3214- Global Governance

Question 1

There is no widely agreed definition of global governance but many geographers describe it as a movement rather than an entity and others refer to it as a concept. The commission on Global Governance describes it as

Answer 1

The sum of the many ways individuals and institutions, public and private manage their global affairs

Question 2

The commission on global governance’s description of global governance goes beyond the obvious regulatory institutions- the range of so-called actors managing global affairs includes

Answer 2

Nation states, profit-making companies, international and regional organisations (such as the EU) and their participation in this process may be reactive or proactive

Question 3

Global governance is essentially an

Answer 3

International process of consensus-forming which generates guidelines and agreements ‘governing’ the actions of those same players

Question 4

What are the 3 actors that manage global affairs?

Answer 4

• National governments
• TNCs
• International organisations

Question 5

Explain how National governments reactively and proactively manage global affairs

Answer 5

• reactive= legislate and invest to implement international initiatives, laws or agreements e.g. UK gov’s recent support for renewable energy sources to reduce dependence on fossil fuels is in part a response to the new EU laws on dirty power stations
• proactive= lobby and contribute to international discussions, votes and decisions e.g. some National govs have more influence than others on the UN Security Council and often take leadership roles in conflict resolutiom

Question 6

Explain how TNCs reactively and proactively manage global affairs

Answer 6

• reactive= adopt new codes of conduct imposed by legislation or socio-economic pressure e.g. in the wake of collapse of the eight-storey Rana Plaza building near Dhaka, in Bangladesh in 2013, clothing company primary paid compensation and provided emergency aid to the victims of the disaster
• proactive= sponsor and support work of NGOs and international organisations e.g. tobacco companies such as British American Tobacco and others sponsor anti-smoking NGOs within LICs such as South-east Asia to publicise health risks of smoking thereby protecting themselves from the sorriso of law suits seen in HICs in recent decades

Question 7

Explain how International organisations reactively and proactively manage global affairs

Answer 7

• reactive= respond to global events to offer advice to national governments and publicise the work of NGOs already on the ground e.g. the WHO was late to offer guidance on how to contain the Ebola virus in the early stages of the recent epidemic in West Africa
• proactive= sponsor, facilitate and publicise international issues and agreements to address them e.g. in 2013, the UNI Global Union, in alliance with leading NGOs sponsored and created the legally binding Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety, to protect working conditions in the ready-made garment industry = signed by 200 clothing companies in over 20 countries

Question 8

So, in short, global governance refers to the ways in which

Answer 8

global affairs affecting the whole world are managed

Question 9

In international relations generally, decisions are made by individual state governments. Co-operation is usually negotiated between countries, which agree to abide by

Answer 9

Similar rules given in signed treaties or international laws

Question 10

As the world becomes more interdependent, global economic governance is increasingly important for

Answer 10

Achieving sustainable development across all nations; this is especially true for governance at the global commons where environmental sustainability is at the forefront of our concerns, not least our utilisation of the continent of Antarctica

Question 11

Regarding regulating global systems, in this increasingly economically integrated world, some argue that governments are losing their influence and that ________ now have more power to control resources, capital and labour

Answer 11

Corporations

Question 12

In response to the acceleration of interdependence between countries the therm ‘global governance’ is often used to name the process of

Answer 12

Designating laws, rules or regulations intended to manage global systems e.g. laws governing international trade

Question 13

In recent years, global governance has focused on a number of international issues:

Answer 13

• reducing environmental problems
• trade and investment inequities
• civil conflict
• human rights violation
• reduction of poverty
• financial instability

Question 14

Regarding international development and global governance what does NGO stand for?

Answer 14

Non-government organisations

Question 15

Regarding international development and global governance what does SDGs stand for?

Answer 15

Sustainable development goals

Question 16

Regarding international development and global governance what does UNDP stand for?

Answer 16

United Nations Development Programme

Question 17

Regarding international development and global governance what does UNEP stand for?

Answer 17

United Nations Environment Programme

Question 18

Regarding international development and global governance what does WHO stand for?

Answer 18

World Health Organisation

Question 19

Regarding international development and global governance what does WSSD stand for?

Answer 19

World Summit on Sustainable Development

Question 20

Regarding international development and global governance what does WTO stand for?

Answer 20

World Trade Organisation

Question 21

A number of organisations take responsibility for promoting growth, stability and the development of all regions sustainably, both

Answer 21

Economically and environmentally

Question 22

Many of the organisations operating internationally are connected to the United Nations such as the

Answer 22

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

Question 23

Despite the existence of the UN, there is no ‘world government’ with the political authority to exercise jurisdiction over executive, legislative or military affairs for the whole planet. The UN has a mainly advisory role: its purpose is to

Answer 23

Foster co-operation between state governments, rather than exerting authority over them—>
Similarly, international organisations such as the WTO and the WHO exist to take responsibility for managing specific aspects of an increasingly inter-related world such as regulating the rules of trade or dealing with international public health issues

Question 24

There are also a number of different NGOs with varying objectives, but generally either to

Answer 24

Ensure justice and equality for people across the world, or to campaign for environmental sustainability —>
The international strength and support for some of these organisations means that they have the authority to challenge the excesses of negative TNC impacts and of governments supporting them

Question 25

Give examples of international development agencies

Answer 25

• The UNDP
• The WTO
• The UNEP
• world summits on climate change

Question 26

Explain aim and work of The UNDP

Answer 26

• UNDP’s aims are the eradication of poverty and inequalities and exclusions- they operate in over 150 countries
• main work of the UNDP has been to lead the drive in meeting the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs)
• eight anti-poverty targets set in 2000 and the world committed to achieve them by 2015
• members of the UN are now in the process of defining the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for the next 15 years- their aim is to strengthen post 2015 frameworks for:
• development
• disaster risk reduction
• climate change
• global sustainable development
• new agenda is to finish work of the MDGs, leaving no countries behind

Question 27

Explain the aims and work of WTO regarding international development

Answer 27

• as a response to globalisation, then WTO’s focus is on the issue of trade and investment equities
• injustice has been partly alleviated by some of the processes of globalisation but has undoubtedly been accentuated in other ways
• the WTO’s commitment to liberalising trade means that they are responsible, through negotiations, for combatting exploitative practices used by some countries and TNCs and for removing the protectionist policies adopted by some governments and trading blocs

Question 28

Explain the aims and work of UNEP

Answer 28

• the body responsible for supporting a coherent structure of international environmental governance
• been the leading global environmental authority since 1970s and has grown in stature alongside increasing concern about human impact on the global environment
• their mission statement= “To provide leadership and encourage partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that a future generations.”
• UNEP’s work is now part of the UN system-wide preparations for the post-2015 UN Development Agenda- the SDGs

Question 29

Explain aims and work of world summits on climate change

Answer 29

• atmosphere including global temperature, climate change and ozone depletion is one of the global commons
• in so far as human activity can influence these processes, it can be considered to be outside the political reach of any one nation and subject to international governance
• The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is the body responsible for overseeing negotiations on reducing greenhouse gas emissions between nations
• At the UN Paris Climate Summit in December 2015, a historic, legally-binding climate deal was struck by world leaders, which will come into force in 2020. After nearly 20 years of disagreement (mainly between the USA and rapidly industrialising economies such as China and India), all 187 countries at the summit will combine pledges and work together to combat this important global threat
• The main aim is to hold global temperature rises to a maximum of 1.5°C in order to avert the worst effects of global warming and climate change

Question 30

What are key features of the deal at the UN Paris Climate Summit in December 2015?

Answer 30

• all countries will voluntarily cut emissions
• a long-term aim to reduce the net emissions to zero in the second half of the 21st century
• HICs will pledge $100 billion each year to help developing countries adapt to climate change
• review mechanism to increase pledges every 5 years if they are insufficient to keep warming below 2 degrees

Question 31

Success in global governance and in regulating the extremes resulting from unchecked globalisation can best be achieved if there is a clear communication and understanding of strategies at all scales from global to local (or vice a versa). This clarity is often provided by ____ which operate across boundaries and at all levels

Answer 31

NGOs

note: the ‘Agenda 21’ action plan has equally attempted to engage governments and individuals at all levels

Question 32

As part of the globalisation process, NGOs have expanded their scope from local and national settings and have increasingly become ‘international’ organisations.
In the 21st-century NGOs have emerged as a global force to:

Answer 32

• democratise decision-making (for example, persuading governments to consider ‘bottom up’ approaches
  -protect human rights
• provide essential services to most in need

Question 33

There is a distinction to be made between operational and advocacy (campaigning) NGOs. Both are funded by charitable donations but some also receive money from governments and others from businesses (though this may compromise their independence):

Answer 33

• Operational NGOs: Those providing front-line support services to the needy (for example, Oxfam); tend to raise money for each project they undertake
• Advocacy NGOs: Those who focus on campaigns to raise awareness to gain support for a cause (for example, Friends of the Earth); derive money from donations and, in some cases, from membership subscriptions

Question 34

In reality, NGOs work increasingly in partnership with other stakeholders like

Answer 34

Governments and international organisations

Question 35

NGOs are becoming more and more important in supporting development. They are often the only coordinated organisations to provide a voice for

Answer 35

The poor of the world

Question 36

With greater communication and awareness of issues greater than individual countries, many NGOs such as Amnesty International and __________ have emerged. They draw together people focusing on global issues and do not tie themselves to the interests of any government

Answer 36

Greenpeace