Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of tables, figures and boxes
- List of contributors
- Preface and acknowledgments
- An introduction to international relations: the origins and changing agendas of a discipline
- 1 Theory and practice in Australian international relations: the search for identity and security
- Part 1 Theories of international relations
- Part 2 The traditional agenda: states, war and law
- Part 3 The new agenda: globalisation and global governance
- 20 Multilateral economic institutions
- 21 Global trade
- 22 Global finance
- 23 Non-state actors: multinational corporations and international non-governmental organisations
- 24 Global poverty and inequality
- 25 Globalisation and its critics
- 26 The globalisation of Islam
- 27 Global terrorism
- 28 Humanitarianism and armed intervention
- 29 Human rights
- 30 Migration and refugees
- 31 Global environmental politics
- 32 Global governance and the United Nations
- Glossary of terms
- Bibliography
- Index
- References
32 - Global governance and the United Nations
from Part 3 - The new agenda: globalisation and global governance
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of tables, figures and boxes
- List of contributors
- Preface and acknowledgments
- An introduction to international relations: the origins and changing agendas of a discipline
- 1 Theory and practice in Australian international relations: the search for identity and security
- Part 1 Theories of international relations
- Part 2 The traditional agenda: states, war and law
- Part 3 The new agenda: globalisation and global governance
- 20 Multilateral economic institutions
- 21 Global trade
- 22 Global finance
- 23 Non-state actors: multinational corporations and international non-governmental organisations
- 24 Global poverty and inequality
- 25 Globalisation and its critics
- 26 The globalisation of Islam
- 27 Global terrorism
- 28 Humanitarianism and armed intervention
- 29 Human rights
- 30 Migration and refugees
- 31 Global environmental politics
- 32 Global governance and the United Nations
- Glossary of terms
- Bibliography
- Index
- References
Summary
Introduction
This chapter presents an overview of global governance and the special place of the United Nations (UN) in international relations. The chapter begins by explaining what this relatively new term ‘global governance’ means. It is important that global governance not be confused with global government. It then outlines the UN and its structure before discussing the special role played by the UN in embodying and fostering global governance. One of the most vital roles the UN plays in this regard is in war prevention and peacebuilding. Founded on the desire to manage conflicts peacefully, the UN has, however, occasionally seen fit to authorise the use of force, not least in response to humanitarian emergencies. Nonetheless the UN's commitment to maintaining international peace and security remains primary. The chapter concludes by reflecting on how the UN and global governance continue to rely on each other for existence.
What is global governance?
Governance occurs at various levels of social activity, from the village or local council to the state and the international system. Whenever human beings or social groups interact for extended periods, they establish a structure consisting of rules, norms and institutions. This structure constitutes governance and may perform diverse functions, but it is particularly significant for providing order, certainty and stability as perceived by the most powerful actors.
International Relations scholars started to use the term ‘global governance’ frequently in the 1980s, but the activities it describes have existed for centuries (Murphy 1994).
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- An Introduction to International RelationsAustralian Perspectives, pp. 373 - 384Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2007