whitebeard

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"Reclaim Our UN"
Working Document
of the International Seminar "Reclaim Our UN"
Padua, 19-20 November 2004 (*)

1. Unilateralism is bad for the world. Multilateralism is not an option, it is indispensable. The alternative is world chaos, wars, terrorism, growing poverty, greater insecurity, injustice, environmental devastation.
2. The UN remains the highest form of multilateralism available today. It is full of limitations, has been hijacked by powerful governments, but it is the only one we have.
3. ...The UN, with representatives from 191 countries, is the only worldwide forum that can and has to be the instrument for the people to achieve a world of peace and social justice, the goals of its charter.
4. The weakening of the UN, the failure of governments to fulfill their commitments to the decisions taken at the UN is part of a broader attack on a world order based on international law. It extends to international institutions the strategy of neoliberal globalisation, based on economic power, deregulation and privatisation, against peoples' rights and needs.
5. In the last ten years the emerging global civil society has become a new actor. Millions of people and thousands of organisations have become active against war, neoliberal globalisation and unilateralism, for a more democratic and just world order. They continue to challenge the actions and power of international institutions, developing alternatives from below on peace, security, human rights, combating impunity, economic and social justice, environmental sustainability.
6. ...

7. Today these mobilisations have to be drawn together and developed on a broader scale with a more focused and effective strategy, built on the broadest participation, bringing together a diversity of perspectives and experiences, and creating a new consensus. The key players in this process have to be, first of all, the peoples who are excluded from global decision making, social and grassroots movements, civil society organisations and NGOs, national and international networks, trade unions, religious groups, migrants and refugees groups, local authorities.
8. ..., it is now clear that there is a need for a global mobilisation of all sectors of civil society, from women to environmentalists, from indigenous people to human rights activists.
9. The fundamental objectives of such a strategy of mobilisation can be summarised as follows:
· oppose the strategy of "preventive and infinite" war, and unilateralism;
· reclaim and revitalise the UN system on the base of international law and human rights, putting it at the centre of a multilateral order;
· democratise the UN system, opening its doors to local authorities, local governments, other decentralised governments, parliaments, civil society voices representing the plurality of social, ethnic, gender and other diversities;
· ensure that the UN has the resources for implementing its mandate: prevent war, eradicate the causes of war (economic, social and cultural), promoting human rights, the global rule of law and international justice, and recover control over economic, social and environmental issues, subordinating the IMF, the World Bank and the WTO to the principles and agreements under the UN and it's agencies;
· promote general disarmament and the ban of all nuclear arms and of all weapons of mass destruction;
· prevent conflicts, protect civilians, and react to humanitarian catastrophes.

10. ... The success of the global days of action such as February 15 2003 and March 20 2004 against the war in Iraq has shown the new strength and awareness of global civil society. The greater concern of many governments in defence of multilateralism offers opportunities for exerting pressure.
11. This strategy of mobilisation should be developed at a variety of levels. ...
Building new solidarities would strengthen the search for alternatives in countries of the South.
12. This strategy of mobilisation should develop from the bottom up with a process of education and communication within civil society and social movements. ...

13. Civil society has to monitor closely the activities of the UN and international institutions. A global observatory on the international institutions could be studied and established with the object to evaluate periodically the commitment in practice of the UN activities to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
14. 2005 can be a turning point for such a mobilisation at the local and global level. We propose a global day of action for democracy, freedom and peace, against all fundamentalisms and wars, to be held on the eve of the Summit of Heads of State convened by the UN in New York in autumn 2005 for a review of the commitments undertaken at the Millennium Summit and the reform of UN.
15. Within the dynamics of the World Social Forum, the participants to the international Seminar "Reclaim our UN" in Padua commit themselves to work together to continue the dialogue on these issues and facilitate the emergence of common mobilisations. ...

(*) This document has been elaborated, thanks to the contribution of the co-ordinators of the working groups during the International Seminar "Reclaim our UN" that took place on November 19-20 2004 in Padua (Italy). The seminar saw the participation of over 600 people representing 25 International networks, 50 national organisations and 284 Italian associations. This is a working document and therefore it is useful for understanding the central elements of the discussion that took place in Padua and for continuing the discussion up to the World Social Forum, that will take place in Porto Alegre from the 26 to the 30 January. All the participants of the Padua seminar and those that were not able to come can contribute with comments and proposals. Please send them to: international@peacepoint.org . We will gather and circulate them. In Porto Alegre we will discuss them all and try to find a common platform. 

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