The United Nations, Global Governance and Diplomacy

Cherry Blossoms at UN Headquarters

The United Nations is the principal international organisation for promoting peace and security, and cooperation on matters that transcend the borders of nation states. The UN seeks to provide global governance on issues such as peace, human rights, trade, finance, public health and the environment, managing the different and often conflicting positions of nation states in order to do so. This subject will explore the historical and contemporary practices of the UN system across several of these key international challenges. It will utilise a range of topical case studies to examine the role of diplomacy and other tools in managing issues of global governance and promoting global citizenship. It will also consider alternative channels of multilateral governance and diplomacy. Finally, it will examine the key challenges faced by the UN today, and proposals for reform of the UN system.

You can find out more about this course in the introductory video below: