Introduction to Global Governance (AQA A Level Geography)

Global governance refers to the collective decision-making and management of issues that affect people across the world

Problems such as climate change, international terrorism, pollution and war are complex and affect multiple countries so cannot be tackled by a national government acting alone

Often national governments work together through global institutions to tackle these global issues

Norms, laws and institutions help to promote cooperation between nations and other key stakeholders to maintain global systems

Norms are the shared values and expectations that govern behaviour e.g. respect for human rights or gender equality

• If a country does not respect human rights, they face condemnation from the international community

• Not all countries agree about what is normal and acceptable: This can make global governance challenging

Laws are formal rules that must be adhered to: They are legally binding

• International treaties and agreements that set out specific rules to govern issues like human rights and global trade

• An example is the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) which sets out specific rights, rules and responsibilities for countries in their use of the oceans and seas

Institutions are formal organisations that are established to facilitate discussion, cooperation and decision-making between different nations

• They create laws, monitor whether or not they are being followed and enforce them if they are broken

• Examples include the United Nations (UN), the World Bank and the World Trade Organisation (WTO)