FM-AA-CIA-15 Rev.

0 10-July-2020

Study Guide in GE 5: Contemporary World Module No.5

STUDY GUIDE FOR MODULE NO. 5

CONTEMPORARY GLOBAL GOVERNANCE

MODULE OVERVIEW

The world has no global government and global authority. There are however, political and
economic bodies operating worldwide that not all people are aware of. Thus what the world has is
the idea of global governance. This term refers to domestic institutions and governments on how
large-scale problems and public-policy issues are being resolved on a global level. It involves a
range of actors including states, national and regional bodies that have the eagerness and
commitment to deal with a particular challenge. This lesson will focus primarily on the United
Nations (UN) as the most prominent intergovernmental organization today as well as the challenges
of the twenty-first century governance.

MODULE LEARNING OBJECTIVES

At the end of this lesson you are expected to:

1. Identify the roles and functions of the United Nations (UN);
2. Describe the challenges of global governance in the 21st century;
3. Explain the relevance of the nation-state in the midst of globalization; and
3. Create a poster that depicts the participation of the Philippines in the global community

MODULE CONTENT

Today, global governance makes world affairs systematic, secured and formulaic. Weiss &
Thakur (2014) describe global governance as the totality of norms, laws, policies, and bodies that
define, comprise, and facilitate transnational relations between citizens, states, cultures,
intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations. Rules and norms put everything in order.
Though global governance is rule-based, it has no central authority. However, there are systems for
international relationships that bind the states, people and society together. Since the United Nations
(UN) has the most number of members among the established global systems, this section discusses
its organs, roles and functions.

The six organs of the United Nations (UN)

• General Assembly is the central deliberative and the only organ where all member-states have
equal representation in discussion and consideration, and policymaking
• Security Council is the organ which has the commitment to preserve peace and security.
• Economic and Social Council is the main organ for cooperation, policy reviews, policy dialogue,
and advice on social, economic and environmental issues.
• Trusteeship Council is the organ tasked to administer international oversight for 11 trust territories
and to make sure that adequate procedures are taken for independence and self-government.
• International Court of Justice is UN’s prime judicial organ.
• Secretariat is the organ tasked to execute the daily activities as assigned by the other organs.

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Study Guide in GE 5: Contemporary World Module No.5

Aside from maintaining international peace and security and protecting

human rights, UN also carries the functions of delivering humanitarian
aid, promoting sustainable development, and upholding international
law. The organization utilizes good offices, diplomacy, and mediation. It
does
peacekeeping processes in countries with domestic conflicts and
peacebuilding tasks in countries freed from conflict, lessening the risk of
reversing into conflict and setting the ground work for sustainable peace
and development.
In order to protect human rights, UN scrutinizes situations and issues reported to them and
oversee the exercise of international human rights agreements. In delivering humanitarian aid, UN is
responsible for coordinating responses to emergencies and supports rapid humanitarian response for
people affected by natural disasters and armed conflict.

The Millennium Development Goals was set to promote sustainable development. In 2015, this was
changed into the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These goals are the blueprint to achieve
a better and more sustainable future for all. This collection of 17 global goals covers social and
economic issues including poverty, hunger, health, education, global warming, gender equality,
water sanitation, energy urbanization, environment and social justice.

Weiss and Thakur (2014), in their article titles, The United Nations Meets the Twenty-first
Century: Confronting the Challenges of Global Governance, identify challenges confronting UN
based on knowledge, norms, policy, institutions and compliance:

1. In terms of knowledge, UN is underappreciated regarding how its convening capacity and

mobilizing power are utilized to help funnel and consolidate knowledge from outside and ensure
its discussion and dissemination among governments.
2. The contrasting moral structures of social behavior in different member-states complicate the
formulation of a normative standard that can be applicable to all.
3. In formulating propositions, problems occur when only the member-states are heard. UN belittles
the helping hand of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the global public opinion.
Sometimes, recommendations are not executed.
4. Institutions can also be places where ideas are cornered and left behind. The modality and
processes for enforcing compliance with international norms and laws are not present. In fact, some
UN staff members violate, cheat, and challenge them.

Despite the establishment of global norms and international laws that nation-states should
follow, the nation-states are still relevant for there will be no intergovernmental organization without
them. Also, international and multinational agreements are designed by the states and propelled by
the initiatives that they undertake. To conclude, contemporary global governance defines political
scope of globalization. Cooperation among nation-states is the only way to reform and advance the
roles and functions of interstate relationships despite real challenges being faced by United Nations.

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Study Guide in GE 5: Contemporary World Module No.5

Activity 1

Philippines in the Global Community

Instruction: Create a creative and colorful poster that depicts the participation of the Philippines in
the global community. Then write at least five sentences to explain your poster. You may use a long-
sized bond paper, a recycled paper or calendar for this activity.

REFERENCES

Brazalote, T., Leonardo, R. (2018) The Contemporary World Outcome Based Module. C & E
Publishing, Inc., 2019

Weiss, T., Thakur, R. (2014) The United Nations Meets the Twenty-First Century: Confronting the
Challenges of Global Governance. The SAGE Handbook of Globalization

UN Logo: www.wikimedia.com

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