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Your
Lordship,
We
the children of the world, fear for our future and
feel deeply perturbed that mankind will perish
either in a nuclear holocast or in an
eco-catastrophe. Earlier in 1999, on behalf of the
children of the world, we had appealed to the
Secretary General of the United Nations Dr Kofi A.
Annan, to safeguard our future by facilitating the
formation of a ‘New World Order’ which is
capable of eliminating the huge nuclear stockpile
and also ensuring ecological and environmental
conservation on a global scale.
Dr
Kofi Annan’s Reply:
In his reply Dr Annan wrote to CMS that "People
all over the world look to the United Nations to
protect them — from hunger, disease, violence, and
natural disasters — whenever the task seems too
big for nations, or regions, to handle alone. But we
at the United Nations can do nothing alone, either.
Our strength is the strength of our member states,
when they agree to act together for the common good.
Next year, (from September 6th to 8th, 2000) leaders
from all over the world will come to New York for
the Millennium Summit. They will consider the
challenges ahead, and what the United Nations can do
to face them. Those leaders will be representing
you, the peoples of the United Nations. It is up to
you to make sure that they come here firmly resolved
to take decisions which can lead to a better life
for all of us, and for our children. I am counting
on you all."
Children
Appeal to World Leaders:
Accordingly, we wrote to all the Heads of State and
Heads of Government participating in the Millennium
Summit, to safeguard our future by supporting the
U.N. General Assembly’s agenda item 30 of the 53rd
session dated 10th May 1999 (clause 8) which dealt
with the formation of a New International and
Political Order. This demand was also included in
the Declaration of the Millennium Forum of the NGO’s
and Civil Societies held at the U.N. Headquarters
from 22nd to 26th May 2000 because only a New
International and Political Order can eliminate the
huge nuclear stockpile and also ensure worldwide
ecological and environmental conservation efforts.
We received letters of support from many world
leaders including the Prime Ministers of India,
Australia, New Zealand, the President of Slovakia
and leaders of some other countries. However, at the
Millennium Summit itself, no head of state or head
of the government spoke a word about the formation
of a new international and political order, of the
world.
World
Leaders at the Millennium Summit:
At the Millennium
Summit, leaders of the various countries only talked
about peripheral issues. Whereas the then US
President Mr Bill Clinton stressed the need for more
finances to strengthen conflict prevention forces,
the Russian President Mr Vladimir V. Putin talked
about the alarming U.S. plans for militarization of
outer space with missiles and proposed calling an
international conference in the spring of 2001,
under the UN umbrella, to prevent such developments.
Mr Tony Blair, Prime Minister of United Kingdom
wanted a more robust peace keeping force that can be
inserted quickly. Mr Jacques Chirac President of
France wanted more resources for UN and Chinese
President Mr Jiang Zemin emphasized on the right of
people of all countries to choose their own social
system and developmental path.
Conclusion
: Failure of the Millennium Summit:
It can be seen from the above deliberations that
most of the leaders only spoke on the issues that
concerned their own individual countries and were
silent on the most important issue of them all
namely the formation of a "New International
Political and Economic Order".
People
all over the world are totally let down :
No wonder, today people all over the world feel
totally let down by the world politicians who have
displayed a uniform inability to rise above their
own selfish interests and to work for the welfare of
humanity at large. Now, as future World citizens, we
the children of the world have no other option left
but to approach the world judiciary who alone retain
their credibility and honour and are universally
trusted by all.
There
is no enforceable International law today :
In today’s dismal scenario when there is no
enforceable international law which is universally
accepted by all the countries, we would like to draw
your kind attention to Article 51 of the
Constitution of India which states :
ARTICLE
51. Promotion of international peace and
security:-
The State shall
endeavour to -
(a) promote international peace and security;
(b) maintain just and honourable relations
between nations;
(c) foster respect for international law and
(d) encourage settlement of international
disputes by arbitration.
Clause
(c) of the above article refers to "fostering
respect for international law" but there is no
international law in the world today which is
acceptable and enforceable to all the countries and
peoples of the world. A law that has no legal
sanctity, is not legally enforceable and does not
carry a penalty for violation, cannot be called a
law at all. In that sense, there is no international
law in the world today. In order to respect the
international law, we first need to have have
international law which can only be enacted by a
legally constituted ‘World Parliament’ with
powers to frame international laws for the entire
world. UNO is an international body which is funded
from voluntary contributions and donations of
various countries and has no powers to legislate or
enact laws which are legally enforceable.
Article
51 of Indian Constitution provides a ray of hope :
The provisions enshrined in Article 51 of the Indian
Constitution provide a ray of hope for saving the
future of world’s children from the impending
nuclear holocaust and an environmental catastrophe.
All countries of the world need to include similar
provisions in their respective constitutions so that
the world may become a safer place for all.
Call
for a World Parliament:
On behalf of children of the world, we the 24,000
students of City Montessori School, Lucknow (INDIA),
do hereby issue a call to all citizens and specially
Jurists of the world, requesting them to safeguard
the future of world’s children by striving for a
legally constituted ‘World Parliament’ whose
laws are binding on all the nations and peoples of
the world, just as the laws passed by a country’s
national parliament are binding on all the provinces
and the citizens of that country.
Countries
should surrender a part of their sovereignty :
Admittedly for this
to happen, countries will have to surrender a part
of their sovereignty, but then the choice before us
is the State sovereignty verses the existence of
mankind. We would also like to point out that the
time has come for all the right-minded citizens of
the world, to make a sincere endeavour for
propagating the spirit of Article 51 of Indian
Constitution so that all countries become aware of
this unique provision and are inspired to adopt
similar provisions
Building
Public Opinion:
Now we are striving to build public opinion in
support of a World Parliament through a series of
conferences and seminars in the interest of the
future of world’s children and survival of
humanity itself. Accordingly a Roundtable Conference
on Article 51 of the Constitution of India was held
at CMS Gomti Nagar on 14th January, 2001. The
Roundtable was inaugurated by Hon’ble Mr. Justice
Syed Saghir Ahmed, former Judge of the Supreme Court
of India. Other eminent participants included Hon’ble
Mr. Justice U. C. Srivastava, former senior Judge of
the Allahabad High Court and Hon’ble Mr K. S.
Rakhra, District and Sessions Judge, Lucknow. Shri
K. Vikram Rao, President of the All India Federation
of Working Journalists and Legal Correspondents and
representatives of the major newspapers also
participated. All the speakers supported the concept
of a legally constituted "World
Parliament" as an impartial international law
making body that could resolve international
disputes through arbitration and legislation.
Encouraged
by the success of the Roundtable, CMS organised a
Seminar on Article 51 of the Indian Constitution
which was inaugurated by Hon’ble Mr. Justice R. S.
Pathak, Former Chief Justice of India and former
Judge of the International Court of Justice and a
Member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (The
Hague). Hon’ble Mr. Justice Rangnath Misra, Former
Chief Justice of India and also former Chairman of
the National Human Rights Commission of India,
presided over the Seminar and Hon’ble Mr. Justice
V. R. Krishna Iyer, former Judge of Supreme Court of
India delivered the key note address. Hon’ble Mr.
Justice SHA Raza, Senior Judge of Allahabad High
Court was the Chairman of the Reception Committee.
High Court judges, lawyers, legal luminaries,
educationists, social activists and press
representatives participated in the seminar.
Appeal
to Jurists of the World:
We now request Your Lordship to support this call on
behalf of the world’s children to convene a World
Parliament.
(on
behalf of 24,000 CMS students)
(Jagdish
Gandhi)
Founder-Manager CMS
&
Convenor of the 1st International Conference on
Article 51 of the Constitution of India
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