GLOBAL AND REGIONAL INTEGRATION

Global Civil Society

Global civil society refers to the network of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), advocacy groups,
and other non-state actors that operate at the global level and work to promote social and political
change

Introduction

 “International organizations are transnational organizations that are held together by formal
agreements and that contains elements of formal institutional structure.”
 International organizations can be global, or they can be regional in nature.

1. Classification of International Organization

There are two types of organizations:

i. Intergovernmental Organization (IGOs)

ii. Non-governmental Organization (NGOs)

2. What are IGOs?

IGOs are those whose membership is composed of State parties.

Example: UN, WTO, NATO, IMF

3. What are NGOs?

"Private organizations that pursue activities to relieve suffering, promote the interests of the poor,
protect the environment, provide basic social services, or undertake community development" (World
Bank)

Example: International Red Cross, Doctors without borders, the World Wildlife Fund

4. Quantity of International Organizations

 IGOs = 6000
 NGOs = 40,000

International Governmental Organizations and their Functions

 IGOs have existed since 1865, when the International Telegraphic Union was founded (now the
International Telecommunications Union).
 IGOs have gained prominence since World War II (1939-1945).
 States remain the dominant players in the international system, although IGOs are becoming
more active.
 IGOs serve provide platforms for discussion and debate, give humanitarian and other aid
throughout the globe, and enhance state relations by establishing norms and enforcement
techniques in sectors like as commerce, weapons proliferation, and environmental protection.

Functions

1) Informational
IGOs acquire, analyze, and distribute information. Many IGOs are constituted of professionals in
various subjects who can best educate IGOs and member states. UNDP gathers, analyses
 data. The United Nations Development Programme is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries
eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human development. The UNDP emphasizes
. IGO researchers have greater
developing local capacity towards long-term self-sufficiency and prosperity
opportunities to do global research than state researchers.
2) Forum
IGO forums allow members to discuss opinions, work out compromises, and collaborate on
global concerns. This happened when the global community drafted the Kyoto Protocol to the
UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to lower greenhouse gas levels.
3) Universality
IGOs typically determine and define suitable norms of behavior for its members in the global
system. This may affect the behavior of states and international organizations. An example is the
adoption by the UN General Assembly of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which has
been the global standard for human rights aspirations for over sixty years and is referred to by
states and international organizations such as the European Union (EU), the Organization of
American States, and Amnesty International.
4) Rule Creating
Regarding rule creating, several IGOs produce legally enforceable international treaties. The UN
created many of the major multilateral treaties in existence today, including the Convention
against Torture, the Kyoto Protocol to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. IGOs
are ideal platforms for creating treaties since they have a worldwide membership and a ready
place for debate.
5) Rule Supervisory
Rule supervision is connected to rule creation. Many IGOs created international treaties
establish new entities to oversee treaty compliance. These committees may accept State reports
of compliance, monitor treaty compliance, settle disputes over treaty provisions, and, if
available, enforce treaty obligations and penalize violations.
6) Operational
IGOs ultimate function is operational. UNHCR (The United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees) collects worldwide resources to house, clothe, and nourish refugees. The
organization determines when refugees are needed, finds settlement sites, and distributes
resources. Delegating this obligation to a single international body allows for a faster response
and streamlines the procedure from the UN to refugees in need.

NGOs and their Functions

 While IGOs remain dominating in global rulemaking, NGOs' impact has grown in recent decades.
 NGOs serve several key functions in the global system, including providing information to States
and their populations, monitoring State behavior to ensure compliance with international
norms, and providing grassroots support for populations in a few areas

Functions

1) Information
 First, NGOs may be good providers of information and data for states, their citizens, and
international organizations owing to their specialization

 States and the UN depend on Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch Dog
yearly human rights reports to evaluate the situation in particular countries, and they
rely on Doctors without Borders for medical aid in crisis circumstances
  NGOs deliver information directly to target groups in a state to inspire grassroots
participation

 Environmental organizations give information to communities about environmental

preservation

 NGOs' effect varies since they lack official authority. Many NGOs are seen as having
political intentions, which may reduce their effect on state and international policy
2) Normative
 NGOs also monitor state behavior and denounce breaches of international standards
since they are not tied to state power politics

 Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch provide yearly reports on state human
rights practices

 States utilize these studies to create policy and will contest their veracity if they
feel unjustly condemned

 States responding to these reports shows their worldwide relevance

3) Assistance to Communities at the Grass route
 NGOs can give grassroots assistance that IGOs and states can't.

 NGOs often have a political goal, but they are not part of the global power system and
are thus perceived as more neutral in their support to communities.

 NGOs have fulfilled numerous purposes in states, from planting trees and educating
about sustainable agriculture to promoting political involvement and providing basic
health care and education to neglected groups.

 This capacity to operate at the grassroots level might enable NGOs to have a bigger
influence than IGOs.

International Organizations: Theoretical Approach

1) Neo-Realism and IOs

 Neorealism, which sees the State as the most important international actor, thinks that
international institutions are only important if they help the State gain power or reach
its goals.
 Neo-realists say that states use international pressing interests to further their own
goals and step back when their own goals are different from those of international
organizations.
 Neorealists say that international institutions can't do their jobs well because they don't
have enough power to enforce their rules.
2) Neo-Liberalism and IOs
 Neoliberal institutionalists think that international institutions are very important for
countries. Neoliberal institutionalists say that countries can reach their goals through
cooperation instead of war.
  International organizations give governments a place to share information and talk
about problems. This makes cooperation stronger by promoting the sharing of
information and the openness of actions.
 Membership in international organizations gives governments a group of states to which
they belong and with whom they can interact. This makes it more important for
governments to keep up a good image so they can continue to benefit from cooperation
around the world.

Current Debates Concerning International Organizations

 International organizations are now largely accepted as part of the international system,
although significant concerns persist.
 First, state sovereignty and IGOs. State sovereignty has been the global system's
cornerstone since 1648. IGOs' connection to state sovereignty varies.
 On one end are institutions like the UN, where each state maintains sovereignty.
 Article 2(1) of the UN Charter safeguards sovereignty. "The Organization's members are
sovereign equals."
 On the opposite end of the scale are IGOs like the EU, in which States must give some
sovereignty to join, consenting to have some topics regulated at the regional level instead of the
State level.

 Current research shows that joining an international organization puts pressure on a country to
follow its rules and procedures. This is one of the main reasons why international organizations,
especially IGOs, are so effective.
 There are state counterparts. If a country doesn't follow the rules and values of the international
organization or doesn't care about enforcement, it could be shunned, which would make it
harder for it to promote and protect its own interests. E.g FATF and its grey , black list on non-
compliance

 Reputations of NGOs affect how the government acts. Studies show that more NGOs working in
or paying attention to a state lead to policy changes in the state or around the world.
 IGOs can't do something that NGOs can do: they can't campaign for a certain state action at the
local level.
 Efforts to stop Female Genital Mutilation in Africa because it hurts women's health and the
release of bad country reports by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have changed
the way states act because they care about their reputations.