by Dominique de Buman, Swiss MP

Our planet faces numerous challenges, such as armed violence, corruption, destruction of the environment, violation of the freedom of religion or of other rights. And this list is not exhaustive — far from it.

So often, humanity surpasses the limits of what is acceptable or sustainable! We are informed about these excesses thanks to the worldwide expansion of information and transportation. The losses are immeasurable.

Numerous summits and conferences take place, more and more frequently, in order to find remedies to this situation. It is especially the case for the finances and the environment: G8, G20, COP21, Financial Stability Forum, and others. But it appears that these meetings have no legitimacy, nor any efficiency as they are originating in the sovereign will of all the states of the world. There is no control about the application of the decisions taken and many participating states – and not the least important of them – don’t take any concrete measures to implement after the end of the diplomatic formalities.

The only way to place all the states on an equal level and to ensure that the governments are taking their world-wide responsibilities would be to transform the UN into a true world government invested with a real power and instruments to apply this power, including armed forces. Today, the Security Council’s masquerade, which gives a veto right to the great powers, destroys any possibility to take energetically the
salutary common actions.

Last year in May, Pope Francis appealed for the exercise in common on the world level the responsibilities devolved to the governments.

The idea of a government for the planet had already been expressed in 1970 by Pope Paul VI as he visited Sydney. The idea was formerly developed in 1963 by Pope St. John XXIII in his encyclical “Pacem in Terris” and later by his successor Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in the encyclical “Caritas in Veritate.” And we should not forget that Pope Pius XII accorded his support in 1951 to the participants of the Rome Congress of the “World Movement for World Federal Government,” as the “World Federalist Movement” was called at the time.

This is a meritourious task. The Swiss government, the Swiss Federal Council can provide leadership and set an example: to develop a project of this sort on the international scene, as a logic consequence of its good will policy, and especially in conformity with the Swiss model which associates all forces in the search for the common good.

Ed. Note : The article was written by Mr. Dominique de Buman, a member of the “National Council,” one of the two Chambers of the Swiss Parliament. Mr. de Buman is this year’s vice-president of his chamber and will probably be elected president in 2018. Mr. de Buman is member of the Christian Democratic Party of Switzerland. The article was published December 2016 in “Politik,” the newspaper of the Swiss Christian Democratic Party. Thanks to Rolf Haegler of the Swiss World Federalists for translating and forwarding the article.