Global Governance

The next topic I have looked into is Global Governance, a further issue that will be discussed at the Wellington Conference. Global Governance is concerned with sustainable development. In order to maintain a steady rate at which the world will develop, it is believed by some that in order for this to happen, there must be global governance.

In an article by the UN System Task Team on the Post-2015 UN Development Agenda, it is believed that successful global governance has not yet been achieved, however its importance is recognized as the world is becoming more interdependent and there has been an increase in trade and capital flow. The United Nations is an important aspect of inclusive global governance as it is the only universal and inclusive multilateral forum.

Another reason why it is important to recognize the significance of global governance is because of illegal workers due to gaps in global governance which make progress in social development more difficult. This creates weak protection for migrants moving into a new country as well as restricted access to health benefits, agriculture, and other areas.




GOVERNANCE OF THE GLOBAL COMMONS

Stewardship of the global commons cannot be carried out without global governance because the Global Commons are defined as those parts of the planet which fall outside national jurisdiction - for example the oceans, the atmosphere, the Antarctic, and outer space. Science, information, education and peace are also sometimes thought of as global commons. Our planet is facing critical changes to the environment including climate change, the depletion of the ozone layer, and degradation in Antarctica. Without global governance, if business prevails, these problems will likely worsen and will negatively impact the global commons capacity to "provide ecosystem services for human well-being."

A number of treaties have been put in place to help to prevent this happening, as there are those who acknowledge that there is a problem. These include the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) of 1982 and instruments governed by the International Maritime Organization and UNEP’s Regional Seas Conventions to govern the high seas; the Antarctic Treaty System (ATS) ensuring the protection of the Antarctica fauna and flora; a multitude of international environmental treaties that administer and protect the atmosphere and deal with the air pollution and atmospheric depletion, like the UNFCCC and the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer; and the Treaty on Principles governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space.