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Voting Day in DRC: preliminary observations The joint electoral observation mission of AETA (Agir pour des Elections Transparentes et Apaisées) and EurAc (European Network for Central Africa) note that in spite of all the rumours announcing the postponement of the elections, these have taken place as foreseen on 28 November 2011. AETA and EurAc note that in a number of polling stations visited, there has been a strong commitment of the actors involved. However it draw the attention of the national and international public opinion on the following facts observed both in Kinshasa and the provinces on the basis of the first observation reports received so far.
The Joint AETA/EurAc mission inform public opinion that it will continue to collect and record cases and will communicate in due time. Meanwhile it asks: CENI:
Agents responsible for security during the elections:
JOINT AETA - EURAC ELECTORAL OBSERVATION MISSION For more information: EurAc AETA
EURAC sends 90 election observers to the DRC. The European Network for Central Africa EurAc sends 90 international election observers to the Democratic Republic of Congo Kinshasa, November 26th, At the invitation of the Congolese civil society organizations working together in the AETA network (Action for Transparent and Peaceful Elections), EurAc (the European Network for Central Africa) has sent an international election observation mission for the presidential and parliamentary elections, due to be held on Monday November 28. These are the second democratic elections that should help the Congolese people to definitively turn the page on the conflict and consolidate the democratization process begun with the elections in 2006. The EurAc mission consists of 90 international observers from 10 European and three African countries. The observers will be deployed and work alongside AETA partners in several locations across the Congo's eleven provinces. EurAc’s 90 international observers will work to support AETA’s 3000 national observers. EurAc's objective is to contribute to the credibility of the electoral process by supporting Congolese civil society's observation effort. EurAc's concern is to work alongside its Congolese partners to ensure peaceful and transparent process which respects Congolese electoral law and human rights. EurAc's observers arrived in Kinshasa from November 21, and have now all been deployed to the areas they will be observing in Kinshasa and other provinces Donatella Rostagno The European Network for Central Africa is the result of the merger of several organizations which the ECN (European Network for the Congo) that World Solidarity against hunger has long participated. Report on WFM-IGP Council meeting, Washington, Oct 21-23, 2011 I attended the annual Council meeting of the World Federalist Movement in Washington, just a couple of blocks from the White House. It was a very enjoyable and informative meeting for me, with a very relaxed and friendly atmosphere, involving about 40 councillors from all over the world. I learnt a great deal about what the WFM are doing, and how they go about it. They are a very professional organization, with a total budget of about $4 million per annum, up from about $150,000 15 years ago, I gather. The WFM have lowered their sights for the moment, and are concentrating on reforms to the UN which can be achieved without requiring a change to the UN Charter. They have two main ongoing campaigns, a Coalition for the International Criminal Court (ICC), and a Coalition for the Responsibility to Protect (RtoP). Australia provides about $500,000 to help the RtoP campaign, around 10% of the total funding of the organization, courtesy presumably of Gareth Evans. Quite some time was spent discussing developments in these campaigns, which have really had astonishing success, I would argue. In the recent Libyan conflict, the RtoP concept was taken to surprising lengths by the NATO forces. No doubt that was because it suited the NATO partners, but still .. It was noted that we can't expect consistent application of the principle until we do finally have a functioning world federation. The US is very reluctant to intervene in Syria, for instance, because a reference to the ICC would bring up the Israeli occupation of the Golan Heights, and transfer of population there, which is apparently a war crime. Some discussion was also held of the United Nations Parliamentary Assembly (UNPA) campaign, headed by Andreas Bummel, who was present at the meeting, and was co-opted as a Councillor. He is quite a young guy, but is running a surprisingly effective campaign on an absolutely shoestring budget, about 10,000 euros per annum at the moment! The WFM have no spare resources for this campaign either, it seems. We should gear up our support of his campaign. I presented a resolution for support of my ideas for a World Community of Democratic Nations, based upon NATO and the OECD, which attracted some negative comments. Many in the WFM, as in the peace community generally, are uncomfortable with dealings with NATO or any military organization. But it surely must be recognized that security is the first duty of any government, even a world federation, and military forces are generally necessary to maintain peace and security. I only had 5 minutes or so to present my ideas, and further discussion was deferred to the next WFM Congress in July next year, which will set strategies and priorities for the next 4-5 years. I certainly hope to attend the Congress, and resume the discussion then. Chris Hamer
Douglas Mattern Douglas Mattern A longtime resident of Palo Alto, passed away July 20 after a long illness. He was 78 and is survived by his beloved wife, Noemi. After serving 4 years in the U.S. Navy, Mr. Mattern attended San Jose City College, San Jose State University, and Stanford University, where he worked, audited classes, and learned his profession as an engineer in material science. He became an expert in Scanning and Transmission Electron Microscopy. In 1980, he was hired by Data General Corporation and later by Apple Computer to design, build and manage fully staffed Failure Analysis Labs that were considered by many engineers as the best in Silicon Valley. He retired in the year 2000. His hobbies included mountain hiking/climbing, sports, and astronomy/cosmology. Mr. Mattern was known for scores of letters published in The Palo Alto Times, San Francisco Chronicle, San Jose Mercury News, and The New York Times. In addition, he had 200 articles published in magazines on peace-related issues. In 1975, he co-founded and became President of the Association of World Citizens (AWC). AWC organized major peace conferences in San Francisco, Paris, Tokyo, Los Angeles, New York City, and Taipei, becoming an international peace organization gaining official NGO (Non-Government Organization) status with the United Nations. In the 1980s Mr. Mattern was invited to be a speaker for the U.S. delegation on Citizen Diplomacy trips to the Soviet Union. On these and other trips, there were many interesting stories, most of which are detailed in his book, Looking for Square Two. Mr. Mattern received several awards, including the Albert Einstein Peace Award from the International Association of Educators for World Peace, and the Lifetime Achievement Award for World Peace from the Federation of World Peace and Love. Truly a learned, compassionate citizen, not only of his community but of the world, he leaves an indelible mark on those who were privileged to know and share his life. Published in San Francisco Chronicle on August 5, 2011
Surrounding war and promoting international democracy is quite a business. On February 26, 2011 the UN Security Council passed a unanimous resolution which employed the Responsibility to Protect doctrine in responding to the crimes against humanity that were occurring in Libya. The same resolution referred these crimes occurring in Libya to the International Criminal Court. WFM has been a key NGO leader on RtoP and the ICC and this edition of the WFM News brings you important up-to-date information. Therefore the fact that the ICC has been invoked by the Security Council in the context of RtoP represents a landmark in the sense the Court becomes a major actor in global conflict prevention and conflict management. Our Council Chair Jim Christie and long time Council member Joe Schwartzberg and Executive Committee member Lucio Levi all provide interesting articles for WFNews this month. We pay honor to the passing of Charlotte Waterlow and Hannah Newcombe, while we welcome Jelena Pia- Comella’s promotion to head up the CICC program. The advance of justice, human rights, democracy and the rule of law in international affairs must appear to many, like a vision that keeps retreating as we walk towards it. But this is not the case. The peaceful revolutions being led by Arab youth in Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, and Syria are an inspiration. They could succeed in forcing the foreign policy elites in the West to reconsider their sixty year old bankrupt strategies of supporting dictatorships. The only people fooled by their hypocrisy of claiming to support democracy while conspiring to repress it were the people of the West who believed their leaders. The world has advanced from practically zero “Freedom House certified” democracies 100 years ago, to more than 100 today, with 40 more on the way. And 5-10 more are raising not their fists, but their phones, in countries across North Africa and the Middle East. Regional and global democracy is coming ‘on-line’ faster than most realize. Bill Pace *This publication, along with past WF News publications, is available online at: http://www.wfm-igp.org/
Roman Catholic Church Calls For World Federalism In July 2009, Pope Benedict XVI published the social encyclical “Caritas in veritate”. Among other things, the document elaborates on the global financial and economic crisis and calls for the creation of a “true world political authority”. On this occasion, this background paper analyses the world order model that is included in the catholic social doctrine. It concludes in particular that the creation of a world parliament is a logical consequence of catholic teaching. European Parliament urges EU Council to put UN Parliamentary Assembly on UN's agenda The European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) has passed recommendations to the Council of the European Union on Monday evening that include the request to the Council to advocate at the upcoming session of the United Nations General Assembly “the establishment of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly (UNPA) within the UN system.” The adoption of the text by the plenary of the European Parliament is considered a matter of form and is expected to take place in June. The decision indicates that the reform and democratization of the United Nations through the creation of an elected body is back on the agenda of the European Parliament. “We urge the Council and the foreign ministers of the EU member states to consider the European Parliament’s recommendation. A UN Parliamentary Assembly would make the United Nations and global governance in general more open, transparent and democratic. This has always been an objective of the European Union. Besides, the assembly could be a strong force to support efforts for democratization around the world. That should be an important point on the agenda”, said European lawmaker Jo Leinen of the Socialist Group who is co-chair of an international Campaign for a UNPA. “The decision to seize on the call for a UN Parliamentary Assembly again puts the European Parliament back at the forefront of the international efforts for global democracy,” said Andreas Bummel, the Campaign’s Secretary General. In 1993, the European Parliament was one of the first political institutions in the world to take up the proposal. The support was repeated several times, most recently in 2005. "Today, in times of globalization, it is much less justifiable than in the past to limit the democratic participation of the citizens of this world to the nation state. This is why we, as European Parliament, support ways and means to give the people a strong representation also at the global level,” said then President of the European Parliament, Hans-Gert Pöttering, on the occasion of a Campaign meeting in Brussels in November 2008. The relevant paragraph of the “recommendation to the Council on the 66th Session of the United Nations General Assembly” that was jointly tabled by Mr. Leinen, former AFET chairman Elmar Brok of the conservative European People’s Party and the liberals Alexander Alvaro and Andrew Duff reads as follows: The European Parliament addresses the recommendation to the Council “to advocate the establishment of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly (UNPA) within the UN system in order to increase the democratic character, the democratic accountability and the transparency of global governance and to allow for better citizen participation in the activities of the UN, acknowledging that a UNPA would be complementary to existing bodies, including the Inter-Parliamentary Union.” The document includes another reference to the subject that was tabled by EPP’s lawmaker Kinga Gál, requesting the Council to foster a debate, “on the topic of establishing a UN Parliamentary Assembly” at the upcoming UN General Assembly. The Council of the European Union is responsible for the bloc’s foreign and security policy. Recently, the UN General Assembly has passed a vote that allows the EU to speak at the UN on behalf of its 27 member states.
World Citizens call for a Cease Fire in Libya and the start of negotiations on a broadly-based New Libyan Republic, by René Wadlow In a 15 March 2011 message to the U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Rene Wadlow, Representative to the United Nations, Geneva, Association of World Citizens, urged the Secretary General to take a lead in advocating a cease fire in Libya that would halt the current fighting and the flight of refugees. Increased fighting provokes an intolerable burden upon the already-strained medical facilities as well as supplies to meet the basic needs of the population. A cease fire would be a first step toward negotiations that would lead to a new constitutional order and a broadly-based new Libyan Republic. The World Citizen message said that current discussions among some governments and intergovernmental organizations concerning the proclamation of a “no fly zone” during the continuing conflict did not deal with the heart of the matter. The real issue is to move to an agreed-upon end to the fighting and to open the door to the necessary constitutional restructuring of the country and creation of a broadly-based new Libyan Republic. (Following)
Peace and Goodwill In this season of "Peace and Goodwill" we are launching today the on-line Department of Peace petition. This is to promote awareness and to indicate support of the CDPI campaign for the federal government to establish a Canadian Department of Peace. Click on the link below to show your support: http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/department-of-peace.html The campaign runs until January 31st. We are making a push for this campaign during the Holiday Season, and then a reminder in the early New Year. We look forward to your signing the petition and disseminating it widely to friends and colleagues who are on your email lists and social media networks (Facebook and Twitter). The petition is posted on CDPI Facebook page also at: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Canadian-Department-of-Peace-Initiative/116559845067605)Thanks to our youth media consultant Trizana Parillo who identified and designed the e-petition set up. Saul
WIFTS Foundation International Visionary Awards at Muriel Saragoussi I want to share with you great news: I was appointed to receive the WIFTS Foundation International Visionary Awards (Women´s International Film and Television Showcase Foundation - www.thewifts.com) for my work on environmental issues. They get to me based on the video “Sisters on the Earth” produced by Oxfam, based on the stories of 4 women and our fight back against climate changes http://www.oxfam.org.uk/get_involved/campaign/climate_change/sisters/dvdform.html I am very honored by the recognition of the work I had being doing together with great teams along my professional life. Muriel Saragoussi
Model World Parliament in the Mexican Congress Chambers Planetafilia and the World Alliance to Transform the UN are holding a Model World Parliament in the Mexican Congress Chambers during the next several days; and the World Parliament Experiment is providing an opportunity for everyone to participate in the process through the use of the internet. There are 7 primary issue areas that we are discussing and that you can respond or contribute to:
You can read the list of sub-topics at: http://www.wparliament.com/workshops.html and you can find out more about the Model World Parliament meeting by going to: http://www.wparliament.com If you have specific proposals or resolutions that you would like everyone to vote on, you can post these on the World Parliament Experiment website at: http://www.tgde.org/fvotes.phtml. If you are not registered yet, you will have to do so before you can post comments or vote there. Please make sure that you save your password so that you can log in again in the future. You can also vote in favor of the proposal to "accept the invitation of the organizers of The Mexico World Parliament Conference to create online interaction between this event and the WPE members who cannot attend in person" by going to: http://www.tgde.org/showvote.phtml?id=976 Again you will have to have registered on the WPE website to vote or post comments. There is also a Discussion and Editing page on the WPE wiki at: http://worldparliament.a.wiki-site.com/index.php/Real_Life_events where you can post comments, suggestions, or questions. I am including below a report on a couple of the sessions that I attended today, along with specific topics of discussion for the remaining two days. Thank you for your interest and contributions. Rob Wheeler
Several hundred people attended the opening day of the Model World Parliament conference in Mexico City yesterday. The morning session included presentations by a Federal Deputy of the Legislature, a retired Supreme Court Justice, and the President of Political Coordination of the Chamber of Deputies of PAN, all of whom spoke eloquently on the need for a World Parliament and the direct representation of the world's people in international affairs. Bob French spoke stirringly about Vote World Parliament's referendum and campaign in support of establishing a World Parliament; and I spoke about the need for a World Parliament, ways that the UN could operate much more effectively and operate as though it were a World Parliament, and the opportunities that we have to insist that the Rio +20 Earth Summit Conference be organized so as to operate like a World Parliament. During the next two days we will be drafting and considering proposals and resolutions and adopting some type of a Conference Declaration, which will subsequently be forwarded to the United Nations, etc. I participated in two Working Sessions. During the environment and climate change session one of the speakers talked about the negative effect that is occurring due to the increasing level of green house gases in the environment and how this results in their being more toxic chemicals in the air which we breathe in. There was also a discussion about the accumulation of toxic chemicals which are permeating the soil and causing the need to drill deeper to get to clean water. Another speaker talked about a technology he had developed which can pull noxious elements out of the natural environment. He has presented it to a number of governments but has had trouble getting support to develop it. He said that once it is developed then the government will buy it, but he wants it for the whole world. Thus we need a way to fund the development of promising technologies that are thus produced for the good of humanity as a whole. Another participant said it sounded like a great technology but that there was no use cleaning the environment if we are going to keep producing toxic chemicals and polluting the environment. Another speaker suggested that we ought to collect reparations in order to restore the natural environment. Here grandmother was well enough connected with the natural world that they knew how old the trees were by the thickness of the bark. But now we cut down 700 year old trees in minutes with no thought at all about what that tree had to go through to live to 700 years. She suggested that we ought to go back to our roots through traditional dance, costumes, and culture in order to reconnect with nature. A participant asked us to keep in mind that all native peoples have the knowledge and awareness to take care of the earth. Traditionally there was no concept of private property; this is really a European invention and has resulted in increasing levels of greed. One everyone had the knowledge and knew how to read the sky, the seasons, etc. Now we have lost even the ability to look after ourselves. We need to return to the understanding that everything and everyone is equal and thus deserving of full respect and regain the natural knowledge to look after the earth It was suggested that we need to promote health in all aspects: head, heart, soul, body, environment, community etc. If we don't educate to use all aspects of ourselves then one thing can take over - resulting in rationality and greed. We thus need to educate the children with love and respect for nature and each other. Another speaker told us about a school she teaches at where the children learn to be leaders looking after the world and the environment. They naturally learn to become responsible; proactive; learn how to work together, negotiate and influence life around them; and see how everything is connected and needs to be integrated. This is a good model for developing responsible citizens. It was suggested that we need to collect the wisdom that was shared and include it in resolutions and proposals that would be considered during a real world parliament. In addition we have an excellent opportunity with the Cancun Climate Negotiations being held in December. It was mentioned that NGLS published a report showing that, "Emissions in most industrialized countries have actually climbed by 9.9 percent since 1990. Global emissions, in developed and developing countries, are now growing at 3.5 percent a year, compared to 0.9 percent in the 1990s. Even though developing countries have historically contributed less to emissions and most continue to have a small carbon footprint, as a group they will suffer earliest and most from harmful shifts in the environment. Developing countries have 98 percent of affected people and 99 percent of all deaths from weather disasters. They bear 90 percent of the total economic losses. Even though there are many good solutions, one ought to be a global carbon tax. Sweden adopted a national tax on carbon emissions in 1990. Since then, it has seen an 8 percent decline in emissions while GDP has risen by 48 percent. In any case, the developed countries are failing us and the only thing that will change the situation is if the people insist that changes are needed and force the political will that is needed for governments to act more responsibly. It was then stated that no law or code is being kept because of a lack of education and awareness and thus no demands from the people for implementation. Thus a world parliament with a people's house is needed to change this. On Nov 21a Mayors Summit of the World is meeting in Mexico in preparations for the Cancun conference. It was suggested that we should make this a model for continuing to hold such city summits around the world. It will provide us with a good opportunity to phrase our message and to give it to those attending and to encourage them to think about how they can implement it. A group of those participating in the WPM are drafting a charter for the rights of nature which they intend to present in Cancun. They are filming the WPM with the intention of producing a film which tells our story and about the need to protect and guarantee the rights of mother earth. It was again stated that we need a bicameral World Parliament at the UN where people can speak as well as governments.
During the initial session on Science and Technology the importance of communication and global communications was stressed. It was pointed out that new technologies are making the world a much smaller place. One concern that was raised was the brain drain when people leave a country to take advantage of economic opportunities elsewhere. It was suggested that governments to create incentives to encourage people to stay or come back to their own country. It was also mentioned that civil society has a very important role to play in planning for the future and must be proactive in coming up with solutions. We can perhaps better understand what people need. This is another reason that we need to create a World Parliament. A few of the negative characteristics of technologies and communications were also pointed out. People no longer relate to each other in their communities as they used to; and violence and sexuality are pervasive in the media and throughout society now. We thus need to be aware of other negative impacts as well.
TEN DAYS OF GLOBAL DEMOCRACY at Buenos Aires A mere four years have past and Democracia Global- Movement for a South American Union and World Parliament is prepared to make its first great strides. From Thursday, September 30 to Friday, October 8, Ten Days of Global Democracy in Buenos Aires, Argentina will unfold. The meetings, debates, and panels will focus on the reorganization of world order according to the paradigms of democracy, federalism, and human rights that the majority of humanity recognizes as paramount and key factors in national order. From these pillars derive the themes: regional and world federalism, global democracy, supranational justice, regional integration, democratization of the United Nations; as well as concrete initiatives to put in place regional integration (UNASUR, MERCOSUR and the Comunidad Latinoamericana de Naciones), International Criminal Court (ICC) and the United Nations Parliamentary Assembly (UNPA). Thursday and Friday will consist of the official meeting of the Parlatino to discuss regional integration and support for the democratic reform of the United Nations. Monday, October 4 marks the beginning of the annual meeting of the Campaign for the UNPA, and to close out the event from Tuesday to Friday, for the first time in Latin America, the World Federalist Movement Council -an institution with 60 years of experience in these themes and whose actions have been fundamental in the creation and empowerment of the European Parliament and the International Criminal Court- will hold it’s annual meeting. All of the activities have been officially recognized by the Argentinean Senate and the Low Chamber, the Latin American Parliament (Parlatino) and the Mercosur Parliament (Parlasur). The breadth of groups involved will lead to a plural environment where many viewpoints will be plurally represented. All these events will unfold in the National Congress and the Argentinean Council for International Relations (CARI). In addition to these meetings, over the course of the week there will be various open panels on themes such as the reform of supranational institutions and their ability to solve problems that require global solutions, like climate change, nuclear proliferation, worldwide social inequalities and financial instability. In sum, this international event investigates many of the key components that comprise the political agenda of the 21st century, which is strongly marked by the globalization of social processes. In attendance will be national parliamentarians and regional parliamentarians from Latin America, Africa, and Europe, representatives from the seventy NGOs associated with the WFM, signatories of the campaign for the UNPA and advocates and experts with experience in many of these themes, like Andreas Bummel, Bill Pace, Lucio Levi, James Christie and Olivier D’Estaign. Participating in the panels will also be various Argentineans, among them former Chancellor Dr. Rodríguez Giavarini and the former Director of the Central Bank of Argentina Dr. Alfonso Prat-Gay, and from the Republic of Italy, Ambassador Guido la Tella. The attached documents explain everything in great detail. Below, you will also find a list of all the events. I perfectly know that few of you are able to participate in the events but wish to make You know about them ‘cause I firmly hope we can involve You in future developments. Fernando A.
Iglesias
DR. LEO REBELLO'S 5000 KM PEACE RALLY Janadesh Yatra, which started from Gorakhpur on 6th July, and travelled through Bihar, Jharkhand and upto Kolkata via Murshidabad (a distance of about 1300 kms) was wound up at Kolkota, on 11th July at 16.00 hours and I took 20.30 flight to Mumbai. The Srinagar conference was called off due to tension in Srinagar. As the Chief Guest of the Janadesh Yatra, I was interviewed extensively by the print and electronic media (local as well as national). Everyone supported the SAARC UNION idea with common currency, visa free travel between SAARC countries, abolishing the armies like Costa Rica did in 1948, leading to borderless peaceful and safe world. I am awaiting photos, newspaper clippings, CDs and minutes of the Women's conference held in Murshidabad in which about 200 women participated. One Minister, One Member of Parliament and the undersigned were the main speakers. Dr. Leo Rebello
Negotiations to end sectarian violence in Pakistan As the Representative to the United Nations, Geneva, Association of World Citizens, I would like your support to develop negotiations among those who can end sectarian religious violence in Pakistan as manifested by the recent bombing of the Sufi shrine Data Barbar in Lahore, Punjab. We are pledged to join together, in heart, mind, and action, as citizens of the world, to support true collaboration and the resolution of conflicts through peaceful negotiations held in good faith and without duplicity. Our aim is to encourage negotiations carried out both by the representatives of government as well as efforts undertaken by world citizen diplomats. Letters of concern and encouragement for negotiations to end sectarian violence in Pakistan can be sent to: H.E. Ambassador Abdullah H. Haroon, Rene Wadlow,
Prime sponsor of World Citizen The first identity card of World Citizen issued under the human civil state was given Tuesday, April 27, 2010 Mr. Konate Kandioura, hardworking "undocumented" in France. The presentation of this card was held in the local Registry of World Citizens, in Paris, hands Gohin Louis and attended Stevens Chellum, permanent volunteers This recording was sponsored by Lawrence's photographer of the event. See photos -1 -, -2 -, -3 -. This new work for the Registry of World Citizens is the result of a decision by the Peoples Congress in the session in Brasilia (May 2009) (see report) Meeting of United Nations Association - San-Francisco You are cordially invited to the United Nations Association San Francisco Chapter's Annual Membership Meeting on FRIDAY, MAY 7th. We appreciate your support and hope you will join us for a buffet reception from 5:30-6 pm followed by our general membership meeting from 6-8:30 pm. Date: Friday, May 7, 2010 RSVP: info@una-sf.org -or- 1-415- 674-9701 Program: ³Peace, Culture and Education² highlighting Nuclear Disarmament with special guest speakers Dr. Thomas Newman and Dr. Robert Gould from Physicians for Social Responsibility. The program will also include a discussion about designating the SF War Memorial Building as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a special reading by Joshua Wong, winner of the UNA-USA annual high school essay contest on the UN Millennium Development Goals, introduction to our UNA-SF Board of Directors and working committees, and the launch of our exciting 'grassroots to gala' UN-65 celebration this October 22-24 to commemorate the 65th Anniversary of the United Nations charter ratification. Attached please find the program and keynote speaker bios along with announcements of some upcoming events. These ambitious community events will be even better with your support! Please join us May 7th and throughout 2010. Thank YOU! Sue Susan J. Zipp, President 415-674-9701 International Day for the Eradication of Poverty On October 17, 1992, Mr. Javier Perez de Cuellar, former Secretary General of the UN, on behalf of a group of international dignitaries gathered in the Committee for the World Day for Overcoming Extreme Poverty, calls for recognition of 17 October. On December 22, 1992, October 17 was declared "International Day for the Eradication of Poverty" by the General Assembly of the United Nations. Since then, initiatives to celebrate this day have continued to multiply. In many places, gatherings are also held on the 17th of each month. ASCOP endorsed the initiatives taking place October 17, 2009 for the World Day for Overcoming Extreme Poverty.
Honorary Doctorate Degree to Jagdish Gandhi, Russian University Awards Ufa (Russia) October 5: On the occasion of World Teacher’s Day 5th October 2009, Bashkir State Pedagogical University (BSPU), Ufa, Russia awarded an Honorary Doctorate Degree in Education to Mr. Jagdish Gandhi, Founder of City Montessori School (CMS), Lucknow , India. BSPU is the largest Pedagogical State University of Russian Bashkortostan State with 14,000 students and 600 professors. BSPU considered awarding this honour to Mr. Jagdish Gandhi for his relentless work for the cause of education, world unity and world peace for over 50 years since 1959 when he started his school with just five children. Today CMS is the world’s largest school in single city of Lucknow, India with over 37,000 pupils and is also the first and only school to receive the coveted UNESCO Prize for Peace Education. Prof R. M. Asadullin, Rector of the BSPU presented the Honorary Doctorate Degree to Mr Gandhi in a glittering function held in presence of 600 professors of the University. The Citation presented to Mr Gandhi by the University says ‘the Board Members of Bashkir State Pedagogical University (BSPU), Ufa, Russia have unanimously decided to honour you with the Honorary Doctorate Degree considering the fact that you have devoted 50 long years to the service of society and humanity at large in the field of education and building a world fit for children and generations yet-to-be-born.’ Mr Gandhi was here on the invitation of BSPU and will be in Russia till 8th October 2009. He will be in Moscow on 7th and 8th October. On 7th October, the Institute of Philosophy of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Russian Philosophical Society has invited Mr Gandhi to address a press conference on the topic ‘Social Responsibility of a Modern Institute’. On 8th October he will address teachers and students of Slavic Anglo American School in Moscow before departing for India. Contact: Mrs Raisa Mingazitdinova Iksanova
First annual congress meeting of WATUN ==> Quick report The World Alliance for Transforming the United Nations (WATUN) would liketo invite you to participate in our first annual Congress and Model UN Charter Review Conference, at the downtown Holiday Inn in Mexico City on Saturday, September 12th, 2009. It will be conducted in English and Spanish. This event will follow the Annual UN DPI/NGO Conference, held at a nearby venue September 9 – 11th, focusing on Peace, Disarmament, and Development. During the DPI/NGO Conference, WATUN is conducting a Midday Dialogue Session on “Achieving Peace and Disarmament through Transforming the United Nations,” along with a Preparatory Meeting for our Congress on Wednesday evening, September 9th. The World Alliance calls for the United Nations to hold a UN Charter Review Conference under Article 109 of the UN Charter. It works to educate the world community about the need to create a more effective and democratic means of global governance and puts forward specific proposals for transforming the United Nations. Since forming WATUN two years ago, we have held several organizational meetings, a Midday Dialogue Session at last year’s UN DPI/NGO Conference in Paris, and a Model UN Charter Review Conference at Universidad de Guadalajara. During the Model UN Charter Review Conference, attendees will engage in interactive dialogue to explore why the UN needs to hold such a Conference and how to conduct it. We will examine specific proposals for Transforming the United Nations, focusing on achieving peace and disarmament, programs sufficient for solving our primary global problems, and how to create a binding and enforceable international rule of law. Exciting videos and action panels will inform, inspire, and enrollparticipants. Please register in advance to attend the Congress and Model UN Review Conference. The registration fee is $25 – 70 per person, based on income and ability to pay, which will help cover the costs of putting on the event. To register, please contact Planetafilia by calling or writing to the numbers and email addresses given below. To attend the Annual DPI/NGO Conference, you’ll need
to register for it as well, before August 21, 2009. You can
visit the Conference Website for more information at:
http://www.un.org/dpi/ngosection/conference/
or email: registration62dpi The World Alliance for Transforming the UN is working to
develop a Syllabus and Course Curriculum on
“Transforming the United Nations” for high school
and college students. We are also circulating a letter to UN
General Assembly President D’Escoto, who was scheduled
to meet with a group of us, before being called away to help
resolve the crisis in Honduras. You can read the letter at:
http://reddemocratica.blogspot.com
and sign onto it by writing to: red_democratica For more information, to register for the Congress and
Model Review Conference, or to become a member of WATUN,
please contact Daniel Morales, Francisco Plancarte, and/or
Veronica Baron at Planetafilia: demgdl Secretariat: Planetafilia, Córdoba 2606; Colonia Providencia CP 44630; Guadalajara, Jalisco, México. Our websites are www.planetafilia.org and http://www.transformun.org.
Quick report on WATUN’s events Here is a quick report on WATUN’s events and activities in Mexico City, which will be followed by a more complete report fairly soon. Our first International Congress and all of our other events and activities were a huge success and managed to actually match or exceed our wildest hopes and expectations, for which we are extremely grateful. However, we recognize that this was probably just the result that came from all of the hard work, good planning, personal contributions, and a job well done by so many, particularly Francisco’s team from Guadalajara, along with the general interest and rather apparent and seemingly widespread belief among NGOs at the Annual Conference that the UN does need to be significantly strengthened and democratized or transformed. Many organizations expressed an interest in joining WATUN and ten or twelve selected a representative that was elected to serve on our new Governing Council, along with those from our existing organizations, so that we now have a new council with 18 representative members. The meeting rooms where we met were packed and everyone paid total attention to what was said. Planetafilia made arrangements for both events to be videotaped; and it seemed like the video crew were doing an excellent job. The presentations by myself, Lucy Webster, Quisia Gonzalez from the Earth Rights Institute, Rikio Kaneko, Shahriar Sharei, Benton Musslewhite, Andreas Bummel from the Campaign for a UN Parliamentary Assembly, and Francisco Plancarte were excellent, along with the job that Veronica Baron from Planetafilia and Cesar Gayoso did in chairing the panel discussions; and it should make for very good video indeed, as well as being highly informative. And the questions and comments from the audience were wonderful as well. You can also see photos of the Congress meeting that Cesar Gayoso took by going to: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2016174&id=1606696665&ref=mf. And Shahriar Sharei did an excellent job of chairing the actual Congress Meeting, during which our new Statutes, Bylaws, and Mission Statement were approved almost unanimously following extensive discussion and a few good amendments to the Mission Statement. We are extremely grateful for all of the work done by the crew from Planetafilia, along with the materials, banners, logo, folders, excellent simultaneous translation, etc. that they provided. It was obvious however that a considerable amount of money was spent in order to create such great events and for them to be so successful. Indeed it probably cost somewhere between eight and ten thousand dollars to put it all together and carry it out. Thus if anyone would care to make a donation to help us defray the outstanding costs it would be greatly appreciated. You can do so by contacting Planetafilia and/or Francisco Plancarte at: pacoplancarte@planetafilia.org or call: (52 33) 3817 3475 or 3817 3478. Córdoba 2606; Colonia Providencia CP 44630; Guadalajara, Jalisco, México. Many of us spoke about WATUN and the need for an Article 109 Charter Review Conference during the question and answer period at various sessions during the Annual DPI/NGO Conference as well, so most of the 1300 or so people that attended the Congress now know quite a bit about WATUN and what we are trying to accomplish. In any case, WATUN is now well launched, is firmly underway, and headed onward toward our next port of destiny – New York City at the end of October where we will have our first Council Meeting, along with a great social event at David and Marian’s, etc. Thanks again for your interest everyone; and also a BIG THANK YOU to Francisco Plancarte and all of his team, along with the Conference Organizing Committee, that did so much to make our activities such a great success. Rob Wheeler lobal 2020 Climate Leadership Campaign Tomorrow something historic will take place and I would like to make sure you can participate via our website at www.worldforum.org <http://www.worldforum.org/> or at www.brasil2020.com.br <http://www.brasil2020.com.br/> . Beginning Tuesday evening, we are convening in Belo Horizonte, Brazil a State of the World Forum to launch the global 2020 Climate Leadership Campaign, a central part of which will be the launch of the Brazil 2020 Climate Leadership Campaign and the Brazil 2020 Youth Campaign. This Forum marks the first time that people will be coming together from around the world to strategize and start enacting a global plan of action to reduce carbon emissions by 80% by 2020 and re-align our relationship to ourselves, each other and the earth. Over 200 scientists, political leaders, business executives, academics, civil society activists and artists from 20 nations and across Brazil are in attendance. What is making this event historic is that Globo TV, which controls 80% of the Brazilian media market and is the fourth largest media company in the world, will premiere at our Forum a prime-time nationwide ad campaign about global warming to support our 2020 Climate Leadership Campaign. They are developing these ads completely at their own expense and are committed to continuing the campaign over the next several years with an intent to make the global warming issue a national priority, stop the clear cutting of the Amazon, and educate and mobilize the Brazilian public to develop sustainable lifestyles. As you will appreciate, this is unprecedented. It marks the first time anywhere in the world when a major media company has decided to begin educating an entire nation about global warming and to exercise what we are calling "climate leadership." This Forum in Brazil will launch a ten year mobilization worldwide to promote climate leadership and implement a Plan of Action to reduce carbon emissions by 80% by 2020. Our next convening will be in Washington, D.C. February 28 – March 3, 2010. Six months later, we will return to Brazil to Rio de Janeiro August 30 – September 3, 2010. With each Forum, we will be broadening the global coalition, refining our Action Plan, and bringing climate leaders from around the world to share information and build a future in alignment with the natural systems of our earth. Please join us. To find out more: www.worldforum.org <http://www.worldforum.org/> The Live Broadcasts Will be Available: 6:00 – 8:00 PM EST on Tuesday August 4 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM EST on Wednesday August 5 In participating in this State of the World Forum, you are helping to make history. Warm Regards, Jim Garrison
Publish What You Pay calls for the immediate release of transparency activist Golden Misabiko* Golden Misabiko, Chair of the African Association for the Protection of Human Rights (ASADHO) in Katanga, was arrested on 24 July and remains in custody in Lubumbashi. Timothée Mbuya, Vice-Chair of ASADHO/Katanga, was also arrested on 24 July but subsequently released on the same day. ASADHO is a member of Publish What You Pay (PWYP) Democratic Republic of Congo. Both men were interrogated in Lubumbashi by members of the Congolese intelligence agency (Agence nationale de renseignements, ANR). Misabiko has been charged with "undermining State security" and "making defamatory statements" and is awaiting trial. Misabiko, a human rights and transparency advocate, together with local civil society groups, campaigns for increased transparency and accountability in the management of mineral wealth in the province of Katanga, a copper and cobalt rich region. He has been arrested and intimidated several times in the past for his human rights activities. ASADHO/Katanga released a report on 12 July 2009 about the Shinkolobwe uranium mine denouncing state authorities for supporting illegal and dangerous mining and for signing a contract with the French nuclear group AREVA under opaque circumstances. The Democratic Republic of Congo is one of the 21 resource rich African countries implementing the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI)**, a global initiative for increased transparency in the oil, gas and mining sectors. The participation of independent civil society is a fundamental component of the multi-stakeholder nature of the EITI and Congolese civil society organisations are playing an active role to ensure that their country becomes fully compliant with the initiative. PWYP calls for the immediate release of Golden Misabiko and asks for all charges against him to be dropped. PWYP urges the Congolese government to ensure the free participation of civil society in debates on the management of Congo's mineral resources and to safeguard the security of transparency advocates. *Notes:* 30/07/2009
Jean Predine, former President of International Registry of World Citizens Announces the death of Jean Predine, occurred at the age of 87, after a long illness. Jean Predine was a citizen of the world of the "first time", always active in the middle of the mundialists under different services (SERMONDE, International Registry of World Citizens, Center French). He participated in numerous study commissions, including the Hunger and Development. He was a member of the Board of Directors of the World Solidarity Fund against Hunger. " In 1990, he assumed the estate of Roger Wellhoff, director of the International Registry of World Citizens, until 1998 when he retired for health reasons. Jean Predine, a great servant of peace, world citizenship, humanity. 20/07/2009
 Russell
Tribunal on Palestine 03/03/2009 The recent war waged by the Israeli government and the Israeli army on the Gaza strip, already under a blockade, underlines the particular responsibility of the United States and of the European Union in the perpetuation of the injustice done to the Palestinian people, deprived of its fundamental rights. It is important to mobilize the international public opinion so that the United Nations and Member States adopt the necessary measures to end the impunity of the Israeli State, and to reach a just and durable solution to this conflict. Following an appeal from Ken Coates, Nurit Peled, and Leila Shahid, and with the support of over a hundred well-known international personalities, it has been decided to organise a Russell Tribunal on Palestine. Based on the Opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued on the 9th of July 2004 and on the relevant resolutions of the United Nations Organisation, this Russell Tribunal on Palestine is a civic initiative promoting international law as the core element of the Israeli-Palestinian issue. Further than Israel’s responsibility, it aims to demonstrate the complicity of Third States and International Organisations which, through their passivity or active support, allow Israel to violate the rights of the Palestinian People, and let this situation be continued and aggravated. The next step will then be to establish how this complicity results in international responsibilities. Through a decentralised functioning, the organisation of public sessions and other public events, the organisation of a Russell Tribunal on Palestine is designed as a large communication event, with widespread media coverage over the tribunal and its outcomes. Indeed, the Russell Tribunal on Palestine having no official mandate, its impact rests on its ability to mobilise public opinion, so that the latter puts pressure on governments to obtain that they change their policies in the ways that are necessary to reach a just and lasting peace in the Middle East. http://www.russelltribunalonpalestine.net/ ________________
March 31st to april 2nd 2009 : the World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development organisers - UNESCO and the German Ministry of Education and Research, in cooperation with the German Commission for UNESCO - have selected Small is beautiful to be exhibited at the conference, taking place in Bonn, Germany.
Dr APJ Abdul Kalam visited City Montessori School (mundialized school) You will be pleased to know that very recently, on 14th February, H.E. Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, Former President of India visited City Montessori School, Lucknow, India to interact with our students. He shared the stage with Mr Jagdish Gandhi, Founder-Manager of City Montessori School and said that "the United Nations is not living upto its expectations in curbing conflicts among nations and we need a new charter" and "no country should possess veto power". During his interaction with students of CMS he also made some more interesting comments which you may read the story on the following links: http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/002200902142241.htm and http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Lucknow/Dreams_and_diligence_key_to_success_says_Kalam/articleshow/4130863.cms We recorded his speech and the entire conversation and will be uploading the video on this interesting interaction at www.youtube.com/worldunityandpeace and videos are in 3 parts
Since Dr APJ Abdul Kalam suggests that "we need a new world order", we thought that many of you might share a similar opinion like Mr Jagdish Gandhi who believes that "a international political and economic order of the world based on enforceable international law is an urgent need of the hour" We are collecting opinion of all the people across the globe who are deeply concerned with present world problems and see global democracy based on enforceable international law as an effective solution to them. Please refer to the attached format which will take a few minutes of your to be filled. We will collect all the suggestions and will take your suggestions to H.E. APJ Abdul Dr Kalam. It would be nice if you can send us your comments through the attached format before 25 February 2009. Shishir Srivastava E-mail: shishir@wmgd.net
To celebrate the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), EBBF has created a comprehensive knowledge centre aptly titled "The Role of Business in Promoting Human Rights" offering the case for business involvement and a comprehensive listing of key documents, key players people and organizations who are dedicating their lives to assisting business to better understand and perform in this essential field for world development. More stories and meaningful job offers, including some hints and thoughts about economic downsizing, at the EBBF Communications Centre Read EBBF latest electronic Newsletter Inspire ! :
http://ebbf.org/inspire21.html
A blog named "The Universal Nation ~ La Nación Universal". Last September 2008 I started a blog named "The Universal Nation ~ La Nación Universal". It is conceived as a bilingual site (English - Spanish) The central theme presented is entitled after the blog itself. The first paragraph of this presentation reads textually as follows: " The abolition of the system of nations as independent sovereign states is the present’s paradigm, and the greatest global need, and the solution to many of the major problems of modern humankind, all at once. " I cordially invite You to read this theme in depth and get to know the blog on the following link http://www.universal.hosteando.org/ The presentation includes the following topics.
I sincerely believe that the message and content of this presentation shall well vibrate in tune with your souls, besides from being itself in tune with the spirit motivating your organization. The presentation includes an elaboration on the significance of World Citizenship. I appreciate your attention, and expect that You enjoy and enrich yourselves with the theme presented. With my Best Wishes of Peace and Prosperity for all your efforts, 10/01/2009 Omar Nahúm. |
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