Human Rights and the Earth Constitution

Promotion of the Constitution for the Federation of Earth is perhaps the most fundamental key for the advancement of human rights globally.  Human rights and human dignity are universal.  The United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948 assumes and embodies this principle. The Declaration’s Preamble correctly states the basis for all government: “recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world.”

All legitimate government derives from this foundation of human dignity. Article 2 of the Declaration states that “everyone is entitled to the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth, or other status.”  “Nations” are excluded as a source of our rights and freedoms. Our common human dignity is the source. Individual dignity and our common humanity are inseparable. Legitimate government itself derives from this source. It cannot, therefore, simultaneously be the source of human rights and dignity.

In spite of this, the UN system leaves the protection of human rights up to the militarized sovereign nation-states.  These states, both big and small, are primarily concerned with pragmatic issues of survival such as economic growth, military readiness, environmental calamities, invasions of immigrants, and internal “security.”  Even if they care about human rights, this value often comes last after they have addressed these “more immediate” pragmatic concerns.

If the dignity of human beings within the universal human community is truly the source of all legitimate governing, why has the world since the Second World War suffered more than 150 wars, with many millions dead or displaced, and with on-going human rights violations for hundreds of millions of the Earth’s citizens? The answer is implicit, as we have seen, in the UN Universal Declaration’s recognition that respect for human dignity is the foundation for freedom, justice, and peace in the world (not sovereign-nation statehood). And this failure of the system of “sovereign” nation-states to protect human rights is recognized in Article 28, which states: “Everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration can be fully realized.”

The world lacks this order.  The world-system as it now exists defeats the rights and freedoms listed in the UN Declaration. What could be more obvious?   Democracy is a universal.  Human rights are universal.  The human community needs to be universal. Many within the UN understand this, but they do not see a way forward.  The Earth Constitution is precisely the way forward. Although the world remains divided into apparently incommensurable fragments that often constitute a war-system, an immorality and corruption system, and, ultimately, an omnicidal system, the model of true unity in diversity under the Earth Constitution offers a true beacon of hope.

The Earth Constitution integrates and enhances the United Nations system by drawing together the many complex agencies of the United Nations into a truly universal federation of planetary unity in diversity. A system of independent national units with the right to militarize (autonomy over internal affairs) in external relations to other such units (including the so-called right to go to war) is a conceptual and moral contradiction so far as human rights are concerned.  A true federation must be based on a principle of unity in diversity such that the unity bears on all the human rights of the groups and individuals within that diversity. There are descending levels of governing authority deriving from the people of Earth, who are alone sovereign. The Earth Constitution supplies that unity necessary for the universal protection of human rights.

However, we need not wait for ratification of the Earth Constitution to move forward with a true human rights regime for our endangered planet.  Simply the spread and recognition of the Earth Constitution with its two complete bills of human rights (Articles 12 and 13) is enough to serve as a model and a guide for citizens and nation-states alike. This is why it is so important to support education concerning the Constitution.  It serves as a great promoter of human rights in both theory and practice. It is both a model and an ideal for humanity as well as a practical blueprint for where we need to go next.

The Earth Constitution brings each of us to the leading tip of evolutionary growth both for ourselves and for humanity. If you search online for themes such as “new humanity” or “human renaissance” or “new earth” or “new human being” or “new earth future,” you will find many organizations and websites speaking in inspiring ways about empowering humanity for transformation and growth toward world citizenship, planetary consciousness, and self-realization.

Many of these movements are wonderful and very inspiring.  We should all be growing toward a planetary consciousness that at the same time is the actualization of our own higher human possibilities. But one of the reasons for the popularity of these movements is that they lack concrete specificity. They have some vague notion that through self-realization humanity will become loving enough to transcend the evils of capitalism and greed (such as extreme poverty for the many and astronomical riches for the few) as well as the evils of violence and war (and the terrible threat of nuclear holocaust).

They imply that war would end, and people would begin living on Earth in peaceful communities of cooperation and coherence.  These are wonderful thoughts.  But, again, only vague notions with no concrete ways that people can implement then on a planetary scale.  These movements believe that the Earth’s ecosystem can be preserved if only we have enough people with “planetary awareness” who want to live in harmony with nature’s balances.  Again, wonderful thoughts with only vague notions as to how this might be possible.

The World Constitution and Parliament Association (WCPA) and Earth Constitution Institute (ECI) agree with the need for spiritual, moral, and cognitive growth.  This is wonderful.  But without a concrete plan for transforming our broken world-system into one of democracy, unity in diversity, and global coherence, humanity will not prevail over the threats of global war, climate collapse, and ever-greater disparity between rich and poor. The Earth Constitution is community-based, empowering local communities through 1000 World Electoral Districts worldwide.

That is the role of the Constitution for the Federation of Earth.  It lays out in concrete, brilliantly conceived, detail how we can govern ourselves with bottom-up democracy, unity in diversity, and global coherence. It shows how we can end war, protect the ecosystem of Earth, and create planetary social justice. This is what is truly special about WCPA and ECI.  We have concrete answers, not just vague ideals.  The ideals are wonderful and good, but without a concrete, practical plan for transformation they remain just that: vague ideals that will not save our planet.  In everything you do, please support the Earth Constitution and our global work.  Our ideals must have a concrete transformative focus if they are to succeed. The Earth Constitution is that focus.