A Short History of the Earth Constitution
The Constitution for the Federation of Earth was written through the combined effort and input of hundreds of hundreds of persons who identify as world-citizen activists, including many international diplomats and legal experts. This grand effort required a series of world meetings over a period of 23 years (from 1968 to 1991). Sponsored by the World Constitution and Parliament Association (WCPA), the painstaking process of drafting and revising the Earth Constitution resulted in a historic document that provides holistic solutions for the varied challenges facing humanity.
India Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi meets with two leaders of the Earth Constitution
movement: Dr. Terence Amerasinghe (center) and Dr. Reinhart Ruge (right), circe 1985.
At the first Constituent Assembly in Interlaken, Switzerland in 1968, the delegates elected a drafting committee of 25 persons. In 1972, five primary authors from this committee completed the first draft:
- Philip Isely, a visionary philanthropist from the United States;
- Dr. Terence P. Amerasinghe, an international lawyer from Sri Lanka;
- Hon. S. M. Hussain, a Justice at the Supreme Court of Bangladesh;
- D. M. Spencer, a Professor of Law in Mumbai, India; and
- Dr. Max Habicht, a prominent international lawyer from Switzerland.
The first draft was circulated worldwide several times for comments and amendments. It was then reviewed paragraph-by-paragraph at the Second Constituent Assembly in Innsbruck, Austria in 1977, and at the Third Assembly in Colombo, Sri Lanka in 1979. Small changes were also made at the Fourth Constituent Assembly in Troia, Portugal in 1991. The Fourth Assembly then declared the Earth Constitution “completed” and ready for ratification by the people and nations of Earth.
Chronological History of WCPA and the Provisional World Parliament
The Earth Constitution Today
Since its completion, the Earth Constitution has spread globally as both a blueprint and an ideal for a just and sustainable world system of democratic government. Many prominent leaders and global citizens have expressed their support for the Earth Constitution, including government officials, judges, scholars, scientists, and spiritual leaders from diverse backgrounds.
In 2020, the Earth Constitution Institute (ECI), in partnership with its sister organization WCPA, launched a new phase of the process to make the ideals of Earth Federation a reality, including the development of a secure online voting system and the formation of electoral districts for electing delegates the Provisional World Parliament among other duties.
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