UNIT TITLE: THE STRUCTURES OF GLOBALIZATION
LESSON TITLE: Contemporary Global Governance
DURATION: 2 hours
Introduction
This lesson will examine how global governance is articulated by
intergovernmental organizations, particularly the United Nations as the most
prominent intergovernmental organization in the contemporary period.
Objectives / Competencies
At the end of the lesson, the students are expected to:
1. To define global governance.
2. To identify the roles and functions of the United Nations
3. To determine the challenges of global governance in the twenty-first century.
ACTIVITY:
NAME:
DATE:
CYS:
Draw 3 illustrations that will describe your view about United Nations.
UNITED NATIONS
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Lesson Proper
What is Global Governance?
Is there one organization that various states are accountable to? Is there an
organization that can military compel a state to obey global rules? The answer would
be none. Because there is no single government that can rule the world. But, how is
the world governed even the absence of global government? Global governance is
the key.
As defined by Young (1999), global governance is the formal and informal
arrangements that produce a degree of order and collective action above the state in
the absence of a global government. This will be possible by the coordination of the
state and non-state actors. The International Governmental Organizations (IGOs)
and International Non-Governmental Organizations (INGOs).
International Governmental Organizations (IGOs) are formed by states. States
come together to form an organization, and they establish a structure based on a
formal instrument of agreement. For instance, ASEAN was basically formed when
the ten nations in Southeast Asia joined. Other examples are: World Trade
Organization (WTO), World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the most
prominent of all is the United Nations (UN). However, International Non-
Governmental Organizations (INGOs) are generally private, voluntary organizations
whose members are individuals or a group of people. Usually, NGOs are created to
solve specific issue. Examples are: Greenpeace (environmental group), World Wild
Fund (wild animal protection group, Amnesty International (human rights group).
The goal of global governance, through the following organizations, is to
provide global public goods, particularly peace and security, justice and mediation
systems for conflict, functioning markets and unified standards for trade and
industry.
Among the various international organizations, the United Nations is said to
be the primary venue and formal arrangement for global governance involving states
and non-state actors. Thus, to explore global governance in the contemporary world,
we will put the spotlight on the U.N as it is today‗s most prominent international
organization.
The United Nations
United Nations is a most popular organization for most of us. Even during
your Kindergarten days, you already encountered this organization as part of school
activities where you dressed up with costumes representing different countries of the
world. But apart from being a school activity and wearing costumes with sash, what
did you know about United Nations? Let‗s explore further!
The United Nations is an international organization founded in 1945, in the
wake of the Second World War, as a way to prevent future conflicts on that
scale. The destruction caused by the Second World War compelled the people to
establish an international organization for keeping the world away from war and in
favor of friendship and cooperation among all the nations. It is currently made up of
193 Member States. It serves as the primary organization for international
cooperation, peace and security.
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The mission and work of the United Nations are guided by the purposes and
principles contained in its founding Charter.
The UN Charter:
The Charter is the Constitution of the United Nations. It was made in October
1944 by the Dumbarton Oaks (Washington DC) Conference. It lays down the rules
which govern the organization and functions of the UN and all its organs. The
Charter has a Preamble, 19 Chapters and 111 Articles which explain the purposes,
principles, organs, and operating methods of the UN.
The purposes of the UN are defined in Article 1 of the UN Charter.
These are:
1. To maintain international peace and security and to take adequate steps to
avert wars.
2. To develop friendly relations among nations on the basis of equality.
3. To achieve international co-operation in solving international problems of
an economic, social, cultural or humanitarian character.
4. To be a center for harmonizing the actions of nations in the attainment of
these common ends.
Principles of the UN
The principles are the means to achieve the objectives of the UN. These are
contained in Article 2 of the UN Charter:
1. All the member states are equal.
2. The member states shall fulfill their obligations to the UN honestly.
3. The member states shall settle their international disputes by peaceful
means.
4. The member states shall refrain in their international relations from the
threat or use of force against any other state.
5. The member states shall give to the UN every assistance in any action it
takes in accordance with the UN Charter.
6. The states which are not members of the UN, should also act in
accordance with these principles for the maintenance of international peace and
security.
7. No member state shall interfere in the internal affairs of any other state.
United Nations Organs and their Roles
The UN Charter established six principal organs in 1945.
Figure 1. Organs of the United Nation
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1. The General Assembly:
The General Assembly is the highest deliberative organ of the UN. It is also
called the World Parliament of Nations. Each member state sends five
representatives to it but each state has only one vote. The opening day of the
session stands designated as the International Day of Peace. The UN General
Assembly holds deliberations on all issues which are related to the Charter of the
United Nations. It also approves the annual budget of the UN.
According to the UN Charter: ―Decisions on important questions, such as
those on peace and security, admission of new members, and budgetary matters,
require a two-thirds majority of the General Assembly”. Decisions on other questions
are done by simple majority. Annually, the General Assembly elects a GA President
to serve a one-year term of office‖ (United Nations, 2017). 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.
2. The Security Council (SC):
The Security Council is the executive body and the most potent organ of the
UN. It is called ―the Power House‖ of the UN, it has the power to make legally
binding resolutions. It is made up of 15 members out of whom 5 are permanent
members, each with a veto power. These are the USA, Russia, China, France and
United Kingdom. Remaining 10 are non-permanent members who are elected by the
General Assembly by a 2/3 majority for a term of two years.
The decisions of the Security Council are taken by a majority and vote but
each of its five permanent members has the right to veto its decisions. Under the
―uniting for peace resolution‖ adopted in November 1950, the UN General Assembly
can direct the Security Council to act for meeting any threat to international peace by
taking collective security action against aggression. The Security Council is a
powerful organ of the UN. It‗s headquarter is located at New York in USA. India now
wants to become a permanent member of the UN Security Council.
Article 24 of the UN Charter states that the SC is mandated to act on behalf of
the entire UN body to fulfill its primary responsibility for maintaining international
peace and security. Functions may include investigating any situation that has the
potential of creating international tension; call for military action towards an
aggressor or threat; impose economic sanctions and other measures; determine the
existence of a breach of peace and actions to be pursued.
3. The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC):
The Economic and Social Council has 54 members, they are elected by the
UN General Assembly for a term of three years. Its primary objective is to advance
the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development. It
serves as a gateway of the UN‗s partnership with the rest of the world for the
coordination, policy review, dialogue, recommendations, and implementation of
international development goals. Thus, this Council helps the UN in solving the
economic and social problems of the world.
ECOSOC, also has the authority, along with the General Assembly, to call
international conferences and to consult with nongovernmental organizations
(NGOs). The global conferences on human rights, the environment, population, and
women‗s rights, to just name a few, have been some of the most important
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contributions made by ECOSOC. These global conferences provide an important
forum for including the voices of civil society in the workings of the UN as
represented by NGOs affiliated with ECOSOC and DPI that participate sometimes
directly in the conferences or in parallel NGO forums in a way not possible in other
UN bodies. There are now some 1,500 NGOs that have consultative status with
ECOSOC and that may send observers to meetings of ECOSOC and its subsidiary
bodies. NGOs are increasingly viewed as important partners not only in representing
civil society in the formulation of policies but also in implementing policies and norm
promotion in countries around the world (Krasno, 2004).
4. The Trusteeship Council:
The Trusteeship Council supervises the administration of those backward and
disputed territories, the responsibility for the development of which has been taken
over by the UN. Apart from the permanent members of the Security Council, the
administering countries of the trust territories are its members.
Membership on the Council had its own peculiar system. It included Member
States that had been given administrative authority over a trust territory, all of the P-
5, plus a number of members not administering a territory that were elected by the
General Assembly for three-year terms, the total number of which was to equal the
number of states on the Council that were administering a territory. In 1994, the last
of the territories, Palau, a Pacific island territory, gained independence and became
a member of the UN. The role of the Council was to supervise the governance of the
territories by the administering state and to receive petitions and grievances by the
inhabitants seeking redress. The Council would make an annual report to the
General Assembly on its work, thereby delegating accountability to the administering
state. In this way it was to the advantage of the administering state to rid itself of this
responsibility, and the Council put itself out of business by its success. Formally, the
Trusteeship Council still exists, but with only the P-5 as members.
5. The International Court of Justice (ICJ):
It is the chief judicial body of the UN. It is also called ―the World Court.‖ It
consists of 15 judges who are elected by the General Assembly on the
recommendations of the UN Security Council; each judge of ICJ holds a tenure of 9
years. It‗s one third judges retire after three years and in their place new judges are
elected.
The International Court of Justice gives its verdict on such disputes/cases
which are brought to it by the concerned states by their mutual consent. It gives
advisory opinion on legal matters to the organs and special agencies of the UN when
solicited. It‗s headquarter is located at The Hague (Netherlands).
6. The Secretariat:
Secretariat is the administrative organ of the UN. It implements the policies
and decisions taken up by organs of the UN. It consists of international civil servants
who, while serving the UN, must forget their national loyalties and work for securing
the interests of the UN. Members of the secretariat serve in their capacity as UN
employees and not as state representatives. Their salaries are paid by the UN. The
Secretariat General is the head of the Secretariat. He is called the ―Watchdog of the
UN‖. He is appointed for a term of 5 year by the UN General Assembly on the
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recommendation of the Security Council. At present. Mr. Ban Ki Moon is the UN
Secretary General.
Specialized Agencies of the UN
The Specialized Agencies of the UN have been playing a significant role in
implementing the policies, decisions and programs of the UN. These are looking
after specific areas and issues like research, health, labor, trade, culture, human
rights etc.
Some of the important specialized agencies of the UN are: International
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO),
Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), World Labour Organization (WLO), World
Health Organization (WHO), International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
(IBRD), World Meteorological Organization (WMO), UN International Children‗s Fund
(UNICEF), UN Environment Program (UNEP), World Food Program (WFP), UN‗s
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and others
UNICEF (UN Children‗s Fund) works for children‗s rights, their survival, development
and protection. UNICEF works to ensure all children, everywhere in the world, enjoy
the same human rights. UNICEF focuses on ensuring children have access to
education and healthcare, and making sure they are free from problems such as
child labour, abuse and neglect.
WHO is the UN‗s World Health Organization. WHO is the authority on matters of
global health and works to ensure all people are free from preventable diseases like
malaria and HIV/AIDS. WHO works to strengthen healthcare systems in every
country so that all citizens can stay healthy and live longer, happier lives.
UNESCO is the UN‗s Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Its role is to
promote international cooperation in education, science, culture, and communication
and information. UNESCO is working to make sure all children in the world have the
opportunity go to school. UNESCO also helps protect special cultural and natural
places around the world by giving them World Heritage status.
WFP is the UN World Food Programme – the largest humanitarian agency fighting
hunger. It feeds over 90 million people a year, saving the lives of those affected by
conflict and natural disasters.
Challenges of the United Nations
Given the scope of the UN‗s activities, it naturally faces numerous
challenges.
1. The limits placed upon its various organs and programs by the need to
respect state sovereignty. The UN is not the world government, and it
functions primarily because of voluntary cooperation from states. If states
refuse to cooperate, the influence of the UN can be severely restricted.
2. According to Claudio et.al (2018), the issues related to security can be
considered as the biggest challenge. As mentioned, the UN Security Council
is tasked with authorizing international acts of military intervention. Because of
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the P5s veto power, it is tough for the council to release formal resolution,
much more implement it.
3. It lacks adequate funds to meet all its objectives.
4. The veto power of the five permanent members of the Security Council has
virtually left this powerful UN organ at the mercy of ―Big-Five‖ i.e. USA, UK,
Russia France and China. Hence, the need is to reform the UN system from
within and outside.
5. The urgent need to democratize the UN. Democracy and transparency must
characterize the Working of all the organs of the UN. The Security Council
needs to be expanded and restructured. Almost all countries now advocate
the need for an increase in the permanent and non-permanent members of
the UN Security Council.
In order to strengthen the role of the United Nations, efforts should be made
to uphold the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations. The
authority of the Security Council in maintaining international peace and security must
be preserved and role of the United Nations in development area should be
strengthened. To strengthen the role of the United Nations, it is essential to ensure
to all Member States of the United Nations the right to equal participation in
international affairs and the rights and interests of the developing countries should
be safeguarded.
To assess your understanding of the lesson, please answer the activities below.
Reflections/ Learning Insights:
NAME:
DATE:
CYS:
Insights: What new insights or learning did you gain in discussion?
1. Before reading the article/understanding the lesson, I thought that
.
However, after the discussion, I now think/realize that
.
2. Before reading the article/understanding the lesson, I thought that
.
However, after the discussion, I now think/realize that
.
3. Before reading the article/understanding the lesson, I thought that
.
However, after the discussion, I now think/realize that
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.
Post-test:
NAME:
DATE:
CYS:
.
Part 1: Look at the image below and answer the succeeding questions.
Image source: http://howtosavetheworld.ca/2013/07/15/links-of-the-month-july-15-
2013
1. How is economic globalization depicted in the photo?
2. How does this apply to the Philippines?
.
3. If this is a perceived issue or problem, what do you think should be done to
address or solve them?
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