Background

In a globalized world of interdependence, the pressure to cope with global challenges has increased immensely. Unfortunately, the international framework conditions that exist at present are far from offering effective long-term solutions. Currently certain criteria from the concept of the “global contract” are being taken into consideration amongst scientific and political discussions. Ultimately however, a truly inclusive international framework would need to meet all the criteria specified for a global contract. Measures that are based on limited criteria are less likely to be successful. For example, the abstract political aim of sustainable development has been a central talking point ever since the World Summit in Rio in 1992. However, the implementation of this concept has been most unsatisfactory, as was clearly exposed at the follow-up conference in Johannesburg one decade later. A commitment to sustainability will only ever be honorary while short-comings remain in the official requirements (binding character according to international law, effective sanction mechanism, financing of the implementation, etc.). What is essentially required is the gradual implementation of a coherent global system, which can effectively guarantee the implementation of sustainable policy objectives. The concept of a global contract could be a valuable tool in achieving this.

It is true that a number of international framework conditions already exist: at the end of 2003 there were 571 multilateral treaties within the framework of the United Nations, as well as further international framework conditions through other bodies. These agreements can be seen as the first elements of a global framework and as the preliminary attempt to shape globalization. However, the number of international framework conditions which could actually be considered global contracts, is still quite low: in the Federal Republic of Germany, for example, there were 3,128 executive order laws and 2,102 laws effective in November 2004. At the EU level, there were 1,859 directives and 6,428 regulations over the same time. These figures alone illustrate that we are far from effective management of global challenges.