing crimea
- Work not transparent, only control 50% global gdp, doesn’t represent Chi and Ind, doesn’t act on climate change, poverty or inequality

Poverty

North South divide - Brandt Line
World Systems Theory
Dependency theory
UN measures poverty at below $1.25 per day, does not factor in relative context
EU measure - income is 50% less than average household

G20

More significant and representative than G7 - EU and AU
85% global gdp
Secretive and lacks accountability

Intergovernmental decision making

+Maintain sovereignty of states, gives platform and access to trade deals for smaller states
- inefficient decision making, often consensus required, all must compromise

When states join these IGO’s they are compelled to follow the regulations but can leave at an time

Supranational decision making

+decisions will happen as noone can block, more efficient, states more likely to cooperate
- impedes sovereignty, small countries lose status, bigger states challenged by blocks of smaller ones

UNSC veto

Veto protects national interests, can prolong conflict
US prevention of ceasefire in Gaza Sep ‘25
Russia veto made conflict long lasting in Yugoslavia in 1994 and Syria
China used veto to prevent the encroachment of one states sovereignty from another

Human Rights

Tensions exist with protecting rights and respecting state sovereignty
China Israel India not signed Rome Statute and are nit bound by the ICC
ICC accused of anti - African bias all 10 convictions from 2002-2023 were due to Africa convictions

Rights in law

1945 - ICJ
1948 - UDHR, refused by Saudi as it contravened Islamic law
1950 - ECHR
1993 - ICTY
1994 - ICTR
1998 - Rome statute - creation of ICC
2005 - R2P

Case studies - HR

Yugoslavia
Rwanda
Failures of UN in both
Successes in Sierra Leone + Ivory Coast
UK hypocrisy

Humanitarian intervention is controversial

Accusations of western imperialism
Force may make issue worse
Challenges state sovereignty
Contravenes “Just war theory”
Western double standards

Environmental protection

Role and significance of UNFCC
Established at Earth summit in 1994 - Rio
Ratified by 194 states by 2012
IPCC established in 1998 and advises climate action but research can bee out of date and accused of scaremongering

Achievements of Environmental governance

Rio 1992 - Established climate change a significant global issues, established UNFCC
181 states agreed to reduce emissions at Kyoto in 1997
Kyoto first legally binding emissions target - EU to reduce carbon emissions by 8%
$100b fund created to aid developing countries reduce carbon emissions - Copenhagen 2009
Paris 2015 - Not exceed 2 degrees increase in temp in the century, agreed upon by all by Trump pulled US out in both terms
Glasgow 2021 - Agreement to phase down coal, 90% of states committed to net zero

Failure of climate summits

Rio - Failed to commit member states to specific action
Kyoto - Developing world was exempt from required carbon reduction e.g. Indi and China, US didn’t sign
Copenhagen - Included no legally binding targets
Paris - NDC were unambitious and not mandatory
Glasgow - India and China refused to phase out coal, agreed to phase down instead, India, Russia, China refused to agree to cut emissions despite contributing 30% to increase in global temp

Types of ecology

Shallow - Reform current activity to decrease harmful effects, focus on sustainable development, anthropocentric
Deep - Humans must develop environmental consciousness, ecocentrism meaning nature is at the centre of the world view rather than humans

Tragedy of Commons

Shared resources get over‑used because each state acts in its own self‑interest.
Commons - Seas, oceans, antarctica, Moon, outer space, atmosphere

Obstacles to cooperation

·       Sovereignty

·       Division between core & periphery state

·       How pollution is measured (current or cumulative levels)

·       Climate change denial

·       Borderless issues require commitment to cooperation

·       Not all parts of the world are affected equally

Case studies - Env

EU, Friends of the Earth, the green movement