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Listen: ‘The United Nations: Examining How International Governance Structures Function (or Falter)’ | A Podcast Episode

The third episode of the fourth season of the Katipunan Dialogue Podcast featured a discussion with Ambassador Laura del Rosario, former Undersecretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), on how the United Nations functions (or falters) in the face of intensified war operations of Israel in Palestine.

You can listen to this episode on Spotify.

Episode Topics

The conversation centered on the following questions:

    1. What are the roles of global governance structures, specifically the United Nations (UN)? How would you weigh in on the UN based on its ascribed roles?
    2. What do you think are the main driving forces why international cooperation has been increasingly difficult within the UN system and other global governance structures?
    3. How do multipolarity and the struggle for a new world order influence cooperation or collaboration through global governance structures?
    4. While consensus-building through international organizations is becoming more complex  (as in the case of the Israeli war on Palestine),  what alternative arrangements are available?
    5. Can we draw from other historical conflicts to find a viable solution for the crisis in the Middle East? Scholars and political observers have cited the South African anti-apartheid movement as an example. What lessons can be gleaned from the South African struggle for political rights? Can these lessons be applied to the Israeli–Palestinian crisis in the Middle East?
    6. One perspective suggests that relying too much on institutional solutions will likely result in more failures. This implies that the issue is not solely caused by the institutions or their supporters but rather by too much faith in these organizations. Do you agree with this statement?

Guest Speaker

Amb. Laura Del Rosario is a career diplomat with a track record of 37 years in the Philippine Foreign Service. Her career culminated in her appointment as Undersecretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs for International Economic Relations. She also served as the Director General of the Foreign Service Institute from 2009 to 2011.  Her committed work in the government was recognized with the Gawad Kamanong Presidential Award (the Grand Cross) in 2012 and the Sikatuna Presidential Award for her work as chair of the Senior Officials’ Meetings for the APEC Manila Summit in 2016. Amb. Del Rosario is the President of the Miriam College.

Host

Mr. Aaron Abel Mallari is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Political Science, College of Social Sciences and Philosophy (CSSP), University of the Philippines Diliman (UPD). He holds a BA and MA in History from the University of the Philippines. He obtained a double degree from the European Masters in Global Studies (EMGS) Program through an Erasmus+ scholarship that enabled him to study at the Ghent University in Belgium and the University of Vienna in Austria. Presently, his research pursuits focus on the broad history and development of international drug policy, transnational crime, and Southeast Asian studies, with an inclination toward applying and thinking about postcolonial and decolonial theorizing and methodology (from UP Diliman Political Science website).

Queries

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The Katipunan Dialogue Podcast (KDP) is produced by the Strategic Studies Program (SSP) of the Center for Integrative and Development Studies, University of the Philippines, in partnership with DZUP. You can listen to the previous episodes of KDP on Spotify.

The Strategic Studies Program is one of the UP CIDS’ 16 research programs that focuses on national security, foreign policy, and other related issues. Learn more and download SSP policy papers for free.