ASSOCIATION OF WORLD CITIZENS  WORKING TOGETHER TO BUILD A WORLD COMMUNITY OPTIONS FOR A PEOPLES ASSEMBLY (CAMDUM) UN SECOND ASSEMBLY The number of seats allocated to each participating country would be proportionately related to population size. The delegates in the Second Assembly would be non-governmental and non-party, and would be directly and/or indirectly elected. They would represent the peoples of the United Nations as global inhabitants and members of civil society, while the delegates in the General Assembly would continue to represent us as national citizens. [INFUSA, 1985] UN CITIZENS' ASSEMBLY One plan for the direct election of delegates involves the nomination of candidates by community or bio-regional coordinating councils, democratically representative of local branches of non-governmental and community-based organizations. These ongoing councils, while engaged in planning, problem-solving and public education, could electronically link the citizenry with their UN Second Assembly delegates. [CAMDUN, 1990] UN PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY This would be modelled on the European Parliament, so the peoples would be represented in it as supporters of democratic political parties. Initially, at least, the delegates would be appointed or elected by the parliaments.The long-term objective is directly elected representation as in the European Parliament. [WORLD FEDERALIST MOVEMENT, 1992] UN CIVIL SOCIETY ASSEMBLY Each participating country could have up to 6 delegates. One delegate would be directly elected by 'world citizens' who in some way 'act as well as think globally'. The other five delegates would be indirectly representative of the peoples: one delegate for non-governmental organizations (NGOs) with a formal link with the UN system, one delegate for NGOs without a formal link with the UN system, and three delegates to represent the wider civil society through their governance institutions and other bodies. [CAMDUN, 1993-5] ANY OF THE ABOVE FOUR OPTIONS for a PEOPLES' ASSEMBLY COULD QUALIFY AS A SUBSIDIARY ORGAN OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY (under Article 22 of the Charter). The establishment of a peoples' assembly with this status would require the approval of at least a two-thirds majority of the UN member-states. It would function in cooperation with the General Assembly as a 'second house'. A UN peoples' assembly should have a special responsibility for building a PERMANENTLY PEACEFUL WORLD, including the promotion of: the right of all peoples to peace; the rights of minorities; the right of peoples to self-determination (partial to full independence) by peaceful and democratic processes which ensure the rights of others; and systematic measures of world disarmament. A peoples' assembly should also work in partnership with UN Agencies and Programmes to promote SUSTAINABLE HUMAN DEVELOPMENT: civil rights, job creation, poverty elimination, social integration and environmental protection. THREE OTHER OPTIONS COULD BE A FIRST STEP TOWARDS A UN PEOPLES' ASSEMBLY UN NGO ASSEMBLY This would be open to delegates representing UN-accredited NGOs which "manifest a constructive interest in the purposes of the United Nations Charter". There would be an annual session which the General Assembly would provide at UN headquarters in New York. [HAROLD STASSEN, 1990] UN CIVIL SOCIETY FORUM "A Forum of Civil Society...should consist of representatives of organizations accredited to the General Assembly as Civil Society Organizations - a new and expanded category of accredited organizations... including, of course, today's NGOs but looking to an even wider field..." It would meet annually at UN headquarters. [COMMISSION ON GLOBAL GOVERNANCE, 1995] NGO WORLDWIDE NET This option would create a worldwide network of NGOs which are associated with the DPI. NGOs recognized by any other UN body would also be invited to join the Net. The objective is to enhance UN/NGO cooperation. National NGOs would elect representatives to Regional Meetings, which would in turn elect representatives to an annual World Meeting at UN headquarters. The Net would be facilitated by the development of international electronic communications. [EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF NGOs ASSOCIATED WITH THE UN DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC INFORMATION, 1995] The Association of World Citizens 55 New Montgomery Street, Suite 224 San Francisco, CA 94105 Telephone: (415) 541-9610 Fax: (650) 745-0640 Email address is: info@worldcitizens.org Home Page | AWC Goals | AWC Branches | Archives Resolution 2010 | Human Manifesto | AWC History United Nations | AWC Staff | Join Online Today | Worldometers Contact Us