World Constitution

[Dominik Ransom]

The Constitute project provides an unparalleled research resource for me and for my students, and it has also been enormously helpful in informing the comparative constitutional work I am called to do as a member of the Venice Commission."

Realizing that Humanity today has come to a turning point in history and that we are on the threshold of an new world order which promises to usher in an era of peace, prosperity, justice and harmony;

Aware that man's abuse of science and technology has brought Humanity to the brink of disaster through the production of horrendous weaponry of mass destruction and to the brink of ecological and social catastrophe;

Conscious that Humanity is One despite the existence of diverse nations, races, creeds, ideologies and cultures and that the principle of unity in diversity is the basis for a new age when war shall be outlawed and peace prevail; when the earth's total resources shall be equitably used for human welfare; and when basic human rights and responsibilities shall be shared by all without discrimination;

Each Department or major agency of the World Administration shall have as chief of staff, a Senior Administrator, who shall assist the Minister and supervise the detailed work of the Department or agency.

Among the departments and agencies of the World Administration of ministerial status, but not limited thereto and subject to combinations and to changes in descriptive terminology, shall be those listed under this Section. Each major area of administration shall be headed by a Cabinet Minister and a Senior Administrator, or by a Vice President and a Senior Administrator.

Certain administrative, research, planning and facilitative agencies of the World Government which are particularly essential for the satisfactory functioning of all or most aspects of the World Government, shall be designated as the Integrative Complex. The Integrative Complex shall include the agencies listed under this Section, with the proviso that other such agencies may be added upon recommendation of the Presidium followed by decision of the World Parliament.

Each agency of the Integrative Complex shall be headed by a Cabinet Minister and a Senior Administrator, or by a Vice President and a Senior Administrator, together with a Commission as provided hereunder. The rules of procedure for each agency shall be decided by majority decision of the Commission members together with the Administrator and the Minister or Vice President.

The World Parliament may at any time define further the responsibilities, functioning and organization of the several agencies of the Integrative Complex, consistent with the provisions of Article VIII and other provisions of the World Constitution.

The inhabitants and citizens of Earth who are within the Federation of Earth shall have certain inalienable rights defined hereunder. It shall be mandatory for the World Parliament, the World Executive, and all organs and agencies of the World Government to honor, implement and enforce these rights, as well as for the national governments of all member nations in the Federation of Earth to do likewise. Individuals or groups suffering violation or neglect of such rightst shall have full recourse through the World Ombudsmus, the Enforcement System and the World Courts for redress of grievances. The inalienable rights shall include the following:

It shall be the aim of the World Government to secure certain other rights for all inhabitants within the Federation of Earth, but without immediate guarantee of universal achievement and enforcement. These rights are defined as Directive Principles, obligating the World Government to pursue every reasonable means for universal realization and implementation, and shall include the following:

The work and costs of private Citizens of Earth for the achievement of a ratified Constitution for the Federation of Earth, are recognized as legitimate costs for the establishment of constitutional world government by which present and future generations will benefit, and shall be repaid double the original amount by the World Financial Administration of the World Government when it becomes operational after 25 countries have ratified this Constitution for the Federation of Earth. Repayment specifically includes contributions to the World Government Funding Corporation and other costs and expenses recognized by standards and procedures to be established by the World Financial Administration.

Upon adoption of the World Constitution by the World Constituent Assembly, the Assembly and such continuing agency or agencies as it shall designate shall do the following, without being limited thereto:

(The Constitution for the Federation of Earth was originally ratified at the second session of the World Constituent Assembly held at Innsbruck, Austria in June, 1977; and was amended and ratified at the fourth session of the World Constituent Assembly held at Troia, Portugal in May 1991. The Amended Constitution is being personally ratified by outstanding personalities throughout the world as the campaign for ratification by the people and governments of the world gets underway.)

In the course of history, particularly during the past several hundred years, the technique of a Constituent Assembly has been developed and used under various circumstances as a means to devise the constitutions for democratic governments, either to create new governments where none existed before or to replace old or crumbling governments under both peaceful and revolutionary situations.

Sometimes such assemblies have been appointed by existing governments. At other times, under the most favorable circumstances, such assemblies have been elected by vote of established electorates. But at other times such assemblies have been composed and convened under circumstances where only a limited number of people of the country or areas involved actually took part in the selection of delegates. Only a small minority of any electorate might actually participate during the time when a new democratic government is emerging under conditions of revolution from tyranny or of political turmoil or urgent crises; or in the absence of any organized political system which was willing or able to supervise a vote of the total potential electorate for such an assembly or newly emerging democratic government.

It is under the later kind of circumstances that the move has gone forward during the years since World War II for the organization of a World Constituent Assembly to devise the constitution for a democratic form of federal world government. No previous world government or competent world authority has existed to organize or supervise elections to such a World Constituent Assembly. No universally approved electoral lists exist for the conduct of such elections. Existing national governments heretofore have proved unwilling or uninterested or hostile or otherwise unable to assist in either the appointment or election of working delegates to such a World Constituent Assembly, despite numerous appeals -- although these appeals are continuing.

Under the existing circumstances of global anarchy, of political turmoil in many parts of the world, of the suppression or non-functioning of democratic electoral procedures in many parts of the world, as well as of the unprecedented urgencies of many growing world-wide crises requiring extra-ordinary measures if humanity is to survive, action has been organized by the World Constitution and Parliament Association -- as well as by other organizations and groups since 1945 -- to attempt to convene World Constituent Assemblies for the purposes of preparing a constitution for democratic federal world government, and of securing the acceptance and ratification of such a world constitution.

Under these circumstances, the World Constitution and Parliament Association does not claim to have organized a World Constituent Assembly composed of delegates fully representative of and elected by the full potential electorate for such an assembly or for the subsequent world parliament which may emerge. The only claim made is that the delegates and volunteer participants in the four sessions of the World Constituent Assembly are composed of and are representative of those people and elements of society scattered around the globe who are ready, willing and able to move constructively under crises circumstances to devise a Constitution for Democratic Federal World Government, and to launch the first efforts to obtain widespread consideration and ratification and the beginnings of implementation of such a World Constitution.

Finally, these sessions of a World Constituent Assembly are fully consonant with the respected theory that democratic government arises from the initiative and consent of the people who will be the citizens under that government, that people at all times have the democratic right and prerogative to discharge or change any governments which do not adequately serve their welfare, and to initiate new governments when urgently required to their safety or welfare. No superior authority exists at any time to this basic right of people to initiate such action; and in particular, no authority superior to action by people exists for the organization and functioning of a World Constituent Assembly or a democratic World Parliament.

Therefore, let us go forward with a GLOBAL RATIFICATION and ELECTIONS CAMPAIGN, appealing to people and governments to ratify the Constitution for the Federation of Earth which has been produced by these four sessions of the World Constituent Assembly.

We call upon the Universities, Colleges and Churches, Scientific Academies and Institutes to ratify the Constitution for the Federation of Earth and nominate delegates with a world view as candidates for election to the Hose of Counsellors.

Let us move forward with courage and humility in the spirit in which these sessions of the World Constituent Assembly have been conceived, knowing that we are fully justified by the circumstances of world crises, the conditions of world-wide political turmoil and de facto global anarchy, and the recognized right and authority of people to act in the creation of democratic forms of government to serve their safety and welfare, as provided by the Constitution for the Federation of Earth. Although time may reveal the need for some amendments to this Constitution, it has been prepared by a broad global representation of qualified people and it is ready for ratification and implementation now. So let us build on this solid base which has been prepared over the last 25 years and unite our energies in achieving ratification and implementation.

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