GG - Global Governance

Question 1

What is global governance?

Answer 1

The rules and organisations used to manage issues that affect the whole world

Question 2

What are the actors in managing global affairs?

Answer 2

National governments
TNCs
International organisations

Question 3

How are national governments reactive and proactive in managing global affairs?

Answer 3

Reactive - legislate and invest, to implement international initiatives, laws, targets or agreements e.g UK Governments recent support for renewable energy resources

Proactive - lobby for and contribute to international discussions, votes and decisions e.g some governments have more influence on the UN Security Council like the UK, France and the USA which are permanent members in resolving conflict

Question 4

How are TNCs reactive and proactive in managing global affairs?

Answer 4

Reactive - compensate and adopt new codes of conduct or working practises imposed by legislation or social-economic pressure e.g Primark paid compensation after building collapse took place in Bangladesh

Proactive - sponsor and support the work of NGOs and international organisations e.g tobacco companies sponsoring anti-smoking NGOs within LICs

Question 5

How are international organisations reactive and proactive in managing global affairs?

Answer 5

Reactive - respond to global events to offer advice to the national governments and publicise the work of NGOs e.g the WHO was late to offer guidance on how to contain the Ebola virus in the pandemic in West Africa

Proactive - sponsor, facilitate and publicise international issues and agreements to address them e.g the UNI Global Union is in alliance with leading NGOs to improve working conditions

Question 6

What kind of international issues does global governance focus on?

Answer 6

Reducing environmental problems
Trade and investment inequities
Civil conflict
Human rights

Question 7

What are international laws?

Answer 7

Legally binding rules established by countries through international agreements covering things such as human rights, labour standards and trade agreements

Question 8

What are norms?

Answer 8

Accepted standards of behaviour where there are usually negative consequences for countries, companies and individuals who do not follow them

Question 9

What are institutions?

Answer 9

Political and legal organisations which exist to pass and enforce laws, decide whether a law has been broken or act as a forum for different groups to discuss issues with

Question 10

Give some examples of global institutions

Answer 10

WTO
UN
International Criminal Court

Question 11

What are the SDGs?

Answer 11

Sustainable Development Goals

Question 12

What is the UNDP?

Answer 12

United Nations Development Progamme

Question 13

What is the UNEP?

Answer 13

United Nations Environmental Programme

Question 14

What is the WSSD?

Answer 14

World Summit on Sustainable Development

Question 15

What does it mean that the United Nations has an advisory role?

Answer 15

It does not have the authority to exercise jurisdiction over executive, judicial, legislative or military affairs

Question 16

Describe the UNDP

Answer 16

United Nations Development Programme
Aims to eradicate poverty and reduction of inequalities and exclusion
Operates on over 170 countries

Main work of the UNDP was to lead the drive in meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)

Question 17

What are the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)?

Answer 17

Eight anti-poverty targets set in September 2000 and the world committed to achieve them by 2015

Question 18

What is the focus of the World Trade Organisation (WTO)?

Answer 18

As a response to globalisation, aims to focus on the issue of trade and investment inequities

The commitment to liberalising trade means that they are responsible through negotiations for combating exploitative practises used by some countries and TNCs

Question 19

What is the UNFCCC and what is its role?

Answer 19

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

Body responsible for overseeing negotiations on reducing greenhouse gas emissions between nations

Question 20

What was the significance of the UN Paris Climate Summit in December 2015?

Answer 20

Legally-binding climate deal struck by world leaders that came into force in 2020 agreed by all 187 countries to combat climate change

Question 21

What were some key features of the United Nations Paris Climate Summit in December 2015?

Answer 21

Hold global temperature rises to a max of 1.5°C
All countries to voluntarily cut emissions

Question 22

How are interactions at all scales on global governments achieved?

Answer 22

NGOs operating across boundaries and at all levels
The ‘Agenda 21’ action plan to engage governments and individuals at all levels

Question 23

How have NGOs emerged as a global force?

Answer 23

Democratising decision making (encouraging governments to use ‘bottom-up’ strategies)
Providing essential services to deprived people
Protecting human rights

Question 24

What is the difference between advocacy and operational NGOs?

Answer 24

Advocacy - those who focus on campaigns to raise awareness to gain support for a cause e.g Friends of the Earth and derive money from donations

Operational - provide front-line support services to the needy e.g Oxfam and tend to raise money for each project they undertake

Question 25

What are the issues with the system of global governance?

Answer 25

Countries sign up to international laws and institutions voluntarily - if countries do not sign up they are not bound to its laws
It can be difficult to make countries and TNCs comply with the rules (hard to enforce and countries usually don’t want to create economic sanctions against another due to maintaining trade)
Some argue global institutions act for political reasons

Question 26

What is the UN Charter?

Answer 26

The UN Charter is signed by all countries when they join the United Nations - it sets out basic principals of global governance and the functions of the UN

Aims to:
- Maintain global, peace and security
- Develop friendly relations between nations
- Solve international disputes through cooperation
- Being countries together to settle disputes

Question 27

How has the UN helped to promote growth and stability?

Answer 27

Growth
- UN Millennium Development Goals (2000-2015)
- Sustainable Development Goals (2015-2030)

Stability
UN Peacekeeping Missions e.g peaceful elections in Cote d’Ivoire in 2015 after years of civil war

Question 28

How successful were the UN Millennium Development Goals?

Answer 28

Success:
- 43 million more children go to school
- Extreme poverty halved in 15 years (reached target)
- HIV infections decreased by 43%

Failures:
Many times even though points improves, targets not reached
- Spread of HIV not halted
- Not all children in the world given a primary education

Question 29

How has the UN caused inequalities and injustices?

Answer 29

Inequalities
- HICs hold the most power over UN decisions e.g France, UK and USA permanent members of the Security Council
- Many issues tackled affect African countries the most e.g the refugee crisis but no African country has a permanent seat on the UN Security Council

Injustices
- UN has been ineffective e.g 1995 UN peacekeepers failed to protect 8000 people from massacre in Bosnia