GLOBAL GOVERNANCE, UNITED NATIONS AND THE NON-STATE ACTORS: THE UN RESOLUTION ON THE RULE OF LAW 2012

This article analyzes the concept of global governance, the role of the United Nations, and the growing influence of non-state actors, using the 2012 UN General Assembly High-Level Meeting and Declaration on the Rule of Law as a key case study. It examines the evolving understanding of global governance as a complex process that involves not just states and intergovernmental organizations, but also a wide range of non-state actors, such as NGOs, multinational corporations, and global civil society movements. The study explores the role of the UN in promoting the rule of law at the national and international levels. The research then focuses on the 2012 Declaration, analyzing its content and its significance in recognizing the crucial role that non-state actors play in building a culture of rule of law. The paper concludes that the Declaration is an important example of how the UN system is adapting to the new realities of a more complex and multi-actor system of global governance.

The landscape of global governance has become increasingly complex, with a proliferation of non-state actors playing influential roles alongside traditional state-based institutions. This paper explores this new reality through the lens of the 2012 UN High-Level Declaration on the Rule of Law. The study begins by providing a conceptual overview of "global governance," distinguishing it from the older concept of "world government." The core of the article is an analysis of the 2012 Declaration. It highlights the significance of the Declaration as the first time that the General Assembly had convened a meeting at the Head of State and Government level dedicated exclusively to the rule of law. The paper examines the key commitments made in the Declaration and argues that its most innovative aspect is its explicit and repeated recognition of the vital contribution of non-state actors, particularly civil society and the private sector, to the promotion of the rule of law. The findings suggest that this represents a significant evolution in the thinking of the UN, a move away from a purely state-centric view towards a more inclusive and multi-stakeholder understanding of global governance. The paper concludes that while the Declaration is a "soft law" instrument, its normative power is significant, and it provides a valuable new platform and a new set of arguments for civil society organizations to use in their advocacy work to hold states accountable to their rule of law commitments.