  We propose a global measure for quantum correlations in multipartite systems,
which is obtained by suitably recasting the quantum discord in terms of
relative entropy and local von Neumann measurements. The measure is symmetric
with respect to subsystem exchange and is shown to be non-negative for an
arbitrary state. As an illustration, we consider tripartite correlations in the
Werner-GHZ state and multipartite correlations at quantum criticality. In
particular, in contrast with the pairwise quantum discord, we show that the
global quantum discord is able to characterize the infinite-order quantum phase
transition in the Ashkin-Teller spin chain.
