Chapter Summary

Around the globe, there is a great disparity between those whose needs are met and those whose needs are not met. Millions to billions of people suffer from poverty, disease, and human rights abuses. In the modern international system, we need conventions of cooperation to assure equality and to provide for one another. States and international organizations are limited or even unwilling to cooperate at times. Therefore, some scholars have put forth the idea of global governance as a solution to these global issues.

One critical mechanism that has been developed to respond to problems of inequity is the Millennium Development Goals. The first of eight goals focuses on the eradication of poverty, which can be defined in terms of vulnerable employment and educational opportunities and lack of adequate nutrition, clean water, and safe shelter. One response by the United States has been the Millennium Challenge Corporation, which provides economic assistance to countries based on several eligibility criteria to aid in relieving debt burdens, and improving governance, infrastructure, healthcare, and education.

Three of the eight MDGs focus on health: to reduce child mortality; to improve maternal health; and to combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases. Both HIV/AIDS and malaria are pandemics that especially affect Sub-Saharan Africa. Many NGOs respond to need in these countries by donating supplies or expertise. The World Health Organization, a specialized agency of the United Nations, provides leadership on issues of global health and participates with a consortium of NGOs to deliver medical services. However, due to many factors such as conflict, the quality of distribution networks, corruption, and more, it is difficult to provide service to the diversity of needs throughout the world.

Human rights are also a critical area of concern. The Universal Declaration on Human Rights serves as the defining accord for the protection of human rights, but a debate still exists between universal norms and relative norms. That is, are human rights universally applicable or do they rely on national context? A particular focus within human rights is workers rights, as addressed globally by the International Labor Organization, another specialized agency of the UN. The ILO works with governments, employers, and workers to define labor standards worldwide.

There is a recognized need for effective leadership that can guide governments, corporations, international organizations, and other institutions to work jointly to promote cooperation. Many scholars say global governance can help solve these problems, but others claim that it is a threat to national sovereignty. Two ways that people can work outside of traditional frameworks are through international regimes and transnational advocacy networks. Regardless of the form and direction these efforts take, cooperation will be key to finding solutions to global problems.