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How would the Communities of Ideas function or operate?
Rob WHEELER
Saturday, 8 March 2003 15:37:49
ººº Abstract: We could begin to make a list of the Communities of Ideas that we might want to include in the WP. In order to ensure that the majority does not rule over the rights and preferences of the minority, we could also develop a network of local and regional assemblies that can discuss and approve the various proposals coming from the Communities of Ideas. We can also use the Subsidiarity Principle to ensure that programs are implemented according to decisions at the local and regional levels. The WP could respond to decisions taken by national parliaments or by international organizations; and all of the members of the Communities of Ideas could be asked to sign a Common Charter of basic principles. ººº
If we are serious about wanting to create Communities of Ideas upon which the WP can be based, then we will have to be much more specific in our actual proposals for how they might function or operate. A first question could be, * What Communities of Ideas would we want to create; or in other words, what are the statements or goals that we would want to accomplish? *
Then we might ask if the Ci-Terrestrial group can share with us more of their ideas as to how each of the groups or rather Communities would be structured and operate. Who would participate? How might people be selected? Etc.
By the way I think that Marie Martin-Pécheux' thoughts about having a balance between masculine and feminine and between women and men is most important; and that it would probably be one of the most important principles upon which the WP should be structured and based.
I would suggest that we could begin the process with a brainstorm and try to make a list of as many Communities of Ideas as we can. When we think we are ready to develop a first list, then we might try to be inclusive of the primary issue areas while still limiting the number of areas so that the list and the number of groupings is somewhat manageable. I think that we could begin with the list that Marie distributed in the first month, of 2.11.02, and then add to that. In addition, we could begin to try to list the specific goal or aspiration that would be set, or agreed to, for each Community of Ideas; and then the more specific statements or goals that might be needed to actually implement or carry each of the primary Ideas or aspirations out.
We could also begin by taking a look at the Alliance Proposal Booklets <http://www.alliance21.org/en/proposals/>, the Millennium Forum Declaration <http://www.un.org/millennium/declaration.htm>, and other civil society and intergovernmental processes that are attempting to deal with our common global problems.
However, we might also remember the words of Ababacar Diop from the first month when he said that, * liberty is fundamental for a WP. Someone put forth "the community of the ideas", which seems to me to be going in opposition to the liberty of the ideas. To make from ideas a community seems to me wanting to kill the liberty of the ideas. * And similarly that, * A world without solidarity becomes a jungle where the law of the more will always be the best one. *
In other words, how can we ensure that all peoples can contribute to and participate fully in the development of the proposals and ideas and that the rule of the majority will not over ride the rights, needs, or preferred approaches of the rest?
One means to ensure this might be to set up local and regional assemblies, throughout the world, to discuss the Communities of Ideas and to make sure that each of the Communities of Ideas themselves are based upon open processes which are developed through regional working groups and committees, again set up all around the world, to participate fully in the decision making processes. In addition, we can encourage that our specific programs and policies be built around the idea that the actual means of implementation will be developed using the Subsidiarity Principle, with local and regional jurisdictions determining how they will achieve the aspiration or goal.
What will be important however, is to make sure that there is a strong orientation towards developing and agreeing on specific means of implementation. The more that we can suggest specific approaches in writing and then report on how well each of them works when they are implemented; then the more that other communities or jurisdictions will be able to use or improve on particular approaches. And the more that each jurisdiction makes a specific committment in writing to specific means of implementation, then the better chance there will be that it will really be carried out.
Jean-Marc Flament suggested a process for actually selecting specific proposals during the first month of the e-forum, which I think are probably worthy of our consideration. Please go to message number 53 and again read the second half of his message which includes some most important ideas. Thus you would read the sections entitled * Communities of Ideas and architecture of the governance * and * A common charter to the Communities of Ideas *.
Regarding his idea * that every person could express one hundred votes and distribute them, according to his/her own priorities, * I would ask: how would one use their 100 votes? Would all of the program proposals or various community of ideas be put forward for a vote at once?
He also suggested that * every Community of Ideas can have an office of study to analyze the proposals in order to advance in its goal and submit them to the vote of the World Parliament, etc. * And that the Communities of Ideas could analyze decisions taken by international organizations and through a WP vote to declare them illegal *. This would certainly sound reasonable to me; and I think is worthy of our discussion.
Finally, Jean-Marc suggested that all participants in the Communities of Ideas should sign a common charter endorsing such documents as the Declaration of Human Rights and the Rights of Children; the Charter of Human Responsibilities; and a protocol declaring solemnly illegal all war or armed violence; etc.
I would think that such a Common Charter could be included as one of the essential documents from the very beginning of the World Parliament and that a working group ought to be formed to work on it as we continue to go along.
What do you think? How might we begin to structure and create these Communities of Ideas, perhaps building off of the existing Alliance Working Groups?
Rob Wheeler
WP21 Alliance Forum on a World Parliament for the 21st Century
E-mail : world-parl@forums.alliance21.org
Fax 1 717 264 5036
Information, inscriptions, désinscriptions: germa@alliance21.org
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