Management principles

Global governance deficit must be overcome to effectively address the increasingly severe and highly interconnected challenges the world faces

Four major deficits — the deficits in peace, development, security, and governance — have emerged in the world today amid the major changes taking place. The global governance deficit, especially the worsening and retrogression of global issues such as climate change, the ecology and environment crises, and the liberalization and facilitation of trade and investment, has become an important variable concerning the survival and prosperity of all mankind, and has aroused growing attention from the international community.

In response to increasingly severe extreme climate events, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres solemnly pointed out at the 27th UN Climate Change Conference (COP 27) last year that "humanity has a choice: cooperate or perish".This not only reflects the strong global expectations for solutions to the governance deficit, but also shows that reducing or eliminating the governance deficit is in the common interest of people all over the world.

In the context of increasingly severe and highly interconnected global problems, and increasingly solidified and even intensified governance deficit, it is necessary to build a widespread consensus on the concept of global governance among countries. On the basis of this consensus, a fair, reasonable and effective basic principle of global governance can be formed to guide the solution of global problems. The fairness of global governance is mainly manifested in the principle of national sovereign equality and voluntary compliance. The rationality of global governance is mainly embodied in the principles of balance of rights and responsibilities and mutual benefit compensation. The effectiveness of global governance is mainly manifested in the principles of giving priority to results and emphasizing feedback on evaluation.

The first is the principle of sovereign equality, an important principle that has governed relations between countries for hundreds of years, and has become a common principle followed by the UN and its agencies or organizations. The key to sovereign equality is that governance rules treat all countries equally, regardless of their sizes, strengths or wealth. Rules that bind other countries must bind all. This principle is of fundamental significance for ensuring the normal development of international relations, promoting international peace and cooperation, and especially protecting the legitimate rights and interests of developing countries. Only by adhering to the principle of sovereign equality in the field of global governance can the equal rights of all countries be ensured or promoted.

The second is the principle of voluntary compliance, which refers to the fact that before the establishment and implementation of global governance rules, the consent of the countries to be bound by them must be obtained. This principle has been internationally recognized in the field of global climate governance, and its feasibility has been proved to a certain extent. The Paris Agreement has established a new model of responsibility sharing centered on nationally determined contributions, which not only ensures that all parties actively fulfill their common responsibilities to address climate change, but also reflects their respective capabilities through voluntary commitments to reduce emissions, thereby ensuring subjective initiative.

The third is the principle of a balance between rights and responsibilities. The imbalance between rights and responsibility of various countries is now very prominent in some areas of global governance. This imbalance has become the root cause why the deficit in global governance cannot be eliminated. Among the various existing global governance systems, the vast majority of governance rules and mechanisms have been established under the leadership of developed economies, which have set up governance rules that are either more beneficial to themselves or even for the purpose of suppressing competitors. This will inevitably lead to a strong non-neutral nature in the global governance system, in which the majority of emerging and developing economies cannot enjoy fair treatment. As a recognized principle of international law, the balance and reciprocity of rights and responsibilities must be upheld and promoted in global governance.

The fourth is the principle of mutual benefit compensation. While the principle of sovereignty guarantees equality among countries, it can also lead to the problem of externalities. In other words, the formulation and implementation of domestic policies that are internal affairs of one country may have a negative impact on the well-being of other countries. For instance, known as the lung of the earth, the Amazon rainforest is, mainly, 80 percent to be exact, located in Brazil. It may seem that how to develop the rainforest is Brazil's internal affair. But in fact, the rainforest, which has decreased by 31 percent in recent decades, has reached the point where it must be strictly protected to benefit the Earth. It would be unreasonable and difficult for Brazil to assume the sole responsibility for protecting the Amazon at the expense of its own development. Rather, it would be a wise choice to establish some kind of compensation mechanism to provide certain compensation and incentives to countries that make sacrifices while benefiting the world.

The fifth is the principle of giving priority to results. Slow action, inefficiency and even making empty promises are the major manifestations of global governance, which has long lagged behind the needs of the times. The principle of giving priority to results in global governance, on the one hand, refers to the joint efforts of all countries to provide operational and effective solutions to the global challenges faced by mankind; and on the other hand, it also refers to taking coordinated and efficient collective actions among countries, which includes, inter alia, a system of rewards and punishments for enforcing the rules of global governance. The principle of giving priority to results is an inevitable choice for the steady and long-term development of global governance.

The sixth is the principle of evaluation feedback. Many global issues are characterized by uncertainty and unpredictability, and improving the global governance mechanisms is also a long-term process. It would be highly valuable to dynamically evaluate the performance of countries participating in global governance and to offer feedback on the evaluation results to the countries involved in order to remove obstacles to global governance and formulate new response plans in a timely manner. Evaluation feedback can be provided by international multilateral institutions, independent think tanks, or even commercial organizations, experts and scholars.

The six principles of global governance fully embody Chinese concepts and propositions such as the global governance concept of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, practicing true multilateralism, and the democratization of international relations. Its goal is to promote the realization of a more just, reasonable, and effective global governance system and building a community with a shared future for mankind.

The author is a member of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, director of the Institute of World Economics and Politics and chairman of the National Institute for Global Strategy at the CASS. The author contributed this article to China Watch, a think tank powered by China Daily. The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.

Contact the editor at editor@chinawatch.cn.