GG - Global Governance Flashcards
What is global governance?
The rules and organisations used to manage issues that affect the whole world
What are the actors in managing global affairs?
National governments
TNCs
International organisations
How are national governments reactive and proactive in managing global affairs?
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
How are TNCs reactive and proactive in managing global affairs?
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
How are international organisations reactive and proactive in managing global affairs?
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
What kind of international issues does global governance focus on?
Reducing environmental problems
Trade and investment inequities
Civil conflict
Human rights
What are international laws?
Legally binding rules established by countries through international agreements covering things such as human rights, labour standards and trade agreements
What are norms?
Accepted standards of behaviour where there are usually negative consequences for countries, companies and individuals who do not follow them
What are institutions?
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
Give some examples of global institutions
WTO
UN
International Criminal Court
What are the SDGs?
Sustainable Development Goals
What is the UNDP?
United Nations Development Progamme
What is the UNEP?
United Nations Environmental Programme
What is the WSSD?
World Summit on Sustainable Development
What does it mean that the United Nations has an advisory role?
It does not have the authority to exercise jurisdiction over executive, judicial, legislative or military affairs
Describe the UNDP
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)
What are the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)?
Eight anti-poverty targets set in September 2000 and the world committed to achieve them by 2015
What is the focus of the World Trade Organisation (WTO)?
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
What is the UNFCCC and what is its role?
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
Body responsible for overseeing negotiations on reducing greenhouse gas emissions between nations
What was the significance of the UN Paris Climate Summit in December 2015?
Legally-binding climate deal struck by world leaders that came into force in 2020 agreed by all 187 countries to combat climate change
What were some key features of the United Nations Paris Climate Summit in December 2015?
Hold global temperature rises to a max of 1.5°C
All countries to voluntarily cut emissions
How are interactions at all scales on global governments achieved?
NGOs operating across boundaries and at all levels
The ‘Agenda 21’ action plan to engage governments and individuals at all levels
How have NGOs emerged as a global force?
Democratising decision making (encouraging governments to use ‘bottom-up’ strategies)
Providing essential services to deprived people
Protecting human rights
What is the difference between advocacy and operational NGOs?
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
What are the issues with the system of global governance?
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
What is the UN Charter?
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
How has the UN helped to promote growth and stability?
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
How successful were the UN Millennium Development Goals?
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
How has the UN caused inequalities and injustices?
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
