GP essay question guide
Can international cooperation solve global problems?
Separate agreement from implementation. Cooperation can set common rules and pool resources, but outcomes still depend on incentives, finance, state capacity, and compliance.
Unpack this question first: 'Solve' is a strong word: does cooperation end a problem or only reduce it? Limit 'global problems' to two or three you can support, such as climate change and pandemics. Lesson: Reading an essay question: terms and scope
Use this question in writing - Sign in, check the question, then write your response.
Topics: Politics and Governance, Environment and Climate, Society and Culture
Three argument directions
Coordinate shared risks
Common rules reduce free-riding where one state cannot solve a cross-border problem alone.
Qualification: Consensus can weaken commitments and delay urgent action.
Pool knowledge and resources
Institutions can share surveillance, finance, expertise, and emergency capacity.
Qualification: Unequal power can shape whose needs and evidence receive priority.
Create political pressure
Agreements can set expectations that guide national law and public scrutiny.
Qualification: A norm without domestic implementation or enforcement may have little effect.
A model paragraph
Our own paragraph for this question. Copy its moves, not its words.
International cooperation can reduce global problems, but it solves them only when states find it in their own interest to keep their promises. The Montreal Protocol of 1987 is the clearest success. Almost every country agreed to phase out chemicals that were thinning the ozone layer, and scientists now expect the layer to recover around the middle of this century. It worked partly because substitutes existed, so keeping the promise cost little. Climate change is harder. Under the 2015 Paris Agreement each country sets its own target, and the pledges made so far still fall short of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Cooperation is necessary, because no country can cool the planet or stop a pandemic alone, but it solves a problem only when the cost of acting is shared fairly and the benefit of acting is clear.
How it is built
- Stand: it reduces problems; it solves them only under conditions.
- Contrast: the ozone success against the climate shortfall.
- Judgement: cooperation works when acting is affordable and fair.
Six examples to compare
COP30 Links Climate Action and Fairness
COP30 advanced climate implementation while formally connecting the transition to rights, inclusion, and support for vulnerable countries.
Possible essay use
climate action will only last if it is seen as fair, so agreements now link cutting emissions to protecting workers and vulnerable communities
Limitation
Agreements and finance targets do not guarantee delivery; the official update itself notes demands for stronger outcomes and continuing support gaps.
Case or source date: 2025-11-22
Source: UN Climate Change
WHO Member States Adopt a Pandemic Agreement
WHO Member States adopted the first Pandemic Agreement by consensus on 20 May 2025, with equity and international coordination among its stated aims.
Possible essay use
international agreements can prepare the world for future pandemics, but only if countries ratify them and share resources fairly
Limitation
Adoption does not itself show ratification, implementation, or equal access during a future emergency.
Case or source date: 2025-05-20
Source: World Health Organization
UN Members Adopt the Pact for the Future
UN Member States adopted the Pact for the Future in 2024, covering peace, development, digital cooperation, youth, and global governance reform.
Possible essay use
broad multilateral agreements can set a shared agenda for reform, but they rarely deliver change without later negotiation and funding
Limitation
A consensus document spans many ambitions but relies on later financing, negotiation, and national implementation.
Case or source date: 2024-09-22
Source: United Nations
ASEAN Reaffirms Its Five-Point Consensus on Myanmar
ASEAN leaders in 2025 again used the Five-Point Consensus as their main reference for addressing the crisis in Myanmar.
Possible essay use
ASEAN leaders in 2025 again used the Five-Point Consensus as their main reference for addressing the crisis in Myanmar.
Limitation
Repeated endorsement does not demonstrate compliance by conflict parties or rapid relief for affected civilians.
Case or source date: 2025-05-26
Global Plastics Treaty Talks End Without Consensus
The August 2025 negotiating session for a global plastics treaty adjourned without consensus on a text.
Possible essay use
international environmental cooperation often stalls when countries with very different economic interests must agree by consensus
Limitation
Failure at one session shows political disagreement but negotiations can continue and national action remains possible.
Case or source date: 2025-08-15
Paris Agreement: United Climate Goals, Divided Actions
The Paris Agreement aims to limit global warming. Debate surrounds its voluntary targets and enforcement challenges, impacting global climate action.
Possible essay use
The Paris Agreement, adopted in December 2015, aims to keep warming well below 2 degrees Celsius through nationally determined contributions.
Limitation
The Agreement has no penalties for missing targets, so it shows the strengths and weaknesses of voluntary cooperation; current national pledges together still point to warming well above 1.5 degrees.
Case or source date: 2015-12-12
Source: UNFCCC