Chapter 4: Contemporary Global Governance: The United Nations

4.1. Global governments and governance

4.2. Role and Functions of the United Nations
4.3. Challenges in Global Governance
4.4. Organs of United Nations

● This chapter presents the political dimension of globalization as a primary component in

studying contemporary world. This includes examining the nature of global governance
and how these nations and states work in a globally competitive environment.

4.1 Global Governments and Governance

● Global Governments
⮚ global government is a response on the actions of various stakeholders on finding out
pressing global problems like climate change and issues on peace and security.

● Global Governance
⮚ involves management, authority, cooperation, and mechanisms that are aimed to
attain certain goals. This international process is bounded by consensus and
agreements where members are expected to perform based on the guidelines and
policies. United Nations, World Trade Organization, and World Health Organization
are examples of governments that operate globally.

4.2 Role and Functions of the United Nations

⮚ The primary role of the United Nations in global economic governance is as a
political forum for dialogue concerning the major issues on the global economic
agenda and as an integrator of the different perspectives on the economic, social, and
environmental pillars of sustainable development.

4.3 Challenges in Global Governance

1. Jurisdiction Gap
⮚ This involves the need to create power and jurisdiction to governments and
international organizations that have the commitment in confronting issues like
unemployment, human rights, peace and crimes.
2. Incentive Gap
⮚ Incentive gap is an issue between the rich and the poor countries of the world because
of uneven distribution of authority and control over decisions and policies. Poor
countries usually do not receive much attention and support from the coalition of
body due to its contributory constraints. Countries that do not provide higher material
contribution usually receive lesser amount of incentives.
3. Participation Gap
⮚ Almost all international organizations are facing the problem of consensus in
decision-making. Member -states sometimes disagree on issues that harmful to their
 interest. They do not involve in decisions that are critical to the economic and
political welfare of their sovereignty.

4.4 Organs of United Nations

a. General Assembly
This is UN’s main deliberative and decision-making body represented by all its 193 members.
The assembly holds general debate from September-December in its headquarters in New York
City. Two thirds of votes are required to decide range of issues like peace and security, budget,
and admission of new members to the organization.

b. Security Council
The Security Council is responsible in the maintenance of peace and security. All member-states
of UN are obligated to follow decisions made by the council. In some cases, the council has the
power to impose sanctions or punish members or other bodies for destabilizing international
peace and security. Security Council is composed of 15 members, five are permanent members
and ten are non-permanent members elected for two-year term. China, France, Russia, United
Kingdom, and the United States are the council’s permanent members.

c. Economic and Social Council

This body is commonly called as ECOSOC. Its main function is to coordinate, review, and
recommend policies relating to economic, social, and environmental issues. It serves as the main
agency of UN in monitoring and evaluating key results on sustainable development. The 54
members of ECOSOC, composed of experts from various fields and disciplines, is elected by the
General Assembly.

d. International Court of Justice

The ICJ is the principal judicial body of UN. Its role includes settling legal disputes among
concerned states and provides opinions on legal matters. This is the only UN organ that operates
outside United States with headquarters in the Peace Palace, Netherlands.

e. The Secretariat
The Secretariat is headed by the UN Secretary-General who sits as its Chief Administrative
Officer. The appointment of the Secretary-General is done through the recommendation of the
Security Council for a five-year term. This organ is responsible for the UN’s peacekeeping
mission and its day-to-day work and operation having thousands of international staff stationed
in different countries.