International Organizations & Global Governance

• The discussion will cover the definition of International Organizations and Global Governance, along with the United Nations and its challenges.
• How is the world governed in the absence of Global Governance?

International Agreements

• International agreements are treaties signed by a number of states that establish global rules of conduct.
• Some states break these rules, for example North Korea, Iran, and Syria.

International Law

• This is a collection of rules and regulations that define the rights and obligations of states.

Significant International Treaties

• United Nations Charter (1945) created the UN.
• GATT (1947) greatly reduced tariffs.
• Convention on The Elimination of ALL Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW 1979) promoted international bill of rights for women.
• Kyoto Protocol (2005) requires countries to reduce emission to address global warming.
• Rome Statute (1998) established the International Criminal Court.

International Organizations

• The term "international organization (IO)" generally refers to international governmental organizations or organizations with a universal membership of sovereign states.
• The most prominent IO is the United Nations, with 193 members.
• Other organizations include the World Trade Organization, the Universal Postal Union, and the International Hydrographic Organization.
• International organizations are established by treaties that provide legal status.
• International organizations are subjects of international law and can enter into agreements among themselves or with member states.

Global Governance

• This is the sum of laws, norms, policies, and institutions that define, constitute, and mediate trans-border relations between states, cultures, citizens, intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations, and the market.
• There is no global government with a central authority.

United Nations Main Organs

• General Assembly
• Security Council
• Secretariat
• Trusteeship Council
• Economic and Social Council
• International Court of Justice

General Assembly

• The General Assembly is the main deliberative, policy-making, and representative organ of the UN.
• All 193 member states are represented, making it the only UN body with universal representation.
• Each year, heads of state attend the annual General Assembly in New York.
• It widely debates and addresses important topics, such as peace and security, admission of new members, and budgetary matters.
• Decisions on budget questions require a two-thirds majority, while other questions require a simple majority.
• The General Assembly elects a GA president to serve a one-year term.
• Dennis Francis has been the GA President since June 2023.

Security Council

• Has primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security.
• Fifteen members are on the council.
• Each member has one vote and must comply with Council decisions.
• Takes the lead in determining the existence of a threat to the peace or act of aggression.
• Calls upon parties to a dispute to settle by peaceful means and recommends methods of adjustment or terms of settlement.
• It can impose sanctions or authorize the use of force to maintain or restore international peace and security.
• The Council is composed of 15 members.
• Five permanent members: China, France, Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
• Ten non-permanent members are elected by the General Assembly for two-year terms.

Economic and Social Council

• It is the principal body for coordination, policy review, policy dialogue, and recommendations on economic, social, and environmental issues, as well as the implementation of internationally agreed development goals.
• It serves as the central mechanism for activities of the UN system and its specialized agencies in the economic, social, and environmental fields.
• It has 54 members, elected by the General Assembly for overlapping three-year terms.

Trusteeship Council

• Established in 1945 by the UN Charter to provide international supervision for 11 Trust Territories placed under the administration of seven Member States and to ensure the territories took adequate steps towards self-government or independence.
• The Council suspended operations on November 1, 1994, after all Trust Territories had attained their goals.

International Court of Justice

• This is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, with its seat at The Hague (Netherlands).
• It is the only of the six principal organs of the United Nations not located in New York (United States of America).
• The Court settles legal disputes submitted to it by states and gives advisory opinions on legal questions referred to it by authorized United Nations organs and specialized agencies.

Secretariat

• Comprises the Secretary-General and tens of thousands of international UN staff members who carry out the day-to-day work of the UN.
• The Secretary-General is appointed by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the Security Council for a renewable five-year term.
• He is a symbol of the Organization's ideals and an advocate for the world's people, especially the poor and vulnerable.
• UN staff members are recruited internationally and work in duty stations and peacekeeping missions worldwide.
• António Guterres of Portugal is the current Secretary-General.

Challenges of Globalization and Interdependence:

• Identifying the nature and content of globalization to improve effective policy responses to its challenges from the development perspective.
• Some emphasize the increased mobility of production factors and seamless flows across borders, resulting in a truly global market.
• Others see the results and future potential of explosive progress in information technology.
• Some view globalization from social and cultural perspectives.

Challenges Posed by Globalization

• The challenge of bringing coherence to policy-making is among the foremost challenges posed by globalization.
• While the United Nations is an organization of sovereign member states, the organization by necessity finds itself more and more often in a role of formulating and implementing policy responses that must go beyond national actions to be effective.
• Globalization tends to erode one of the principal marks of national authority, the complete and exclusive control of the national currency and associated financial markets, which has specifically complicated national management of money supply, exchange rates and interest levels.

States' Vulnerability to Erosion:

• All States are increasingly vulnerable to the erosion of their ability to act effectively and with authority.
• Many transnational processes infringe on national sovereignty, including trade and finance, macroeconomic policies, environmental degradation, refugee and migrant flows, and epidemics.

Institutional Deficit

• There is an institutional or governance deficit due to the globalization of production by international corporations, international finance, large-scale movements of people, and increased cultural flows.
• These have not been matched by a corresponding reshaping of regulatory mechanisms.