2008 is the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We must first begin to think, plan, and organize much more effectively in regards to outlawing war and making sure that the poor's basic human needs are met, The UN Charter and Universal Declaration of Human Rights already provide the basis for both of these goals. They fundamentally state that all member states are obligated and mandated to do both of these things; and that not only the governments, but according to the Declaration also all of humanity, must take effective collective action to ensure that such things are done and that the necessary international order is in place to do so.

This is clearly stated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which all UN Member States have acceded to. You can read it at: http://www.un.org/Overview/rights.html. in particular the Preamble; the concluding paragraph of the Preamble; and Articles 3, 5, 9, 22, 23, 25, and especially article 28 - which reads: Everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration can be fully realized. And from the Preamble:... every individual and every organ of society shall strive by teaching, promoting, and other progressive measures, national and international, to secure their universal and effective recognition and observance..

Thus it is up to us to ensure that everyone knows these things and that we insist they are carried out. 2008 is the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We could surely include a Call to Outlaw and End War and to ensure that All Peoples Basic HumanNeeds are Met.

For example the Global Action to Prevent War, http://www.globalactionpw.org/ is an excellent initiative that very few people know about with a timeline of activities that if carried out and implemented would effectively end war. Likewise the ICC The International Criminal Court http://www.icc-cpi.int/home.html is determining right now and must complete by 2009 the definition and decisions on individual responsibility and accountability on Crimes of Aggression (or in other words military attacks against other countries). And under the Decade for Peace and Nonviolence for the Children of the World (which we are already more than half way through) we should be insisting that Peace Education and other such activities are made available through all schools and as a regular part of the curriculum. The Decade For A Culture Of Non-Violence is an apeal to humanity by The Nobel Peace Prize Laureates.
http://www.spiritual-endeavors.org/peace/decade.htm

We must create proposals for establishing world democracy and an international rule of law, in order to fulfill the mandate from the Declaration that an international order be established that is in fact sufficient for fulfilling the mandates and obligations of the Declaration and Charter. This indeed would be a Progressive Measure that ought to be
carried out.

Similarly, the Millennium Project http://www.unmillenniumproject.org/ (under Jeffrey Sach and consisting of 140 civil society experts from around the world meeting under the UN mandate) came out with 13 reports leading up to the Millennium +5 Summit with detailed recommendations for meeting all peoples basic human needs and providing for such other basic opportunities. For about the same amount of money that the US has been spending on the military occupation in Iraq every year, these recommendations could have been implemented and the goals achieved.

The reports were quite clear in stating and in showing how 30 million lives could have been saved each year if all of the recommendations were implemented. However instead of embracing and supporting such an effort, the Bush Administration tried to gut it and was rather successful. For anyone that follows the UN they would know that the UN is a lot better about talking and making agreements than in actually putting in place funding and actual means of ensuring that the agreements they make are implemented. Thus here is a whole series of recommendations and specific proposals that should have been adopted and implemented but which were not.

We must put forward such specific proposals and initiatives as these in a forceful and clear way and build huge popular support for them in order for them to actually be agreed to and implemented.

We should thus work with all of the interested and supportive organizations and networks leading up to the Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in order to ensure that the primary recommendations of the Millennium Project, as well as those needed to achieve the Millennium Declaration and Goals, are in fact carried out and all people's basic human needs are met.

We encourage The City Montessori School (CMS), the World Movement for Global Democracy (WMGD), the World Parliament Experiment (WPE), etc to focus on this as a primary focus of their activities leading up to the Anniversary.

Addendum

The Millennium Project http://www.unmillenniumproject.org/ was commissioned by the United Nations Secretary-General in 2002 to develop a concrete action plan for the world to achieve the Millennium Development Goals and to reverse the grinding poverty, hunger and disease affecting billions of people. In 2005, the independent advisory body headed by Professor Jeffrey Sachs, presented its final recommendations to the Secretary-General in a synthesis volume Investing in Development: A Practical Plan to Achieve the Millennium Development Goals. The bulk of the Project's work was carried out by 10 thematic Task Forces, each of which also presented its own detailed recommendations in January 2005. The Task Forces comprised a total of more than 250 experts from around the world including: researchers and scientists; policymakers; representatives of NGOs, UN agencies, the World Bank, IMF and the private sector.

After the presentation of the Millennium Project's final reports, the secretariat team worked in an advisory capacity through to the end of 2006 to support the implementation of the Project's recommendations, with special focus on supporting developing countries' preparation of national development strategies aligned with achieving the Millennium Development Goals. The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are the world's time-bound and quantified targets for addressing extreme poverty in its many dimensions-income poverty, hunger, disease, lack of adequate shelter, and exclusion-while promoting gender equality, education, and environmental sustainability. They are also basic human rights-the rights of each person on the planet to health, education, shelter, and security.

Goal 1: Eradicate Extreme Hunger and Poverty
Goal 2: Achieve Universal Primary Education
Goal 3: Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women
Goal 4: Reduce Child Mortality
Goal 5: Improve Maternal Health
Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and other diseases
Goal 7: Ensure Environmental Sustainability
Goal 8: Develop a Global Partnership for Development

Culture of Peace:

http://www3.unesco.org/iycp/uk/uk_sum_cp.htm
As defined by the United Nations, the Culture of Peace is a set of values, attitudes, modes of behaviour and ways of life that reject violence and prevent conflicts by tackling their root causes to solve problems through dialogue and negotiation among individuals, groups and nations (UN Resolutions A/RES/52/13: Culture of Peace and A/RES/53/243, Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace). For peace and non-violence to prevail, we need to:

foster a culture of peace through education
by revising the educational curricula to promote qualitative values, attitudes and behaviours of a culture of peace, including peaceful conflict-resolution, dialogue, consensus-building and active non-violence. Such an educational approach should be geared also to:

promote sustainable economic and social development
by reducing economic and social inequalities, by eradicating poverty and by assuring sustainable food security , social justice, durable solutions to debt problems, empowerment of women, special measures for groups with special needs, environmental sustainability…

promote respect for all human rights
human rights and a culture of peace are complementary: whenever war and violence dominate, there is no possibility to ensure human rights; at the same time, without human rights, in all their dimensions, there can be no culture of peace...

ensure equality between women and men
through full participation of women in economic, social and political decision-making, elimination of all forms of discrimination and violence against women, support and assistance to women in need,…

foster democratic participation
indispensable foundations for the achievement and maintenance of peace and security are democratic principles, practices and participation in all sectors of society, a transparent and accountable governance and administration, the combat against terrorism, organized crime, corruption, illicit drugs and money laundering…

advance understanding, tolerance and solidarity
to abolish war and violent conflicts we need to transcend and overcome enemy images with understanding, tolerance and solidarity among all peoples and cultures. Learning from our differences, through dialogue and the exchange of information, is an enriching process…

support participatory communication and the free flow of information and knowledge
freedom of information and communication and the sharing of information and knowledge are indispensable for a culture of peace. However, measures need to be taken to address the issue of violence in the media, including new information and communication technologies…

promote international peace and security
the gains in human security and disarmament in recent years, including nuclear weapons treaties and the treaty banning land mines, should encourage us to increase our efforts in negotiation of peaceful settlements, elimination of production and traffic of arms and weapons, humanitarian solutions in conflict situations, post-conflict initiatives…

Manifesto 2000 for a culture of Peace and Non-violence
http://www3.unesco.org/manifesto2000/uk/uk_manifeste.htm

I pledge in my daily life, in my family, my work, my community, my country and my region, to:

Respect the life and dignity of each human being without discrimination or prejudice.

Practise active non-violence, rejecting violence in all its forms: physical, sexual, psychological, economical and social, in particular towards the most deprived and vulnerable such as children and adolescents.

Share my time and material resources in a spirit of generosity to put an end to exclusion, injustice and political and economic oppression;

Defend freedom of expression and cultural diversity, giving preference always to dialogue and listening without engaging in fanaticism, defamation and the rejection of others;

Promote consumer behaviour that is responsible and development practices that respect all forms of life and preserve the balance of nature on the planet

Contribute to the development of my community, with the full participation of women and respect for democratic principles, in order to create together new forms of solida

"Since wars begin in the minds of men,
it is in the minds of men than defences of peace must be constructed "
Constitution of UNESCO, 1945

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Rob Wheeler

is the Coordinator of International Steering Committee of World Movement for Global Democracy (WMGD) Mr. Wheeler has served as an NGO Representative at the UN for the past ten years-representing the Global Eco-village Network, the Association of World Citizens, the Millennium Peoples Assembly Network, and the International Institute for Sustainable Future. He served on the Executive Committee for the Millennium NGO Forum, as well as on the Steering Committee of the World Civil Society Forum.

Rob Wheeler robineagle@worldcitizen.org 717-264-5036