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UN People's Assembly and the status of international NGOs
Roger DITTMANN
Friday, 23 May 2003 00:25:12 +0200
(f. n. Answered for developing the idea of SVDOs, (Supranational Voluntary Democratic Organizations) Roger Dittmann has sent to us a segment of an old article of him published in a book, called * The Role of the UN in World Peace *, where he talk about them - which are called here IPDOs, in a previous stage of the proposal. We have copied here below the text. We want to remember also that you can see the Conference Call 03_dittmann.html for the International Workshop to Establish a UN People's Assembly, to be held in Regina, Canada, the next 12-15 June)
A World Peoples' Parliament.
There is an inspiring proposal from a group of NGOs for a UN "Second Assembly". Whereas the UN represents the governments of the world, there is some hope that NGOs could come to better represent the aspirations of the peoples of the world.
But first some complaints: The term "NGO"s is a negative definition. Governments gain their power largely through coercion. NGOs, while not governments, have something positive about them--they are voluntary and non-coercive. "Second" Assembly sounds second class. Something like "People's Parliament" would be preferable. It is proposed that representation in the Second Assembly be apportioned among nations. This exacerbates the nationalism and emphasis upon the nation-state as a sovereign political entity from which the world is suffering. What is needed is internationalism--promotion of the concept of a family of humanity working in cooperation. A Peoples Parliament should consist of representatives of "NGOs" which reflect internationalism--i.e. they should have a minimum presence in all of the defined regions of the world. Those NGOs which currently would not qualify would thereby be encouraged to develop international contacts or to affiliate with an appropriate existing international organization in order to gain a seat.
Nation-states emphasize a citizenship/geographical founded upon an ethnic identity in most cases, supported by taxation and other coercive measures. International Popular Democratic Organizations (IPDOs instead of NGOs) would allow people to choose, to support, and to be active in those international identities which are important to them (by gender, by occupation or avocation, by interest, by ideology, by religion, by parenthood, by sexual preference, or whatever, as chosen by the individual) and to participate in creating the organization structure they prefer. The "international" qualification might require that at least 10% of their membership be residents of at least three different continental areas. This would largely prevent the exacerbation of the current situation of aggravatiing nation-state racially-based gangs and gang warfare.
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There has been slow progress in developing international structures, norms, and a collective conscience of humanity, but there has been frustration over the relative impotence of the UN when compared with the urgency of the problems confronting the world, and when compared with the powerful nation-states which are the source of many of the problems. The Security Council is hampered by the veto, and the General Assembly can only pass non-binding resolutions. Even were the legislative functions adequate, judicial functions and enforcement are woefully inadequate.
The UN desperately needs reform and needs to be prompted to more vigorous action. The peoples of the world have little hope of substantially influencing the UN without more effective organization. Currently there is a cacophony of NGO voices which haphazardly lobby official delegates. Even if the official UN delegates wish to heed the collective voice of the NGOs. as has often been expressed, no such coherent voice yet exists. Some NGOs can offer expertise, and many are loosely associated by areas of concern--there is an NGO committee on disarmament, but they lack coherence, and, to some degree, legitimacy.
In order to provide an effective international public voice it is proposed that a World Peoples' Parliament be established to operate as a parallel body to the UN. This is a call to all NGOs which are interested and concerned about such an effort to respond. A founding directorate of interested NGOs should be established to:
1) Define requirements to qualify international IPDOs and to credential delegates.
The legitimacy of the Parliament will depend upon the process of credentialling IPDOs, but more critically upon the organization of representative IPDOs. The very establishment of such a Parliament which could be an effective forum for IPDO views can in itself provide considerable impetus for organizing drives.
2) To coordinate IPDO activity in all areas of global concern.
3) To call the Parliament into session in conjunction with all UN conferences, and, when appropriate, in conjunction with sessions of the General Assembly. (These sessions would replace the "alternative conferences," a term with delegitimizing connotations.) The sessions should begin before the governmental conferences so that the conclusions of the Parliament can have maximum influence on the governmental conferences. Given the resources there should be a shadow IPDO committee for each UN committee.
The IPDOs can have maximum effect if comprehensive consensus for concrete action can be achieved among representative, highly legitimized IPDOs. The directorate, once established, should communicate information about the Parliament to all IPDOs and NGOs. It should solicit proposals for action. These should be assembled, collated by topic, and submitted back to the IDPOs and to selected experts for criticism. The criticisms should also be assembled, collated, and distributed back to the IDPOs and NGOs for review before the beginning of the conference so that at least one round of brainstorming and criticism can be accomplished before debate in the People's Parliament. Debate should conclude with a consensus statement and list of specific proposed actions endorsed by the delegates by at least majority vote.
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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