Commission on Global Governance

The Commission of Global Governance was established in 1992. Made up of twenty-six members all acting in their own individual capacity, the Commission sought to suggest new ways the international community could cooperate to further an agenda of global security. Their understanding of security took a broader definition that included human and planet well-being. Among the Commission's self-declared aims were securing peace, sustainable development, and universal democracy. Consulting past reports and international experts, the Commission analyzed global change and new challenges to global governance with the intention of mobilizing political collaboration on an international level. They hoped that their evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of global governance would provide a framework for future effective governance and inspire nations to adopt a more global perspective.

The Commission of Global Governance came about at the end of the Cold War. As later explained by the Commission itself, they believed that the easing of East-West tension created a better environment for global cooperation. Therefore, they sought to reexamine the best means of achieving a new global order. The Commission was founded in the aftermath of two preceding meetings organized by West German Chancellor Willy Brandt. The first meeting held in January 1990 in Köningswinter, Germany, reunited members of the Independent Commission of Disarmament and Security Issues, the World Commission of Environment and Development, and the South Commission. The attendees believed that although there seemed to be overall improvement in world affairs, there was still a need for further commitment to multilateral action and global cooperation. The Stockholm Initiative on Global Security and Governance, issued in April 1991, articulated the desire for a more-proficient system of global governance. The Commission of Global Governance was thus set up in April 1992 to further explore the new challenges of global interdependence. Willy Brandt [Page 115]invited former Swedish Prime Minister, Ingvar Carlsson, and former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth of Guyana, Shridath Ramphal, to cochair the Commission. Together, they presented the proposal for the Commission to the United Nation's Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali, who assured them of his support for their project of reassessing multilateral action.

The Commission of Global Governance's greatest contribution to international affairs was their report titled Our Global Neighborhood. First published in 1995, it presented the Commission's conclusions and recommendations for discussion at the General Assembly of the United Nation's fiftieth anniversary session. Divided into seven chapters, the report served as “a call to action,” encouraging world leaders and nongovernmental actors to work together toward achieving the goals expressed by the Commission. The beginning of the report explored the changes to the global outlook that allowed for this reassessment of future governance. Once the idea of a new world was established, the Commission proposed a common world ethic and the adoption of international values, including the respect for life, liberty, justice, and equality. The Commission also presented new policies for improving global security, which incorporated military and nonmilitary factors, managing economic interdependence, reforming the United Nations, and strengthening the rule of international law. With its many innovative recommendations, Our Global Neighborhood has served as a blueprint for global governance and has become a key reference for discussions and debates on multilateral cooperation.

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