Join us in calling for more ambitious UN reform at the Summit of the Future!
Dear Members and Supporters,
We need your help to advocate for a stronger, more effective United Nations. The upcoming UN Summit of the Future is a crucial opportunity for Canada to push for meaningful reforms that can address the global challenges we face today. We invite you to join us in calling for the Canadian Government to take a leadership role in advocating for ambitious changes at the UN. Your voice can make a difference. By writing to your Member of Parliament (MP), you can show your support for a UN Charter Review Conference and a UN Parliamentary Assembly.
Open Letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
Dear Right Honorable Prime Minister,
On May 10th, Antonio Guterres urged civil society organizations to: "demand ambitious commitments at the Summit {of the Future}, not business as usual." He stated this after seeing the draft communique being developed for September's UN Summit of the Future. We agree that the nations of the world need to show more ambition, not merely nibbling around the edges of UN processes. One such ambitious action would be the serious review of the UN Charter that was supposed to happen by 1955, but it never did.
As you know the World Federalist Movement - Canada is a civil society organization dedicated to promoting the implementation of global governance systems fit for the modern world of global corporations, trade and finance, and the need for global security, justice and environmental integrity. So, following Guterres' lead, we believe Canada should immediately press the drafters of the Summit's communique to include two commitments:
1. Call a UN Charter Review Conference:
An institution that has not reviewed its charter in 80 years is clearly a fossil. The UN's Charter was originally envisaged for review by 1955, as a tradeoff for allowing WWII victors to hold vetoes. Post-war-era thinking is now obsolete and not up to the challenges of our current polycrisis situation. We believe Canada should immediately press the team drafting the Summit's communique to explicitly demand the UN General Assembly schedule a Charter Review Conference for 2025 (Article 109-3).
2. Establish a UN Parliamentary Assembly (UNPA):
You signed on to the Campaign for a UNPA in 2010, along with 37 other Canadian MPs and 7,714 other global MPs. A UNPA would be a significant step in the direction of opening up the UN's current closed club of 193 competing nations to the sanitizing light of scrutiny by the people of the world. The creation of a UNPA would not initially require a change to the UN Charter, though its role might be enhanced with Charter reform. Since you support the concept of a UNPA we believe its time for Canada to immediately press the team drafting the Summit's communique to explicitly call on the UN General Assembly to establish a UNPA.
Both of these actions support the rule of law at the international level. They are important but just part of the many recommendations assembled by civil society organizations for the Summit of the Future. So its time for Canada to press for at least a little bit of ambition in the outcome of the Summit of the Future.
Sincerely,
Alexandre MacIsaac, Executive Director
World Federalist Movement - Canada
Tel Number: 613 232-0647
How you can help:
TAKE ACTION by sending the below letter to your MP!
Your participation will amplify our call for a more democratic and effective United Nations. Together, we can ensure Canada is at the forefront of this critical movement for global governance reform!
Find your MP here!
Advocacy Letter to your MP
Dear [insert MP name].
As my Member of Parliament, I believe you should know that I agree with the UN Secretary General's view, recently expressed in Nairobi, that governments should "demand ambitious commitments at the Summit (of the Future), not business as usual." The current draft communique for that special September UN 'Summit' only nibbles around the edges, avoiding the hard decisions of fundamental change to the obviously inadequate global governance system.
I believe Canada should immediately press the drafters of the communique for the Summit to show some ambition by at least including:
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A call for a UN Charter Review by 2025:
The victors of World War II obtained vetoes within the UN by agreeing that a Charter Review Conference would be held by 1955 at the latest (UN Charter Article 109-3 ). It is now 69 years overdue and the organization has proven its inadequacy for dealing with the modern world's global corporations, trade and finance, and the need for global justice and environmental integrity. It's time for Canada to immediately press for the Summit to demand that the UN General Assembly schedule a Charter Review Conference for 2025 - it too cannot be vetoed.
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The Establishment of a UN Parliamentary Assembly (UNPA):
Such a UNPA would give the peoples of the world an opportunity to shine a sanitizing light on the current system of 193 nations competing for their own good rather than the good of humanity. Our current Prime Minister and 37 MPs of all parties, and 7714 other MPs globally, have signed onto the Campaign for a UNPA. It's time for Canada to immediately press for the Summit to demand that the UN General Assembly establish a UNPA - it cannot be vetoed.
These are just some of the key recommendations of civil society for the Summit. We encourage you to brief yourself on the many other excellent suggestions for UN reform. However, right now please press the government to take the above two actions immediately, while the Summit's communique is still in draft form and so Canada might be noticed on the world stage once again.
Sincerely,
[YOUR NAME]
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