The talk by Augusto Lopez-Claros at the University of Toronto Faculty Club, hosted by the Canadian International Council on March 4th was a welcome opportunity to gain more insight into the current initiative to develop a Second United Nations Charter.  Lopez-Claros, executive director of the Global Governance Forum,  persuasively highlighted the key features and major changes required and why the original Charter, drafted in 1945, is now dated and urgently in need of revision.

Under the original Charter the UN enshrined the principle of self-determination for nations, tripled its membership, set a new normative standard for Human Rights, called for universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language or religion.  The organization subsequently evolved into a world body to manage global problems and, so far, has managed to prevent a 3rd World War.

But the UN has suffered several failures and numerous challenges. Work on Peace and security has not been very successful. Poverty reduction has lagged and it has failed to address the looming threat of climate change. The draft for a new Charter incorporates the “missing pillar” for environmental and planetary health. It strengthens the level of protection for human rights and raises the previous standard on the participation of women in all aspects of UN work.

Major structural changes include a proposal for four councils - Security, Economic and Social, Human Rights and a new Earth System Council. Each would carry primary responsibility in their respective areas under the supervision of a strengthened General Assembly and a new Parliamentary Assembly to be phased in gradually.

There is, however, another ”missing pillar” that needs to be included. We are living in a digital age where instant communications anywhere on the planet is a given. In recent decades an enormous body of research has accumulated on the impact of new technologies on our lifestyles, consumer habits and ways of interacting with each other. Internet connectivity anywhere in the world is emerging as a human right. Meanwhile evidence of harmful effects mounts whether we consider these within the context of foreign interference in elections, online harm involving hate, bullying, sexual abuse, predators manipulating children, social media algorithms encouraging anger and rage, video game and iPhone addictions, the promises and perils of AI and more. Like climate change the nature of the internet does not respect national boundaries. Some rules and guard rails for the Information Highway are required and these must be addressed at the international level. The major structural changes in the proposed UN Charter Draft should also include a fifth Digital Systems Council.

It is envisioned that an expanded and more representative Security Council, beyond its five current permanent members, would include a new category of five additional renewable long term regionally selected seats as well as fifteen more non-renewable seats that would redress various current representative imbalances for a total of 25 seats. A General Assembly together with a new Parliamentary Assembly would have the power to override a veto by a permanent member of the Security Council; that is, in exceptional circumstances.

Other proposals include a Standing Peace Force and Disarmament, limited compulsory jurisdiction for the International Court of Justice and a new way of selecting the Secretary- General to ensure greater gender balance and participation. In order to prevent future paralysis in attempted revisions, there is emphasis on the need for a visible institutional change pathway. Any new Charter will inevitably require regular review and revision.  There will, of course, be costs involved. And these need to be worked out as the cost of not undertaking the task of renewal, at all, will be far greater.