Declaration of Principles (English)

GLOBAL DEMOCRACY
MOVEMENT FOR A SOUTH AMERICAN UNION AND A WORLD PARLIAMENT
(ver versión en español más abajo)

DECLARATION OF PRINCIPLES

1. Given that humanity is facing worldwide challenges that affect the lives of each and every one of the inhabitants of the planet; and seeing that the existing crisis can be observed on multiple levels, be it as ecological, economic and demographic crises, or as a loss of control over technology and the monopoly of violence on the part of nation-states

2. Considering that the techno-scientific revolution and the globalization of economic processes have involved profound social changes; and in view of the fact that they lead to a manifest imbalance of power between global economic organizations and national political institutions

3. Given the increasing difficulty that national states are facing in carrying out the functions for which they were created and in promoting a world governed by Liberty, Equality and Fraternity; and in view of the consequences of this erosion of their capacities in terms of the loss of legitimacy of representative democracy

4. Given that the actions of inter-national institutions disregard the democratic principles they claim to respect; and seeing their ineffectiveness in preserving world peace, combating global terrorism, preventing abuses by the most powerful states, leading a global process of disarmament, guaranteeing worldwide respect for human rights, punishing crimes against humanity impartially, ensuring the observance of a international rule of law, eliminating poverty and promoting education, culture and science in the context of a knowledge and information global society

5. Seeing that in a global world there will be no place for national democracies without the construction of democracy above nation-states at each of the levels, regional, inter-national and global, on which there is an urgent need for political decisions that can meet the challenges of globalization; and given that the shrinking of space, the apogee of connectivity and the increasing interdependence of all people are shaping humanity into the fundamental social unit and a true community of destiny...

We the members of Democracia Global (Global Democracy -Movement for a South American Union and a World Parliament) affirm and maintain that there can be no solution to global problems and crisis without the establishment of a global network of political decisions based on:

- the democratic principle, which proclaims that all human beings have the right to participate in the decisions that affect their own lives

- the egalitarian principle, which states that this participation must be based on the rule one man - one vote “without distinction of any kind such as race, color, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status”, as set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UNO, 1948)

- the institutional principle, which points out that there is no democracy without democratic institutions and no real human rights without universal institutions responsible for their protection and promotion

- the representative principle, which establishes that all human beings have the right to be elected as representatives and to elect their own representatives

- the parliamentary principle, which holds that Parliament is the heart of the democratic system and an irreplaceable model of intercultural communication capable of turning the alleged clash of civilizations into a civilized dialog

- the federal principle, which guarantees the division of power into different levels (local, provincial, national, continental, inter-national and global), each one dedicated to the deliberation and resolution of matters related to their particular dimension and scale

- the principle of subsidiarity, whereby any matter must be considered on the most reduced and local level of decision capable of guaranteeing the representation of all those people affected and able to provide a reasonable solution

- the principle of responsibility, which determines that institutions and their representatives must be accountable to the people and that citizens have obligations, not just rights

- the principle of civil liberty, which requires individual freedoms and human rights to be fully respected as the basis for political and social coexistence

- the principle of transparency, which demands that the deliberations of institutions be open and subject to public knowledge

- the principle of peace, which points out that this is the necessary condition for the full functioning of the abovementioned principles For all these reasons, we declare ourselves in favor of:

* The creation of a South American Union endowed with regional political and economic institutions, from a common market to a common currency, from a federal Constitution to a Parliament and a Court of Justice, which might realize the dreams of unity cherished by the liberators of its nations and their inhabitants’ aspirations of peace, development, democracy and social progress

* The democratization of inter-national institutions, whose current structure is the product of a post-war world and whose current limitations favor the most powerful states, subjugate those institutions to their command and plunge them into impotence and disrepute

* The creation of global democratic institutions, starting with a World Parliament elected directly by the people, which must be capable of legislating in favor of the common interests of humanity, of protecting and generating global common goods, of promoting the universal validity of human rights and of institutionalizing a world citizenship, as a rational complement to national citizenship, based on a profound sense of belonging to the universal human community

* The complementary nature and mutual dependence of these three objectives, as interdependent aspects in the construction of democracy and citizenship on all levels, from the local to the global

The concept of Global Democracy should not be understood as the disappearance of nation-states in favor of the concentration of power in centralized bureaucratic global institutions, but rather as the creation of a subsidiary network of federal institutions capable of applying on a supranational scale the same principles that today are recognized as being legitimate and effective at the national level. Political unity and equality of rights must not be confused with linguistic, religious or cultural uniformity. The protection of all forms of diversity compatible with the principle of respect for minorities and human rights, and the promotion of the individual and universal right to be different are part of the principal objectives of a global democratic order. Just as the threats to life and civilization are enormous and increasing in number, so are the possibilities and promises created by the techno-economic revolution. There has already been sufficient development to ensure each and every human being a decent life, free from poverty, fear and oppression. If this is not the case, then the blame can be largely attributed to the deficient politico-institutional system, which seeks to regulate the world of digital media communications, global financial markets, information society, worldwide networks and biogenetic revolution using methods, institutions and practices similar to those that were effective in the days of the telegraph and the steam train.

Globalizing Democracy is democratizing Globalization. In view of the appearance of institutions endowed with powers of a worldwide scope such as the World Trade Organization, the United Nations Security Council, NATO, the International Monetary Fund and the G8, the real question is no longer whether a global political order can or must be created, but rather whether it should be elitist, opaque and centralized or democratic, transparent and federal in nature. To avoid any risk of concentration and abuse of power, the institutions that govern a global democratic order must be constituted by peaceful means through a process of open debate in which all the citizens of the world and all the democratic organizations of civil society worldwide should be able to participate.
Democracia Global (Global Democracy -Movement for a South American Union and a World Parliament) calls them all to join us in the effort to promote these principles and institutions.

Global Democracy
Movement for a South American Union and a World Parliament

You can sign it at: democraciaglobal@ciudad.com.ar