The United Nations

And Contemporary
Global Governance
Learning Outcomes
Define global governance
Identify the roles and functions of
the United Nations; and
Determine the challenges of global
governance in the twenty-first
century
Norms
Are accepted codes of conduct
that may not be strict law. But
nevertheless produce regularity in
behavior
(InternationalistBenham and Kant)
imagined the possibility of a global
government, which nothing of that sort
exist today. There is no single
organization that can militarily compel a
state to obey predetermined global rules.
However, there is some regularity in the
behavior amongst the different state.
Behavior such as;

Following global navigation routes

Respect each other’s territorial
boundaries and sovereignty
Following international standards
on safety and traffic
What happens when
a State did not follow
these global rules ?
Itbecome a cause of
global concerns and
debate
Statesin an international
order continues to adhere
to certain global norms
means that there is
resemblance of world order
despite the lack of single
world government.
Global Governance :
refers to the various
intersecting processes
that create this order.
International Organizations (IO’s)

Refers to international
intergovernmental
organizations or groups that
are primarily made up of
member-states .
Powers of
International
Organizations
(Michael n. Barnett and Martha Finnemore)
Power of Classification- create powerful global
standards
Power to fix Meanings – this is a broader function
related to the first. Various terms like “security” or
“development” need to be well defined. State,
organizations and individuals view international
organizations as a legitimate source of information. As
such, the meanings they create have effects on various
policies.
Power to Diffuse Norms- can be source of great good
and harm